As Carlson, who lives on the roof, said: “Let’s continue the conversation”!
Martial arts movie 2018
Accident (dir. Jesse Johnson) (26%, 43 votes)
Adkins! Adkins! - the fans chanted. AND Ekdins came, followed by "Accident", he is also the gold medalist of our nomination.
Say that "Accident" - this is a new milestone in Adkins’ career or some very cool action movie - wishful thinking. A strong film of the fighting genre, but nothing more, although there were all the possibilities to do it very well. 13 years have passed since the debut of Yuri Boyka, but it is obvious that this Russian underground fighter is still the main and so far only role Scott Adkins. You can argue and reflect on this topic, going through your filmography for show, but the result will be the same - Adkins is equal to Boyka as, for example, Bruce Campbell equals Ash. But let's return to “The Case”.
The voiceover tells us a story about revenge, when double standards in the assassin industry cease to be standards for the main character. Adkins’s character is a drummer in the killer’s work, carries out orders according to the principle of “nothing personal,” honors the code and everything that goes with it, but one day the personal intersects with the professional, and now he is not a killer, but an avenger for the death of his beloved.
A motley crew of killers is like a salad of comic book heroes, a wise and fair boss, comfortably disguised as a bartender, conspiracies, intrigues, Adkins against the mustachioed Parka and pot-bellied White, episodic Tim Man, a plus Amy Johnson in leather pants - this is where the list can end. Scott's fans will be pleased, but those who are expecting a memorable action movie will be a little disappointed, because the aftertaste is rather weak, they say about this “everything seems good, but something is missing.”
Choreography of fights from Tim Man no different from what he usually does, in general, this is a variation of the familiar Florentine concept, only the camera work is simpler. Adkins plays Adkins and fights as Adkins, dressed in an Adkins costume.
Perhaps better than "Close quarters", definitely better than "Hard Target 2" и "Incoming", and approximately on par with “Ninjas” и “Wild Dog”.
We wait "Triple threat", fortunately it comes out very soon.
The Night Follows Us (dir. Timo Tjahjanto) (23%, 39 votes)
Eight years ago, a wave of Indonesian cinema rushed into the viewer in a dazzling, bloody stream, and every year the next tide brings a new film to our attention. The projects in this wave are not uniform in quality, the degree of bloodiness and the “color of mood” are also different, but the line remains approximately the same - always uncompromising action.
“The night is following us” - a crime story in which there is a lot of heroism and a lot of death, and the transformation of the character is somewhat reminiscent "Accident" (and, to be fair, a billion more films, including the same "Headshot"): the bandit goes against his own brothers, because “for him it is now personal.” And if Adkins, in his version, plays a man who is in no hurry to repent and reconsider his life, then the hero’s path Joe Taslima - This is an attempt to atone for sins.
Does the viewer believe the main character? Probably yes, although the “man” awakens in such a hardened killer too quickly, and from flashbacks we learn that toxic darkness has permeated him for many years. The sentimental side of the film takes up quite a lot of screen time, and yet the film is 2 hours long. The viewer, of course, is not expecting men's tears, but an action movie.
Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais и Julia Estell - three main sources of action, although one of the bloodiest and most dramatic fights is a kitchen mash of the hero Taslim's friends against the triad. In general, if you try to characterize the battles in this film in two words - they are long and bloody. At the same time, the duration of the fights does not affect the quality in any way, they can be safely shortened, and the number of ripped open bellies also adds drama. But it’s up to you to decide - some people like an exquisite dessert, while others like rare steak.
In this case, “The night is following us” much better than previous work in every way Timo Tiajanto - "Headshot", aka “Raid: Bullet in the Head”. Now everything is more meaningful, integral and more expensive.
PS: It's been a long time since we've had a mustachioed action movie protagonist =)
Collectors (dir. Jesse Johnson) (20%, 33 votes)
“Collectors”, even if it is in the “B” segment, but this is a feature film, and not just an action film (one does not always follow from the other). Stylistically, this is a buddy movie with the sauce of criminal showdowns, in which circumstances are stronger than the heroes, and life is not as sweet as they imagined it. Well, it didn’t work out, what can you do now? The heroes try to change their fate, they are cunning, they cheat, or, on the contrary, they go ahead, but they will be disappointed. There are a lot of references and borrowings in the film: some from classic gangster action films, some from “Pulp Fiction”, a little raid “9 yards” and much more. The main characters are an archetypal couple, in which one is a seasoned loser, and the other is a beginner loser. Adkins, although he tries to play, he still mostly fights, but Mandylor, even if he fights at times, he still mostly acts.
Of the titans present in the frame Vladimir Kulikh и Tony Todd, embodying the next role models - the leaders of the warring factions, plus in the same frame with them Michael Pare.
Not bad at all, it already smells like variety. And Adkins may not be Hamlet yet, but he is no longer Boyka.
2019's most anticipated film of the year
John Wick 3 (dir. Chad Stahelski) (30%, 44 votes)
Nomination “The most anticipated film of 2019” turned out to be a testing ground for the battle of true heavyweights, each of whom deserves first place. As a result, the toughest killer in the world, nicknamed Baba Yaga, won a convincing victory. Thanks to Wick, the career of “sad Keanu” sparkled with new colors and brought him to a new level of popularity, just as Yuri Boyka worked for Adkins and Ip Man for Donnie Yen. Moreover, all three had already established their careers by this time, especially Reeves and Donny. And now the third part "John Wick" on the way, how many more will there be?
What is the intrigue of the new series? Firstly, it will be interesting to see how Wick will extricate himself from the situation into which he has driven himself with one precise and very fateful shot. Next, we want to know what new the screenwriter will tell Derek Kolstad about the attractive and dangerous world of hired killers. And, of course, everyone is excited about what I have in store Chad Stahelski in terms of action, and the first question on the agenda: will there be a fight between John Wick and the character? Mark Dacascos, killer “Zero”? And if so, will Mark finally be allowed to show off his uncooled gunpowder in the flasks, and is all this worth his shaved head? And how about Roger Yuan, Yayana Rukhyana, Chechepa Arif Rahman, Tiger Chen и Silvio Scimacha? In general, the cast kills on the spot.
Separately, I would like to say that Wick will not be able to solve her world problems without the help of a fighting friend in the person of the heroine Halle Berry, which, as the trailer shows, will take an active part in the life and creative successes of our ex-comuniado.
Hope that “John Wick 3” - this is not just another film about how an immortal hero with a stony, bearded face skillfully and effectively crushes his enemies, but the progress and development of the franchise, since the “charm” of the screen universe and the life of the hotel "Continental" contains obvious potential for a sequel.
Triple Threat (dir. Jesse Johnson) (26%, 38 votes)
We had “The Expendables” led by Sly, “The Expendables” “for the poor” led by Nevsky, and now - “The Expendables” for fans of fighting games. "Triple Threat" It’s not just Adkins fans who are waiting, because the lineup is so mushroom-y that there’s plenty to choose from. The main thing that Jesse Johnson didn’t get lost in the characters and gave everyone enough screen time and, of course, let them fight. The trailer promises us a complete extravaganza and storyboard, but whether this will happen in reality is still a question, since the trend of the last ten years, when the trailer shows all the most interesting things and turns out to be better than the film, has not been canceled. There is clearly a lot of Adkins in the film, Tony Jaa also tipsy, and also Iko Uwais, who has significantly strengthened his career, Tiger Chen, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping, Ron Smoorenburg, Dominic Vanderberg, Gija Yanin and two Selina - of the и Jade.
The synopsis does not shine with originality, but the picture does not look completely B-sh, explosions and bullets are not drawn, the heroes fight and shoot, shoot and fight, Smurenburg as always they beat incessantly, Michael Jai White greasy cheeks smile slyly, in short, in theory it should be interesting, but is everything so rosy?
Let's be honest, the choreography is from Tim Man Some kind of special originality has never shone, will it be able to shine this time? Will all the characters reveal themselves or will someone be quickly and absurdly merged? Intuition suggests that this could easily happen, for example, with Bisping.
But even adjusting for all this, "Triple Threat" For her acting hodgepodge alone, she deserves silver in our nomination.
Ip Man 4 (dir. Wilson Yip) (15%, 22 votes)
First "Ip Man" - this is a classic. Second - a textbook on the ideological education of schoolchildren. The third - an attempt at rehabilitation after the second part. What awaits us in the fourth? So far it is known that there will be a screen Bruce Lee by Danny Chan, Chris Collins in the role of a certain karate instructor and... EDKINS! Scott's expansion continues, but in this case it is even expected and logical.
What do we hope for? We hope that Danny Chan will not be a parody of Bruce and will not be an idealized figure, fortunately there is experience. We hope that Scott won’t be merged and made into an idiot, like, for example, Darren Shahlavi in the second part. We hope that he will be a meaningful character with sane choreography, and not like Mike Tyson from the third. We finally hope that Donnie will play a living person, and not a bronze monument to Ip Man.
PS: And cables, smaller cables, they’re already making me sick =)
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Tags: accident man, Ip Man 4, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, The Debt Collector, The Night Comes for Us, Triple Threat, Jesse W. Johnson, Gija Yanin, Joe Taslim, Julia Estell, Dominic Vanderberg, Donnie Yen, Danny Chan, Iko Uwais, results of action cinema 2018, Keanu Reeves, Chris Collins, Louis Mandylor, Michael Bisping, Michael Jai White, Mark Dacascos, Ron Smoorenburg, Selina Jade, Selina Lo, Scott Adkins, Tiger Chen, Timo Tiajanto, Tony JAA, Halle Berry, Amy Johnston
Tags: accident man, Ip Man 4, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, The Debt Collector, The Night Comes for Us, Triple Threat, Jesse W. Johnson, Gija Yanin, Joe Taslim, Julia Estell, Dominic Vanderberg, Donnie Yen, Danny Chan, Iko Uwais, results of action cinema 2018, Keanu Reeves, Chris Collins, Louis Mandylor, Michael Bisping, Michael Jai White, Mark Dacascos, Ron Smoorenburg, Selina Jade, Selina Lo, Scott Adkins, Tiger Chen, Timo Tiajanto, Tony JAA, Halle Berry, Amy Johnston
But I didn’t like “Wild Dog” at all. I watched "Accident" without constant facepalming on my face :)
Watched Triple Threat. Worse than I hoped, but better than I feared. The main complaint is the idiocy of the characters' actions. Too frequent situations in the style of “run, I’ll deal with him”, “I’m not for them, but for you, but I’m actually hunting for them” and the like. What about a Terminator-style attack on a police station?
Fights... On the one hand, it’s not the best that these fighters, in principle, gave out in their best years, but on the other hand, there are enough fights and they are full-fledged, not fleeting.
In general, the script is a C, the acting is a B minus, the fights are a B plus, and another point can be given for the number of fights and their participants.
Ps Scott doesn't know how to play villains. It looks too pretentious and cartoonish. Whether it's Misha Bely. With grins, with jokes, jokes, nothing personal, man.
Pps Birdie, i.e. I feel sorry for Jija. Due to lack of screen time, it was almost lost. And how exactly they leaked it - you have to see it.
I didn’t recognize Ray Park and he’s also now pot-bellied.
Anton Clemens,
This will be discussed in more detail in the “Best Fight” category. Don't force things))
Ravenside,
And in the “Comeback of the Year” nomination too ;)