Well, enough time has passed, as well as all three stages of voting as part of the project to sum up the results of action films for 2019. Looking at the nominees and winners, we have to admit: it wasn’t the best year for the action movie, but it wasn’t the worst either. In any case, we did not feel any shortage of applicants. Today we will discuss the winners in the categories Best Action и Best Asian Action. Believe me, there is something to discuss.
Best Action 2019
It has traditionally been the case that it is never difficult to predict the leader in this nomination. In previous years, such hits as "Deadpool", "Mission Impossible: Fallout" and… "John Wick 2". Was there any doubt that the third film would be a better action movie? Of course not!
John Wick 3 (dir. Chad Stahelski, 2019) 32%
The film begins where the previous one ends: the legendary killer Baba Yaga, who broke all the rules, is now an “excomuniado” - outside the law of the harsh world of hired killers. In addition, a fabulous sum has been assigned for Wick’s bearded head, and now the whole world of assassins is chasing the no longer young Keanu Reeves with the goal of finally finishing him off.
Of course, we can talk for a long time about how the script in the threequel took a wrong turn. Or that the creators completely forgot the laws of physics, and John Wick became the local Neo, who is not affected by bullets, knives, or falls from a height. And I would like to completely forget about the nationality of our hero given by the scriptwriters. By the way, if you are interested in a full analysis of the picture, добро пожаловать to the article Ravenside!
However, if you close your eyes to the absurdities of the plot and the frankly comic style of the narrative, we will see a dashing action movie from a team that lives for action and makes its dreams come true within the framework of the John Wick trilogy. Everything regarding the action scenes in the threequel is done competently, with soul and sparkle. And taking into account the fact that something is constantly happening in the film, there are a cartload of such scenes and a small cart: hand-to-hand combat, shootouts, motorcycle chases (who said "Villain"?) and cars. In addition, animals are also involved in the action scenes! Scenes with dogs, whose commands are also given by someone who is also quite skilled in combat scenes. Halle Berry or scenes with horses, which, at Wick’s instigation, throw away killers with powerful blows of their hooves will not soon disappear from our heads.
Yes, myself Keanu Reeves is not getting any younger and his slowness in relation to his opponents is becoming noticeable, but the stunt and acting divisions have been strengthened by names familiar from the world of combat cinema, headed by the bald man Mark Dacascos. He smiles his open smile and shreds enemies left and right, becoming a worthy opponent for Wick in the final battle.
Generally, "John Wick 3" is still a cool action film, made by longtime fans of old-school action films for the same fans.
Vengeance (dir. Jesse Johnson, 2019) 23%
Well, what would be a summation of action cinema without Scott “our everything” Adkins? Films starring the Briton have been firmly in the top three in this category since 2017 (they somehow managed without him in 2016). And, despite the fact that this year Adkins' films were opposed by reinforced concrete "John Wick", Scott, as they say, “took away” his prizes.
"Revenge" would be just another passable action movie Jesse Johnson, who got into the habit of making niche action films with Adkins a pack a year, if not for one thing: the script Stu Small and his own style of presenting the material. The plot that we are presented with is a nod to the films Guy Ritchie и Quentin Tarantino, borrowing from both the "ragged" storytelling method that moves from the present moment to flashbacks, thus revealing the character's history.
The result is a rough movie with a sort of “male core”, where they are not shy about cruelty and blood, strong expressions and faces distorted by rage. Either the viewer missed such uncompromising action films, or everyone liked the iron teeth Scott Adkins...By the way, about him.
Fans of the British actor as one began to say that Scott had finally left his comfort zone and began working on interesting and new images for himself. We would really like to believe this, but isn’t Kane Bargess’s character the same Yuri Boyka, released from prison, where he was forced to fight? If you think that the difference between these characters is huge, write about it in the comments! Let's discuss. But it seems to us that Adkins looks a little different here precisely thanks to the script and the “Gayrich” flair that permeates every event in "Vengeance". And iron teeth, of course.
As for the action part, everything is pretty standard for films by Johnson and Adkins, only adjusted for cruelty. Oh yeah, the final fight scene in the pub is actually quite good!
Triple Threat (dir. Jesse Johnson, 2019) 13%
During pre-production, Johnson's film was considered one of the most ambitious action film projects since the first "The Expendables". Still would! It pitted the stars of the hand-to-hand action genre against each other, going all out: Scott Adkins, Tony JAA, Michael Jai White, Iko Uwais and others... But... It didn’t work out. In general, it’s hard to write about a film that won bronze in the “Best Action” category, because no one from the FFI editors liked it. But let's take it in order.
If we consider the "Triple Threat" as a classic action movie, many questions arise for Johnson as a director. They will especially concern the implementation of shootouts and explosions, chases and the general logic of the narrative. If we consider “The Menace” as a celebration of fan service for fans of specific actors, then questions arise for the screenwriters (there are three of them, for a second!), because the plot seed and further developments of events look extremely far-fetched and uninteresting. So what's the deal?
Obviously, the audience voting for this film could not withstand the pressure of the big names involved in the action film. Also, fans of hand-to-hand combat could buy into the fights authored Tim Man, since there is a lot of hand-to-hand combat in the film. Well, the final chord could be the long-awaited battle between Scott Adkins и Tony JAA, which fans of both actors dreamed about. And I don't care what "Triple Threat" it happened in a poorly lit place with periodically interfering in this very battle Iko Uwaisom. The main thing is a fait accompli!
23 votes and third place in this nomination. By the way, if you want an article from us analyzing “The Threat,” write about it in the comments! Otherwise, we don’t yet understand which side to approach this picture from...
Best Asian Action Film 2019
It's nice to look at the list of nominees in this category, because a good action film is always good. It doesn't matter in which country it was filmed. For example, from India in the past year, as many as three cool action films were presented. Both China and South Korea distinguished themselves. There was one nominee each from Japan (“First Love”), Vietnam (“Fury”), the Philippines (“Maria”) and Mongolia (“Bloody Transit”). Each of the films presented really deserves attention, but, as they say, the strongest won.
Gangster, Cop and Devil (dir. Lee Won-tae, 2019) 22%
It's funny, but it seems that none of the top three in this category is a classic genre action movie. Which of course doesn't take away from the action scenes that these films have. This statement fully applies to the South Korean thriller "Gangster, Cop and Devil" director Lee Won-tae, because the film successfully sits on two chairs, being in fact a story about a mentally unbalanced maniac and about “deadly” partners - the leader of a local organized crime group and a police detective, who are forced together to search for an insane villain.
Mix a movie about maniacs, a crime drama, a bloody thriller, a good detective story and a South Korean action into one cocktail and you will get first place in this category. There are few action scenes in the film, but those that are there are absolutely impossible to take your eyes off. It seems that South Korean filmmakers have long found the “key” in presenting such material that “locks” the viewer’s attention. And this despite the fact that from the point of view of the craft, everything here is quite modest, both in shootouts and in hand-to-hand combat. But the atmosphere, suspense and excellent acting work maximize the perception of such scenes.
The clever script, which, by the way, is based on a real story that happened in 2005 and the actors in the person of Ma Dong-seok и Kim Mu-yeol. And if the first is a gloomy, silent, but at the same time dangerous gangster, then the second is a hyperactive, cocky and always foul-mouthed cop. The chemistry between the actors carries every scene and the viewer doesn’t even have time to understand - so quickly he begins to care about these characters. Both hold up well in the fierce fight scenes.
28 votes and a landslide victory for the thriller "Gangster, Cop and Devil".
Fury (dir. Le-Van Keith, 2019) 20%
The action movie was literally three votes behind the gold medalist "Fury", which marked the return to action cinema of the Vietnamese actress Veronica Ngo. If we talk about the plot of this film, then in fact it’s the same "Hostage" with Liam Neeson. The plot of “a parent saving a child from kidnappers” is not new, but in this case, fans of combat films expected fierce battles from the “Vietnamese fury.”
Actually, we got what we expected. The film concentrates on the character of Veronica and leads her through the plot after her daughter, throwing new enemies at the angry woman who is afraid for the fate of the child, occasionally focusing on her past with the help of flashbacks.
У "Furies" excited dynamics of action. It seems that the breaks in this film are made only so that the viewer has time to have a “smoke break” after the next batch. But if Hollywood "Hostage" was an action film, the Vietnamese film focused exclusively on hand-to-hand combat. If a firearm appears in the frame, it is only for the characters to lose it literally a couple of seconds later. There is also no talk of chases here (although the scene of the kidnapping of the main character’s daughter at the beginning of the film can be considered such), since the events take place in poor areas of Vietnam, where a vehicle is a luxury. But the filmmakers try to maintain momentum through different plot devices. For example, taking one of the fights to a car repair shop or to a moving train.
Veronica herself is very good, for which, along with silver in the “Best Asian Action Film” category, she received bronze in the “Comeback of the Year” category and first place among action heroines of 2019. And well deserved!
The Avenger (dir. Lee Seung-won, 2018) 15%
South Korean martial artist Bruce Khan worked as a stuntman with Jackie Chan, Sammo Hoon и Jet Li since the late 90s, but all this time I cherished the hope of making my own cool action movie, where the ambitious Khan could demonstrate his skills. In 2010, Bruce had a project planned "Killing of Game", but the film never got out of the production pit, and the actor’s dreams had to be put on hold until better times.
Before "Avenger" Khan got there at the age of 50, but it’s safe to say that the Korean made his dream come true. In essence, the film is a bloody slasher film, the main story of which is revenge for the murdered family of the main character. But the setting chosen for these events is not the most popular - an uninhabited island that was turned into a maximum security prison. Of course, there has been no “regime” on the island for a long time, and notorious thugs and psychos rule the roost there.
As for Khan, he simply goes to his goal through hordes of the most varied enemies, simultaneously saving the daughter of a woman who managed to give birth on this island. And as long as the viewer is “fed” with action scenes, everything is fine. But when the action starts to sag, trying to show drama or some kind of psychologism of choice, it becomes incredibly boring and the hand itself reaches for the player to skip to the next hand-to-hand fight.
Khan should be given his due: he looks amazing for his age and looks extremely confident in the fight scenes, which he himself directed. There are no guns in the film, but there is a scene of archery. Well, and waving hands and feet in "Avenger" plenty. In this, the South Korean film is very similar to the Vietnamese film "Fury", from which Khan's film fell behind by as many as 16 votes.
The question of which of the action films presented in the voting would be worthy of third place remains open, but bronze in the list of the best in this category went to "Avenger".
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Tags: avenue, Fury, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Revenger, Triple Threat, Bruce Khan, Veronica Ngo, Jesse W. Johnson, Iko Uwais, results of action cinema 2019, Keanu Reeves, Kim Mu-yeol, Le-Van Kiet, Lee Won-tae, Lee Seung-won, Ma Dong-seok, Michael Jai White, Mark Dacascos, Scott Adkins, Tim Man, Tony JAA, Halle Berry, Chad Stahelski
Tags: avenue, Fury, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Revenger, Triple Threat, Bruce Khan, Veronica Ngo, Jesse W. Johnson, Iko Uwais, results of action cinema 2019, Keanu Reeves, Kim Mu-yeol, Le-Van Kiet, Lee Won-tae, Lee Seung-won, Ma Dong-seok, Michael Jai White, Mark Dacascos, Scott Adkins, Tim Man, Tony JAA, Halle Berry, Chad Stahelski
Well, John Wick already in the second part stopped flirting with seriousness and realism. Armored jackets that reflect a projectile of any caliber, 28 stab wounds in the belly do not interfere in any way and heal in a minute, caricature killers, instead of realistic guys ala Defoe from the first part (some centenarian grandfathers, student girls, fat Asians - who are they going to kill anyway? can they be there?), and in general a world populated only by killers (everyone had already been killed by ordinary people. So everyone who was affected by this grieved in the second part and calmly plunged into the parallel universe of the third film)