Best Actor 2022
Scott Adkins (Day Shift, Section Eight, Casualty 2) (28%, 43 Votes)
Hello Scott, long time no see? Last year, you say? And before that and the year before? And before that...
Okay, jokes aside, friends, we're here again Scott Adkins. This year he has only one main role in the list of films presented - in the film “Casualty: A Hitman's Vacation”, where the Briton existed in three guises: leading actor, co-screenwriter and co-producer. The film also took gold from us in the category film with BI, and, we repeat, this is a classic fighting film with many fight scenes from various characters and a final fight with modern tricking from Andy Long, but at the same time with the traditions of the 80s, since the first half of the battle the main character is mercilessly beaten, so that at the climax he solemnly rises from his knees and wraps his fist around the enemy. True, Adkins does all this on screen without a twinkle in his eyes, arms and legs, somewhat reminiscent of his own character from “Collectors”, so there are no “undeniable” fight scenes in his performance.
"Eighth Department" - this is a low-budget and passable film and the best thing about it is the fight between Adkins and Ryan Kwanten. Scott plays a minor character, who was clearly called in only to freshen up the mothball action, which he successfully did.
About the same can be said about his appearance in “Day shift” - a vampire action movie from a stuntman JJ Perry, who stepped into directing following his colleagues David Leitch, Chad Stahelski и Sam Hargrave. Perry came out with a silly fighting-horror game with a dubious main character, but spectacular stunt tricks, which is expected, and an episodic but brilliant fight between Adkins and Steve Howey, who play vampire bounty hunters the Nazarene Brothers. Throughout the battle, the brothers compete in killing bloodsuckers, teasing each other, wielding a sword, nunchucks and deadly soles of boots. In the action scenes, Scott is backed up by stunt doubles, and to be honest, we don’t really understand why they are needed there.
Well, there were no surprises this year either - Scott Adkins takes gold in this category and I think we will meet this “scumbag” again next year.
Ma Dong-seok (Crime City 2) (15%, 23 votes)
Ma Dong-seok, aka Don Lee long ago he could have been on the list of the best actors in action films, since there are a lot of good action films in his career and in fact “Crime City 2” not the brightest representative, although successful.
At the same time call Ma Dong-seok a 100% on-screen fighter would not be entirely true, although he knows very well how to throw a right hook first-hand, and his fights are more of an actor’s act, based on his texture.
“Crime City 2” unlike the first part, it became more comedic, even lightweight and greatly exploited the titanic impenetrability of Dong-seok, who bares his fist in any situation. In the prequel, the fight with the villain in the toilet was more realistic in the sense that the main character suffers much more damage and injury than in the fight on the bus from the second part, and this makes him more reminiscent of a person and not a parody of himself. There is a slight danger of moving towards Statham or, God forbid, Seagal, since the scheme that the Korean directors have chosen is clear, working and, it seems, brings in money, so the third and fourth parts “Crime City” is just around the corner, but let's hope that the creators will maintain common sense and a sense of proportion.
We will rejoice for success Ma Dong-seok and we recommend that viewers retrospectively go through the filmography of this bright and very charismatic actor.
Gary Daniels (Gardener, Bring His Dead Body, Repeat) (12%, 19 Votes)
Bronze in antiquity Gary Daniels in this nomination, as well as in the nomination “Comeback of the Year” is a nostalgic tribute to a bygone era of fighting games. Daniels began to gain momentum in the mid-90s, which were characterized by the crystallization of the genre, its certain maturity, where the style and basic set of clichés settled down.
This is the period of reign of such film companies as Cannon Group, Nu Image, PM Entertainment, Image Organization and others who specialized in low-budget action films.
All three films with which Daniels closes our TOP of the best actors seem to have stepped straight out of the 90s, taking with them the British kickboxer, who also seems to have hardly changed, only having grown a gray braid and become more stern. What does this mean?
Old school doesn’t get worse over time, and against the backdrop of modern flat and monotonous creations of the genre, our souls are automatically drawn to old films that certainly won’t let us down. Over time, Daniels himself, like a fine wine, only became stronger and more interesting, and did not lose a bit of his fighting form.
Another thought that comes to mind is that the actor’s charisma often overshadows both the weak fight choreography and the low quality of the film as a whole, because "Gardener" that “Repeating” - films are passable to the point of impossibility, and "Gardener" - this is also “bronziplatation”, which means secondary squared. IN “Bring his corpse” there are still some reflections and glimpses, but Gary is, after all, the main character there and, thank the balls, he fights there.
In this regard, it makes sense to repeat the words from the article about the Comeback: “Daniels would now, for example, "John Wick". Because Gary is ready, damn ready."
Best Actress 2022
Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere at Once, The Witcher: Origins) (23%, 27 Votes)
There's no point in considering Michelle Yeoh as the best actress of combat cinema, in 2022 she simply turned out to be the best actress of everything, everywhere and at once. All kinds of awards, including an Oscar statuette, directly indicate this. Phantasmagoric story "Everything everywhere and at once" from Daniel Kwan и Daniel Scheinert regardless of its depth, apparent or true, gives us a benefit performance Michelle Yeoh beyond the taste preferences of the audience or the opportunistic objectives of modern cinema. At the same time, it has long been pointless to comment on the actress’s work while sitting on the couch with significant meaning. Over the many years of her career, we do not remember anything that discredited her as an actress, despite the fact that her projects were of varying quality, which is inevitable for such a long career. But it is not the place that makes a person beautiful, truly, but the person is the place.
Michelle's acting talent, combined with incredible beauty, dignity and femininity, makes any character she plays unforgettable, and again, without any context, whether she is fighting enemies with a refrigerator door or walking in an evening dress. “The Witcher: Origins” not an exception. There is criminally little cinematic appeal in it, and only on Michelle Yeoh I want to watch. Remember last year “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” or “Gunpowder Cocktail", with whom she took silver in the same category “Best Actress”. There were enough of her supporting roles to captivate us all, and now the time has come for the main role - and well-deserved gold in her pocket, although she now has much more serious awards in her piggy bank.
Sarah Chan (Blood Hungters, Circle of Bones, Casualty 2) (18%, 22 Votes)
About 10-12 years ago, the genre of women's film fighting games was refreshed by the appearance of female masters from different countries, including Jiju Yanin, Verognicu Ngo, Amy Johnston, and Gina Carano From the world of MMA she then switched to acting.
Then everything seemed to calm down, and the vector shifted to professional actresses playing the role of on-screen fighters: Charlize Theron, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Chastain, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jennifer Garner... this list can be continued for quite a long time.
Not to say that the audience missed the ladies who know how to knock out their opponents not only on the set, but forget “Lady Bloodbattle” or "Chocolate" did not.
Sarah Chan as if it takes us back to the period when action film actresses did not have to be taught to fight for filming, because they themselves will teach anyone you want, the main thing is to get into the hands of a good choreographer. IN “Circle of Bones” и “Blood Hungters” I had no luck with the choreographer. Although the director and actor Vincent Soberano and has extensive experience in practicing and teaching martial arts, as a director of a fighting game, it’s too early to sing his praises. He makes very local and amateur films, from which Sarah Chan trying to make the most of it, and even acting.
“Accident 2” much more interesting, and perhaps it is Chan who refreshes this film and sets off Adkins’ fatigue with her energy and humorous character, and the fighting game in her performance is not passable.
Judging by the actress's filmography and her future projects, she is firmly stuck in Soberano's Taiwanese horror films, from which she needs to get out.
Olga Kurylenko (Princess, White Elephant, Undercover Chief) (15%, 18 Votes)
It seems that career Olga Kurylenko developed and is developing without a visible vector, according to the principle “wherever they call, I go.” She started with French cinema, then jumped into "Hitman" with Timati Oliphant, threw off her dress in “Max Peine” and grew up to be a Bond girl and girlfriend Tom Cruise. After which the films with her participation were so different in budgets, countries and genres that it became difficult to determine the degree of success of the actress, but who needs that?
In 2022, three films with her participation were included in the list of our nominees, and they also differ both in genres, although all three are action films, and in budgets.
Bronze medalist in the category "Historical or Fantasy Film" “Princess” from Le-Van Kiet we discussed on our “Post-New Year podcast” and in light of this we can only repeat ourselves a little. Before us is a stunt movie with a female fighting game, in which the main character is played by Joey King moves from point A to point B and smashes extras of all stripes. All this is presented in a medieval fantasy theme, with a dose of absurdity, hypertrophy and a ton of nonsense and conventions that you can turn a blind eye to, since the picture does not hide its nicheness.
Kurylenko together with Dominic Cooper plays a villain who looks like an 80s rock star, and their whole gang is like bandits from an 18+ matinee. Olga's villain is successful, moderately bitchy and repulsive, and it must be said that although her acting is not outstanding, she copes with both positive and negative roles with equal conviction. Yes, and she fights well too, although there are doubles.
"White elephant" - a low-budget police thriller with a very tough, naturalistic approach to action scenes and old-school pyrotechnics, but a strange plot that ends very quickly, and the character of Kurylenko, being the main one, leaves a feeling of secondary importance, since the hero Michael Rooker in the second half of the film he comes to the fore and draws attention to himself, and he always had an abundance of charisma.
In addition to Kurylenko and Rucker, there is a minor player in the film for reasons known to us Bruce Willis, even more episodic John Malkovich and the villain from Vadhira Derbesa, similar to the Eurovision winner.
The film is unlikely to join the golden ranks of action films with a female face, but Kurylenko shoots a lot and accurately, without batting an eyelid, literally and figuratively.
Rђ RІRѕS, “Undercover Chief” - it’s more of a comedic and fairly passable action movie that takes a piece from “True Lies” и “Long kiss goodnight”, in which there is neither stuntwork nor naturalism, but a lot of references, and, perhaps, except for the charming face Don Johnson and wrestler Dallas Page there's nothing to see there.
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Tags: Gary Daniels, results of action cinema 2022, Ma Dong-seok, Michelle Yeoh, Olga Kurilenko, Sarah Chan, Scott Adkins
Tags: Gary Daniels, results of action cinema 2022, Ma Dong-seok, Michelle Yeoh, Olga Kurilenko, Sarah Chan, Scott Adkins
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