If we take into account the visual component and atmosphere, then “The Wrath of Vajra” can without hesitation be called the bastard son of “Ong Bak 2”. Both films have elements of mysticism and the supernatural, but The Wrath of Vajra is a bit darker than Tony Jaa's work.
But is it on par with Ong Bak 2? I guess, yes. The Wrath of Vajra is a damn good movie.
So, the plot of the film is not enough stars from the sky. Simply put, the cult of Hades (very original, I know) wanted to become the most evil and vile cult in the world, and for this purpose its members hold a tournament in which the losers are forced into slavery, and the winners end up in the camp of the best warriors called “Vajra "
A fighter (Xing Yu), known as the "Vajra King", seeks solitude in the Shaolin Monastery, and only when he learns that the Hades Clan is kidnapping children, raising them as assassins (echoes of his own past), he decides to act.
That's all you need to know. There are a couple of small plot twists, but, surprisingly, what happens never goes beyond the narrative line. The plot is self-contained and combines both drama and action equally.
So what about the action? In a movie where half of it is a tournament, you can expect some tough fights. Well, you won't be disappointed. In “The Wrath of Vajra” the audience is treated to superbly presented martial arts.
I will say that the choreography is most reminiscent of Fist of Legend. Hard, straight strikes, throws and grabs. There are few traditional elements here, but lovers of traditions should not despair - the battles are stylish and flexible.
There are cables. There are slowdowns. Did they influence anything? I wouldn't say that. The cables are used for the purpose - simply to emphasize the techniques, and the degree of realism is not reduced. The same goes for slowdowns. You don’t have to expect anything a la Van Damme here. Mounted wisely and, indeed, very stylish.
Strangely, there aren't that many fights, but that doesn't really matter. The ones that are there are enough, and there are some great training sequences scattered throughout the film, you won't be disappointed.
In addition, each battle is unique in its own way. Here you have a fight with a hefty fighter, with a cannibal who resembles a ghost, a duel in the rain with a naked torso. All this is there.
I realized that the film was something special right after the fight with the “Mad Monkey” (cannibal ghost). It combines parkour and excellent choreography, and it all looks absolutely seamless. You won’t get the feeling that the battle is divided into parts - a separate fight, a separate freerun. Undoubtedly, a fight of the highest level... just like the rest.
Of course, there were some glaring shortcomings, and Yasuaki Kurata was most maliciously “leaked” (about two episodes with his participation), but nothing is perfect. I even think that the foreign characters (in this case the French) are given a certain significance. I agree, their acting is still not good, but you really worry about them... sort of.
I don't know if there will ever be a decent release, since the film attracted the attention of many. It's a shame, because it's better than 90% of the recently released films in this genre.
Gloomy, unusual, but “catchy”. "The Wrath of Vajra" may not be to everyone's taste, but I highly recommend checking it out - it may be exactly what you've been looking for.
Rating: 4 / 5
Author: johnny-cobra
Translation: EvilDollaR
Source: johnny-cobra.tumblr.com
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Tags: The Wrath of Vajra, Lau Wing Chun, Matt Mullins, Nam Hyun-jun, Xing Yu, Steve Yu, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Jiang Baocheng, Zhang Yamei, Shi Yanneng, Yasuaki Kurata
Tags: The Wrath of Vajra, Lau Wing Chun, Matt Mullins, Nam Hyun-jun, Xing Yu, Steve Yu, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Jiang Baocheng, Zhang Yamei, Shi Yanneng, Yasuaki Kurata
Of course, the ropes spoiled a lot of things, but the choreography in the film is interesting. The main character's fight with the "mad monkey" is absolutely gorgeous!!! I haven't seen something so inventive for a long time!
I agree with Wave. The fighting games are spectacular and the movies are stylish!!!
The trackers already have translations. )
I can’t stand it when the degree of realism is when people are whipped like rags, they stop a kick with a fist, and when falling they cling to the cornice with almost one finger. And the technology is not nearly as sophisticated as it looked in the teasers. There is no comparison with “Ong Bak”. But in principle, fighting games are spectacular and the movies are stylish.
Well Go USA will release the film on Blu-ray and DVD on March 11, 2014.
These are the fierce ears of the main character))
A little off topic, but still ...
It seems like we have already seen everything, but what a presentation!!!
Do you know what I noticed lately?
They hate everything!!!
Which is just beginning to fall short of our expectations.
The point is not that JACKIE is almost 60 or that the title of the film makes a reference to the legend, but that we are presented with a chaotic canvas of what we have already seen three hundred times.
I studied this trailer and came to the conclusion that there is nothing special in it to be “catchy”.
1. Fights - nothing remarkable or fancy.
Well, remember at least the final fight with Andy ON in NPI. Super difficulty or what? But... Is there anything to see? Eat.
2. Shooting - what can I say...not John Woo...not John.
3. The dramatic side - in places they yell at each other, making faces that are smart for an Art House movie. That's all?
4. The operator is a nerd! It's obvious that everything was put together in a hurry. Where the team stood, that’s where they deployed the cameras, without thinking about angles.
Everything is shaking and shaking again.
Even the avant-garde Tsui Hark's camera worked so well!!!
5. Why the devil shaved Jackie is unclear. God grant that this is justified. Because we are not very accustomed to seeing him in this form.
In general, in the end, I personally saw confusion!
Why doesn't it change? You should go to the cinema not only based on the fact that yes: somewhere there was a film with that name and it was cool, so I’ll go and see what they did here, or I watched the trailer - there’s a lot of fights and I’ll go. I myself, at least, if the film appeals to me and I want to watch it in the cinema: I’ll look at a little information about it, listen to interviews with the creators (of which there are quite a few now), look at reviews or responses from those who have watched it - in general, I’ll collect what I need and Only after this will I go to the cinema. It's very rare that one trailer is enough for me.
I'm not saying that the creators didn't play on the title - this is a common commercial move, but viewers shouldn't be blind either.
True fans are a minority, ordinary people will see Jackie, see the title Police Story and go watch it expecting a lot of fights and (most likely) good comedy, and they...are viciously deceived. =)
In this case, such a name is pure deception, made for the sake of obtaining greater benefits. And the fact that the creators somewhere and once said that this is a different story does not change anything.
Well, guys, initially they said (the creators first of all) that the film has nothing to do with the previous parts - a completely new story and you shouldn’t expect a cool mego-fighting game. I think true fans have long known what this or that project of their idol brings to them
I agree, if you're making a drama about a cop...why the hell put so much action in the trailer and (most importantly) call the film a POLICE STORY???
Called himself a milk mushroom - get into the box © folk wisdom. Why mislead fans with such a name?
Yes, it would be strange to expect sixty-year-old Jackie Chan to do the same thing he did at thirty.
And I really liked the trailer. This is probably because I didn’t expect fights from this film at all: they promised pure drama. I’m definitely looking forward to it
I agree with Eric and I think he’s right =)
Here's Eric Jacobas's take on the PI2013 trailer:
The trailer did not impress me, there is nothing in it that would remind me that this is a Jackie Chan film, except for the fight in the grid. And I heard this episode is pretty good. Wait and see...
Off top
Trailer "Police Story 2013" youtube.com/watch?v=UB2IdUTUvIM
and please send me the link to wrath of vajra aleksxl@bk.ru ))
And where did you find dragonwolfa?))) If it’s not difficult, please post a link to den50393@mail.ru well... and on wrath of vajra))
Thank you. I've been looking for a review since mid-September and only found it today.
San, thank you. I already forgot about the movie. I watched pieces of camrip. Now I'll watch it again, only in a more normal quality. I'm sorry they compare it to OB2. Thanks again for the uplifting mood :-D
PS Dragonwolf with Kazoo we'll check it out ;)
After the first videos, I was waiting for this film and hoped that it would be up to par. The review is encouraging.