Wrestling superstars Rob Van Dam and David Bautista team up for action movie “Wrong Side of Town”, filled with fistfights and shooting galore. The film can be briefly described as the classic 1979 film “The Warriors” with one man instead of a whole gang.
In this case, the entire army is replaced by Bobby Kalinowski, played by Rob Van Dam. Bobby, a former Marine, lives a peaceful and quiet life with his wife and daughter. When his new neighbor invites him to a nightclub on the other side of town, the usual course of things changes. At the club, Bobby's wife begins to be harassed by Ethan Bordaz (Ross Blitz), brother of owner Seth (Jerry Katz).
While attacking Bobby, Ethan accidentally stabs himself with his own knife. When Seth learns of his brother's death, he places a $100 bounty on Bobby's head. A little time will pass, and Bobby will have to “deal” with everyone who wants money, from bikers to gangsters.
After being wounded, he decides to find his old military buddy named BR, aka Big Ronnie, played by Batista. As the owner of a local strip club, Ronnie refuses to help when he hears about the cash reward, but then agrees, not only out of debt to his friend, but also because Seth will not rest until he knows that Bobby got what he deserved.
The film, directed by David DeFalco (Atonement) from his own screenplay, runs approximately 80 minutes, excluding the end credits. From start to finish it is a mixture of action and thriller with good potential.
Rob Van Dam, a professional wrestler famous in his time in ECW and WWE, made a good name for himself as the main character. Combining rugged looks with kickboxing/wrestling skills, he looks like a true action hero should look. Plus, Van Dam did his own stunts in the film, including one where he runs over obstacles and climbs a ladder before falling onto a platform.
David Bautista, as Ronnie, Bobby's old war friend, adds a dose of sarcasm mixed with brute strength and firepower to the action film. At 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 300 pounds, Batista looks quite intimidating. However, he confidently took on a role that was the exact opposite of the one he plays in the ring as “The Animal.”
Despite their greater fame, compared to Van Dam and Batista, hip-hoppers Omarion and Ja Rule received only 15 minutes of screen time overall. One was a gang leader and the other was one of Ronnie's thugs. They were both hunting Bobby for a big reward. Most of the actors starred as gangsters, including muscular hulks and former WWE star Nelson Frazier Jr. (Big Mabel/Viscera). Even director DeFalco got it in the nuts in the fight at the gas station. The main villain, Seth, played by Jerry Katz, is a formulaic villain, a kind of think tank that makes everything happen at the hands of others.
The fighter choreographed the fights Marris Crump (Marrese Crump), who also played the role of Marcus, one of Seth's henchmen. As the most technical fighter of the entire cast, Crump brought out Rob Van Dam's skills perfectly, and Batista looked absolutely amazing. While Van Dam used grappling techniques mixed with kickboxing, it was Batista's final fight against Crump that is most memorable. Those who consider Batista to be your average big guy wrestler should be aware of his training in Filipino Kali and his knife fight with Crump, which showcases the fast and energetic handwork that is part of this martial art. While the fight footage tends to suffer from those familiar close-ups and short cuts, it doesn't take away from the fact that the leads, despite being professional wrestlers, are capable of technically executing martial arts moves.
Recent news that Crump may be starring with a Thai action heroine Gija Yanin, may well force the viewer to at least rent this film in order to appreciate Crump’s fighting and acting skills. Although the film is not the best action movie of the year, it is a great entertainer with the action on screen and the actions of the main characters Rob Van Dam and Bautista mixed with the choreography of Marris Crump.
Author: Albert Valentin
Source: kungfucinema
Translation: EvilDollaR
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Tags: Wrong Side of Town, David DeFalco, Dave Batista, Marrese Crump, Rob Van Dam
Tags: Wrong Side of Town, David DeFalco, Dave Batista, Marrese Crump, Rob Van Dam
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