'Tis the Season - Riot (1996)

Director: Joseph Merhi

Cast: Gary Daniels, Sugar Ray Leonard, Patrick Kilpatrick, Charles Napier, Paige Rowland

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 94 minutes

Your typical Christmas action viewing is always going to consist of Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, or the several Christmas themed action pictures penned by Shane Black. However, I thought that I would shed light on Riot, a little seen DTV action film set at Christmas time that I figured most action fanatics had not heard of. Riot is three things to me: a Christmas themed action picture, a Gary Daniels vehicle, and a low budget DTV action picture. You know you are an action fan when you are checking out an action film for one of these three reasons since casual audiences care less for that stuff. Thankfully for me, Riot has them all.

I had planned on reviewing Riot for my 'Tis the Season series long before we arrived to the Christmas season. However, Riot is oddly topical and relevant to what is going on in the United States right now concerning the riots in Ferguson, Missouri over a police officer shooting an African American to death. I don't know if Riot, a film released to video in 1996, was already responding to the riots and police beatings concerning the infamous Rodney King case in 1991. Either way, it is topical that the film gently touches upon excessive police force and the organized violence that results from it. Daniels gives the film's opinion of rioting best when he says, "What do these people think they are going to resolve acting like this?" If you think that Riot is some intelligent commentary on rioting and police beatings thought, it's not. This is a dumb as nails DTV film that is all action from start to finish. And that is just fine by me.

Just your average ordinary bar brawl against a baseball team.

Riot opens up with a riot on Christmas Eve as citizens destroy the city after hearing the news of a police officer accidentally gunning down innocent children mistaken as gang members. Major Shane Alcott (Gary Daniels) watches televised coverage of the riot from a bar in disgust. After Shane and his buddy Major Williams (Sugar Ray Leonard) leave the place after an unnecessary but entertaining bar fight, they are taken to the British Embassy for a mission. The British Ambassador's daughter, Anna (Paige Rowland), was kidnapped during the riot. The kidnappers demand money in exchange for her life. Therefore, Agent Devaney (Charles Napier) assigns Shane and Williams the task of rescuing Paige from within the riot zone Escape From New York-style.

Riot is a dumb, basic, and silly DTV action film that delivers the goods from start to finish. The film delivers set piece after set piece without a moment for the viewer to breathe. As I just stated, the film's rough plot is very similar to John Carpenter's eighties classic Escape From New York. Shane is dropped off into a dangerous quarantined zone by aircraft with a handgun and a limited amount of time, just like Snake Plissken. However, this low budget copy cat is set at Christmas time! Riot is jam packed with Christmas aesthetics from its ever present Christmas lights, to the numerous Christmas songs that play during fight scenes, to even the rendition of "O Come, All Ye Faithful" that plays during the opening riot footage. Shane even works out to Christmas music when he pumps iron in his apartment! That's how Christmas minded this film is people. I would argue that there is more Christmas decorations and aesthetics in this film than any of the Die Hard sequels or Shane Black films. It's a shame there are no great Christmas one-liners though.

Unfortunately, Riot suffers from a weak pace and inability to craft true tension or excitement. Even though Riot is based around a high stakes situation that features numerous action scenes, the film never feels exciting even for a moment. You could easily chock this up to the film's weak editing, bad acting, and truly terrible film score. Oh man, my ears haven't hurt from a score this bad in a long time. The terrible repeating theme in Game of Death I and II is better than any of the score heard here. It's a damn shame the film's pace and energy can't match its superb choreography and action craftmanship. The film also lacks a distinct or attractive visual style. Images are rarely lit in a pleasing manner and are even quite hazy a-la John Hensleigh's The Punisher. DTV films of the 1990's were most definitely low budget.

A hockey gang? What is this The Warriors?

Riot stars former kickboxer and British action star Gary Daniels. The man has starred in so many DTV films that it is hard to keep track of them all. Daniels has also appeared in a few theatrically released films over the years (City Hunter, The Expendables, and Tekken), so his career has not been entirely reduced to home video. With so many films under his belt, I commend Daniels for squeezing a Christmas action film in there. And while Daniels does a great job in the film's many action scenes, he comes off fairly weak in the dialog and drama scenes. However, Daniels is one of those cheesy actors you can't help but love. He's just unique. Maybe it's his Britishness. As far as hammy actors come, Daniels is one of the best. At least he's not a dreadful cheesy actor like Highlander: Endgame alumni Adrian Paul and Christoph Lambert. Those guys have yet to convince me that they can show a genuine emotion on screen.

Riot proves itself to be a true DTV when a twist around the halfway point over complicates the plot beyond no end (DTV action films are notorious for over complicating their plots). Even though it seemed that Anna, Shane's ex-girlfriend by the way, was kidnapped by simple gangsters, it turns out they were pawns in a larger scheme. Former IRA soldiers who had a history with Shane in the past planned the entire riot and kidnapping just to get revenge on Shane and obtain money from the British Ambassador. How could the villain expect Shane of all people to show up to save his ex! It's his ex for goodness sakes! And how did they fabricate the riot? Did they murder the poor innocent kids and dress as police officers? If they did, that's a pretty cold tactic! It is also interesting that the film's main villain is Irish and the hero is British, considering the prejudice and history between the two nationalities in real life.

The film's supporting cast is also not half bad. Sugar Ray Leonard has a small supporting role as Shane's buddy in the first half of the film. I don't mean to be rude to Leonard, but the guy definitely doesn't have a future in acting. Still, Leonard does a fine job in his one action scene in which he and Daniels go head to head with a team of baseball players. Character actors Charles Napier (Rambo: First Blood Part II, Maniac Cop 2) and Patrick Kilpatrick (Under Siege 2, Last Man Standing) also appear in small supporting roles. They do just fine. Moving on.

The key to my heart: double fisted gun action.

Besides the Christmas setting and star Gary Daniels, the main reason anyone is going to be checking this movie out is for its action. As is typical with most DTV flicks, Riot is all action from start to finish. There is very little down time in the entire film. The film is so worried about boring the audience that there is an unnecessary fight in a bar at the beginning that is completely unrelated to the plot of the film. Nothing says Christmas cheer like a bar fight set to some hip hop music. 

Riot benefits from plenty of bad ass action beats. Here is a list of some beautiful moments in the film: Daniels pops up out of a car's hood and uses the hood for cover as he fires his gun through it, Daniels sets a motorcycle henchman on fire who proceeds to chase him down only to crash into a car and explode, Daniels wraps a rope around a motorcycle henchman's neck thereby snapping his neck and pulling him off of his motorcycle, Daniels sends a henchman off of his motorcycle into a front flip through three panes of glass, and Daniels even leaps out of a car as it flies off of a parking garage in order to grab a rope to save himself from certain death (pictured below). Say what you want about DTV action, but they know how to deliver the goods. Also kudos to Riot for the ridiculous amount of motorcycle henchmen!

Even though Riot has some awesome action scenes that benefit from great explosions and good choreography, these scenes tend to suffer from painfully weak editing. The editing is extremely clunky at times when it comes to establishing new locations or transitioning between scenes. For example, one fight scene in the middle of a neighborhood immediately leads into a parking garage the very next shot. This happens several times in the film and it is quite jarring whenever it occurs. I also noticed that Riot features an exceptionally high body count yet not an ounce of blood. The film is so low budget that there is not a single squib or blood splat to be found. Sure, every bullet fired is a blank and it always looks great whenever a henchman flies through the air. But don't expect any bloody finishes. Some tighter editing and bloody squibs would have greatly benefited the film's numerous action scenes.

Now that's what I call a stunt.

Riot is nobody's first choice when it comes to Christmas action movies. Therefore, let me be the one to spread awareness of the movie. Even though Riot is your typical DTV in parts (overly complicated at times, weak scoring and editing, terribly paced), the Christmas setting, cheesy acting, and awesome action scenes go a long way in making this one hell of an entertaining action picture. I plan on watching this film every Christmas time in order to honor its memory and to be the only person making Riot a tradition (even though I could be watching something far better). This flick is purely for the die hard action fans, Daniels geeks, and Christmas junkies.

Rating: 6/10 - A clunky, silly, but entertaining film that packs lots of action and Christmas cheer into one direct to video package.

'Tis the Season - Iron Man 3 (2013)

Director: Shane Black

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyenth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley

Country: United States

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 130 minutes

It's time for some Christmas action film reviews! Whenever you see that 'Tis the Season banner, you know what you're in for. Just letting you know dear reader. Anyways, let's get to it.

Most people look at Iron Man 3 as being the supposed final Iron Man film and the first film in Marvel's cinematic wave of phase two films that included Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man. However, some of us action fans may look at the film as the reteaming of star Robert Downey Jr. and his Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang writer/director Shane Black. Black is an action aficiando's dream come true as far as R-rated bad ass screenplays come (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight).

It's surprising that Black took on a PG-13 / $200 million budgeted film like Iron Man 3 because it would restrict his usual foul dialog and force his action scenes to be tame and non-violent. I'm sure Black got the job because of his previous relationship with Downey Jr. before he became the highest paid actor on the planet; but it is still surprising to see Black go from comical R rated action film to comical R rated action film to the third installment of the biggest blockbuster franchise around. However, I think that Black knocked the film out of the park despite the restrictions it placed on him as a filmmaker. Iron Man 3 is both one of the best superhero films of the last few years and my favorite of Marvel's phase two films. Black found a way to make a studio approved film that incorporated all of his artistic traits. Kudos to Mr. Black for sticking to his guns and setting a Marvel movie at Christmas time.

Iron Man 3 proves that the third time is in fact the charm.

Iron Man 3 finds Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in a reclusive state after the events of The Avengers. Tony is a little freaked out that gods and aliens have shown up because it makes him feel small in the grand scheme of things. He has also developed post traumatic stress disorder after risking his life to save New York in The Avengers. Therefore, Tony has spent all of his time creating new Iron Man suits and experimenting with a new suit that he can call to his body whenever he needs. It's nice to see a character as cocky and full of himself as Stark experience so many problems in one film.

The plot kicks into gear when a terrorist named the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) starts bombing countries all around the world. When the Mandarin strikes the Chinese Theater in L.A., Tony taunts the Mandarin and even gives out his home address if the Mandarin wants to come speak to him. Therefore, the Mandarin and his men attack Tony's home and set out kill him. Tony barely escapes with his life and his suit after the attack and wakes up in Tennessee after programming JARVIS to set a flight course to the location of the previous Mandarin attack. It is now up to Tony to use his wits and brains to stop the Mandarin and to get his life back.

Iron Man 3 is one of a few films to have earned over $1 billion at the box office; which is quite an achievement. If one takes a look at the list of $1 billion or over films, some of them tend to be pieces of crap that didn't deserve that money (Alice in Wonderland, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Age of Extinction). However, Iron Man 3 is a very good blockbuster that is deserved of its massive box office take. It makes me happy to know so many people across the globe saw this film and exposed themselves to the man that is Shane Black in the process without probably knowing it.

Ah, you gotta love some good ol' subversive Shane Black Christmas cheer.

One of Iron Man 3's greatest strengths is that it still works as a Shane Black film. It incorporates all of his filmatisms: Christmas time, black and white buddy humor, a snarky protagonist with the world against him, narration, and gun centric action. The film feels especially similar to Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, mostly due to Downey's inclusion. It is also interesting that Miguel Ferrer from RoboCop plays the Vice President and William Sadler from Die Hard 2 plays the President of the United States. I don't know if Black had any part in their casting, but it is awfully coincidental that two antagonists from two memorable hard R action films from Black's heyday in the late 80's and early 90's found their way into Iron Man 3. If Black was responsible for their casting, then I tip my hat to the man for reminding us all of the glory days of 80's and 90's action.

Another reason I enjoy Iron Man 3 so much is because Black continually subverts the genre throughout the entire picture. Black deconstructs the aspect of the superhero by removing Tony from his suit for a large portion of the film. Therefore, Tony has to learn to become a hero again without his Iron Man suit. Black nails Tony's arc at the end of the film when he declares that he was Iron Man all along even without the suit. Man, can Black write every action film from now on please? Black certifies his takeover of the Iron Man character by nearly killing off Tony's bodyguard Happy Hogan, played by Iron Man 1 and 2 director Jon Favreau, early in the film. Unlike the first two Iron Man's, Hogan is reduced to being in a coma the entire film. It is sort of Black's way of saying, "This is my Iron Man now! Things are gonna change."

Iron Man 3 is most notorious for its very controversial twist concerning the film's villain. I won't spoil it here because it really is a nice twist, especially if you are a geek and care about these comic book characters. When I first saw this film in the theater, I did not like the twist and even went on to profess my disappointment with the film. However, I have come to love this film more and more with time. I am perfectly fine with the twist now and have accepted it at this point. Besides, it fits perfectly with Black's goal of deconstructing these well known super characters into regular human beings that are just like us.

Now this is what I'm talking about.

Robert Downey is a treasure, people. Even though he is literally the biggest star on the planet next to Jennifer Lawrence, Downey owns these movies and does a great job in them. It helps that Stark is essentially a super powered rendition of Downey himself, thereby making the character oddly reflexive and natural for Downey to play. He does a fantastic job at the comedy, drama, and even the action scenes. My favorite scene of the film is when Tony tells off the Mandarin in front of the paparazzi. Tyler Bates underscores the scene with a soft rendition of the triumphant Iron Man theme as Tony looks at the camera and says, "So I've decided...that you just died pal."So bad ass. Stark also has a great character arc in the film as he transformers from a victim of PTSD and self doubt into a confident and successful hero again. After four turns at the character, Downey is going to make recasting Iron Man near impossible.

Iron Man 3's action scenes are all a lot of fun and varied. Stand out set pieces of the film include the helicopter attack on Tony's house, Tony's sneak attack on the Mandarin's hideout, the awesome boot and glove gun fight, and the big finale featuring loads of iron suits flying around. Even though these scenes are tame and lack the gore of Black's previous filmic gun fights, at least they incorporate the creativity and ingenuity of an exciting action scene. Every action scene is unique, different, and a lot of fun to watch. I also have to give Black even more praise for incorporating gun wielding henchmen towards the end of the film. It's not a Shane Black film if people aren't shooting guns at each other at one point. The few moments of Don Cheadle and Robert Downey Jr. running around the dock with pistols will probably trigger memories of Lethal Weapon for some.

If there is anything that I really don't like about this film though, it is that the Extremis storyline doesn't quite work as well as it should. There is just something silly about a human being shooting fire out of their mouth while wearing a buttoned up shirt to me. I also really dislike the inconsistency concerning the deaths of characters with Extremis powers. Some Extremis henchmen explode and die immediately while others can take more damage and walk away just fine. This inconsistency with the Extremis henchmen's powers makes their deaths or survivals come off as a cheat to the audience. Even with these errors, Iron Man 3 is still a well paced film that is never boring for even a second regardless of plot holes.

Lethal Weapon much?

Shane Black's Iron Man 3 is probably the closest a PG-13 Marvel film is going to come to being a film a-la the action of the 80's and the 90's (unless Disney picks up their balls and does a new hard R Punisher or Blade film). The humor is great, the action scenes are clever, the protagonist is likable and bad ass, and hand guns find their way into the film too. Black does a great job leaving his stamp on a big budget blockbuster and delivers one of my favorite superhero films of the last few years. I think that the film mainly succeeds because it is a fairly small scaled story that only becomes massive in a few choice scenes. Therefore, I highly recommend this superhero flick to all action fans!

Rating: 8/10 - A fun and clever superhero film that avoids formula and chooses to subvert everything from the hero to the villain. One of the best Christmas action films too.

Franchise:

Iron Man (dir. Jon Favreau, 2008)

Iron Man 2 (dir. Jon Favreau, 2010)

Iron Man 3 (dir. Shane Black, 2013)