DTV Cinema: Ninja (2009) / Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)

Director: Isaac Florentine

Cast: Scott Adkins, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Mika Hijii, Miles Anderson

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 86 min

Ninja is a direct to video film from Israeli director Isaac Florentine, well known for his martial arts films and many collaborations with British action star Scott Adkins (Special Forces, The Shepherd, Undisputed II and III, Close Range, etc). It's worth noting that Ninja was released straight to video one month before Warner Bros' big budget and similarly titled ninja film, Ninja Assassin, in 2009. Therefore, one might assume that Ninja was trying to ape off of Ninja Assassin's success and release Asylum Pictures style. And while that assumption is somewhat true, it's worth mentioning that Ninja and Ninja Assassin are entirely different from one another, other than that they are both Americanized efforts at ninja entertainment.

The film tells the story of a martial arts dojo in Japan whose sensei protects the Yoroi Bitsu, a case concealing the weapons and armor of the ninja warrior. The sensei's top two students, Casey Bowman (Scott Adkins) and Masazuka (Tsuyoshi Ihara) both clash with one another in their task to learn martial arts and to earn their master's respect. However, Masazuka's anger gets the best of him and his sensei bans him from the school for life. In fear of the Yoroi Bitsu's safety, the sensei sends Casey and his daughter Namiko (Mika Hijii) to America in order to protect the case. After Masazuka returns to the dojo and slaughters everyone, he heads to New York City in order to kill Casey and to steal the Yoroi Bitsu.

Ninja is a flawed, albeit solid, direct to video actioner that ranks higher on the direct to video scale than many of Seagal and Van Damme's earliest DTV efforts. It pays tribute to the ninja craze of the 80s with its hokey plot elements and copious amounts of ninja sword play. The ninja sub-genre is mainly remembered due to Cannon efforts such as Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and the American Ninja series. Even though Ninja isn't all that much better than those 80s films, few Americanized ninja films were ever good. Therefore, remove your nostalgia glasses and remember that ninja cinema has always been low budget and hinged upon basic as nails plots. 

Florentine hinges his ninja antics on a fairly routine plot that is serviceable enough to draw the viewer in but never enough to keep them fully engaged. The film meets the bare minimum of what an action film should do thanks to its plentiful action sequences, distinct mythology, and heroic characters. It's downfall lies in its low budget and hokey plot that prevents it from being a theatrical quality effort. Stock music effects, obvious sets, and weak green screen make for the film's most painful moments. One can see how Florentine and Adkins could be disappointed in the film due to these budgetary restraints. I can partially forgive bad green screen effects (such as the moment when Ihara ziplines from atop a building), but the repeated selections of stock music and sound effects simply grated my ears. The film also features several hokey plot elements, such as a cult-like monk clan that makes up for the film's cannon fodder and the ninja ability to squirrel glide off of a building, that make for a good self aware laugh or two.

Fortunately, Florentine apes Warner Bros.' Ninja Assassin with a selection of fairly practical action sequences that mainly rely upon stuntmen and acrobactic actors over computer generated gore and digital nonsense. The always fantastic Scott Adkins shows off his impressive moves throughout several solid fight scenes, especially in a massive brawl against the entire gang of cult-like monks. Whenever Ninja tries to ape Ninja Assassin's heavy gore with digital blood and limb dismemberment, it falls apart. On the other hand, when Ninja focuses on pure hand to hand combat and physical brawls, it excels where its theatrical counter part fails. Florentine and Adkins aren't just a throwaway duo of action filmmakers; they are two of low budget cinema's very best and arguably Ninja's greatest asset. 

Ninja also excels because it provides its hero with a note worthy villain. Tsuyoshi Ihara (13 Assassins) gives the best performance as the jealous Masazuka that he possibly can with the material that he has to work with. Even though his character is one noted, he is also menacing and determined, which is more than you can say about most DTV villains. Masazuka steals the show as an unstoppable force of evil whose quest against Casey and Namiko resembles the T-800's goal in The Terminator. After all, Masazuka scores most of the film's kills, endlessly chases after the duo, and massacres a police station full of officers, just as the T-800. Florentine is lucky to have scored an actor such as Ihara because he brings major acting chops to the film's hokey low budget proceedings.

Ninja easily could have been a cheap copycat of Ninja Assassin in both its title and genre-infused goals. Fortunately, the film was handled by genre pros Florentine and Adkins and makes for an underrated viewing experience that all action fans should give a whirl at least once. While far from theatrical quality, Ninja is one of the better DTV films to have been made in the last 15 years.

Rating: 6/10 - Despite its hokey plot elements and low budget effects, Ninja is a fairly solid DTV effort with some fantastic action sequences and a menacing villain.

Director: Isaac Florentine

Cast: Scott Adkins, Kane Kosugi, Mika Hijii, Shun Sugata

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 95 min

*SPOILERS BELOW*

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear finds both Florentine and Adkins returning to the series after the release of several of Adkins' highest profile projects such as Zero Dark Thirty, Expendables 2, and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. Stripped of the previous film's attempts at cashing in on Ninja Assassin, Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (or Ninja II) is more of a stripped down revenge thriller in comparison to its hokier predecessor. The sequel is more of an honest collaboration between Florentine and Adkins due to the film's grounded plot and plentiful fight sequences. Unfortunately, Ninja II is nothing but a brutal and dour revenge film in which Adkins' character murders many unnecessary people on his quest to avenge his wife's murder. Say what you want about Ninja, but at least that film was more fun to watch than this downer of a revenge film.

Ninja II picks up a few years after the events of the first film with both Casey and Namiko married and running her father's dojo together. When Casey goes to a jewelry store to buy his wife a commemorative pendant, two thugs attack him and a fight ensues. Later that night, Casey goes to the store to buy some food for his wife, and returns home to find her murdered. Distraught, Casey seeks solace in his old friend Nakabara (Kane Kosugi), a sensei of a dojo in Bangkok, Thailand. Nakabara believes that Goro, a powerful drug lord, is to blame for Namiko's death and that he is enacting vengeance on her and Nakabara's family names due to past grievances. Therefore, Casey straps on his ninja suit and goes after Goro.

Even though Ninja II features far more grounded fight sequences and extremely minimal digital effects, the film's action still leaves something to be desired despite the simplistic plot that surrounds it all. Ninja II is jam packed with wall to wall action for the entirety of its 95 minute run time. Unfortunately, many of its fights serve the plot in no way at all. Take the fight between Casey and a group of unknowing dojo members or his brawl in an outdoors bar against several drunk patrons. Both of these fights may be technically sufficient, but neither are necessary in an otherwise overly action packed sequel that exists purely to deliver punch after punch.

The character of Casey Bowman is completely revamped for the sequel in which he turns into more of an anti-hero who murders and beats down people undeserving of pain. Whereas Adkin's Casey was a bad ass cornball in the previous film, here he is nothing but a vessel of pain and unsuppressed rage. In retrospect, Casey's quest for vengeance is entirely misguided because he takes Nakabura's information at face value and ends up massacring countless police officers, criminals, and drug lords who had nothing to do with his wife's murder in the first place. The film's "real" plot doesn't kick off until the halfway mark in which Nakabura uses Casey to massacre his drug lord competition. Ninja II, much like Taken 3, purposefully misdirects the viewer in order to throw a last second twist in there to make the film appear clever. Talk about a slap in the face.

I hate when action films pull the rug out from under the viewer like this because it makes most of the film's body count and action entirely useless in retrospect. A straightforward and predictable revenge thriller would have been more serviceable than trickery such as this. The entire plot is ultimately an excuse to come up with a reason to pit Scott Adkins, one of direct to video cinema's greatest stars, against Kane Kosgui, the son of ninja cinema's greatest star, Sho Kosugi. By the time Casey and Nakabura went head to head for their final showdown, I could not give a care in the world about the outcome because I felt lied too and ultimately deceived.

That Ninja II is technically superior to its technically flawed predecessor is ultimately depressing. It's a shame that Ninja II couldn't pair a great story and character motivation to its rather excellent fight sequences that continue to prove that Florentine is one of action cinema's greatest directors. The sequel, although tonally different and far grittier, simply proves to be a showcase of a misdirected and gullible man who goes on a murder spree. It remains to be seen whether or not Adkins and Florentine will return to the Ninja series, but I give them my permission to bid the series farewell. Unless the two can conjure up a story that doesn't betray the viewer and their character, than I'm out.

Rating: 5/10 - Despite a massive selection of A-grade fight sequences, Ninja II crumbles under its misleading plot and ninja-like deception.

Link This: Zero Tolerance (2015) - Theatrical Review

Director: Wych Kaosayananda

Cast: Dustin Nguyen, Scott Adkins, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Gary Daniels

Country: Thailand

Rating: R

Run Time: 90 min

Hey everyone! I had the privilege to review an advanced screener of Wych Kaosayananda's latest action film, Zero Tolerance, for City on Fire. The film wasn't all that great, but it was cool to check it out months ahead of its release. Check out the review here.

Home Media Catch Up - Redeemer (2014)

Director: Ernesto Diaz Espinoza

Cast: Marko Zaror, Loreto Aravena, Noah Segan, Jose Luis Mosca, Smirnow Boris

Country: Chile

Rating: NR (nudity, language, violence, you know what you're getting into)

Run Time: 88 min

I watch a lot of foreign action films from countries like Hong Kong, Japan, United Kingdom, Indonesia, and South Korea. Asian cinema in general tends to be the best foreign action. However, there are several other foreign countries and territories out there that I don't keep up with as well as I should. It's difficult enough to keep up with not only your own country's action cinema, but with the rest of the planet's as well. Therefore, I decided to give Chile a shot and check out Ernesto Diaz Espinoza's latest joint, Redeemer.

Espinoza has frequently collaborated with martial arts star Marko Zaror before on such films as Kiltro, Mirage Man, and Mandrill. Zaror himself has also appeared in numerous action films, including American films like Machete Kills and the DTV masterpiece Undisputed III: Redemption. Therefore, I knew that I had to check out both Zaror and Espinoza's work sooner or later, as I had heard so many great things about them. Redeemer, the latest collaboration between the two, is a particularly solid Chilean action film that harkens back to the early 90s when filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez made films on shoe-string budgets and stars like Steven Seagal brutally dispatched their foes by breaking their limbs. The film blends hard core action with a basic storyline about redemption, forgiveness, and revenge amidst a drug war in Chile.

The Redeemer rolled into town and Hell followed him.

Redeemer joins a long list of drifter films (i.e. Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars, El Mariachi, Last Man Standing, Dragon Eyes, etc.) to come before it that blend bare knuckles action with a lone gun man protagonist. However, Redeemer differentiates itself from the rest of the pack thanks to its strong religious themes and imagery.

Pardo (Marko Zaror) is the Redeemer, a vigilante who beats up on those who wrong the innocent. After destroying a gang of neo-Nazis in the opening prologue, the Redeemer meets a man who found a bag of money in the ocean. Unfortunately, that bag of money has attracted the attention of several men and drug dealers. Therefore, the Redeemer sets out to protect the man and his wife, all while taking down the drug cartel. The Redeemer is forced to confront his past in the process as the Scorpion, a cruel killer, comes back to haunt him.

Redeemer reminds me of early Robert Rodriguez films like El Mariachi and Desperado with its low budget, Latin American cast, and fusion of martial arts and gun play. The film has an "in your face" style that feels similar to Rodriguez's stylized tendencies. Redeemer, much like El Mariachi, was clearly made on a small budget, as it utilizes real locations for its sets and features some less than stellar special effects at points. However, Espinoza separates himself from the likes of Rodriguez by showcasing a level of silence and maturity in his film that Rodriguez himself has yet to demonstrate. Espinoza also injects a heavy dosage of religious symbolism throughout Redeemer, thereby separating it enough from its influences to make it seem like an original product of its own. If a blend of mature/religious symbolism and brutal bone crunching action is your thing, than Redeemer is the action film for you.

The Redeemer strikes a religious pose before he brings the pain.

Redeemer's strongest element is surprisingly its protagonist, the Redeemer himself. On the surface, the Redeemer is your average vigilante who fights for justice and maintains a consistent outfit the way a superhero would. However, the character is more complex than that. The Redeemer is a tortured man who forces others to pay for their sins because he can not forgive himself for his own sins. Therefore, beating up on other wrong-doers helps him feel better because somebody is being forced to confront their sins. The Redeemer experiences an arc towards the end of the film where he learns to accept his mistakes and realizes the error of his ways. These mistakes and sins of his are revealed through partial flashbacks that persist throughout the film until their entirety is revealed towards the end.

The Redeemer is also unique in that he prays to God and plays Russian Roulette with a revolver and a single bullet before he goes out to beat up on bad guys. He feels so bad for his past sins that he risks killing himself each day. The religious imagery is extremely apparent throughout the film, even down to the Redeemer's tattoos, over sized hood, and crucifix-like poses. He is also very quiet, a man of a few words. The viewer may feel like they have stumbled into a 70s era Bronson vehicle or even Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive thanks to Zaror's almost routine silence. His actions truly speak louder than his words. None of the Redeemer's uniqueness as a protagonist could have been accomplished without Zaror's great performance. Zaror's impressive fight moves and intimidating stature, along with Espinoza's direction, help make the Redeemer one of the best action heroes in recent years. 

Redeemer features two villains: Bradock (Noah Segan, Looper), the ridiculous and over the top leader of the drug cartel who never shuts up, and the Scorpion (Jose Luis Mosca), the sadistic and terrifying assassin who has it out for the Redeemer. Bradock is an exceptionally annoying character who rambles on about "bad ass" names, ponchos, and killing people for fun. I understand that Espinoza probably wanted a talkative and humorous character to balance out the silence and bleakness that the Redeemer provides. It just sucks that Bradock is so over the top and ridiculous because I couldn't take his presence as the leader of the Mexican drug cartel seriously. Now that I think of it, all of Segan's scenes take place in the same location, the huge and lavish seaside mansion. Therefore, Espinoza must have had Segan for one shooting day and decided to use him purely for comedic purposes. In retrospect, Bradock barely qualifies as a villain, let alone a character. 

Marko Zaror pays for "breaking bad" and ends up in the yellowy desert.

The Scorpion on the other hand is far more imposing and villainous, arguably the lead villain of the picture despite his mostly shadowy appearances. The flashback that reveals the Redeemer's connection to the Scorpion even makes the viewer question whether or not the Scorpion is a villain, as the man only wants revenge for what was unfairly taken from him. Reveals like this help make Redeemer that much more morally complex and ambiguous as far as who its heroes and villains are.

Redeemer's themes of redemption, Catholicism, and forgiveness, as well as its excellent lead performance by Zaror, solidify it as something more than your less than average action film. Unfortunately, the film's production value is what ultimately prevents Redeemer from being one of the best action films in recent years. Redeemer features a fairly even blend of gun play and martial arts. However, one element is stronger than the other. Zaror's fight scenes are particularly awesome because of his swift moves and Espinoza's decision to shoot them with either wide or rotating 360 shots. Zaror's incredibly brutal take downs will remind the viewer of early Seagal films like Above the Law or Hard to Kill in which the star would take down his enemies by breaking their arms or stabbing pool sticks through their necks. Zaror showcases an equal level of brutal take downs here, utilizing deer horns, fish hooks, and even a propeller as deadly killing tools. If British action star Scott Adkins (Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) is the new Jean Claude Van Damme, than Marko Zaror is the new Steven Seagal. How ironic that both Adkins and Zaror went head to head in Undisputed III.

The gun fights on the other hand leave much to be desired. Redeemer features several weak stock gun effects and some truly painful digital effects. Digital shots of fire, gun shots, and blood are particularly weak and pull the viewer out of the film's otherwise awesome action scenes. I also find it odd that Espinoza chose to shoot the final shootout in close up, thereby ruining the geography of the action scene and turning it into more of a montage of violence than a flowing action sequence. On the positive side, Zaror racks up a surprisingly high kill count somewhere in the 40s and sheds an excessive amount of blood throughout the film. Despite some great moments of gun fire here and there, such as Zaror's double gunned take down of the strong hold's guards, the film's gun play can't stack up to the awesome one on one fights.

Watch out Marvel, the Redeemer is the new hero in town.

Espinoza's Redeemer is ripe with imagery and similarities to many other great works of world cinema. The Western imagery recalls Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch, the low budget proceedings and Latin cast recall El Mariachi, the stylized violence recalls any one of Quentin Tarantino's films, and the opening fight against a quartet of neo-Nazis comes straight out of Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. You get a feeling that Espinoza is an actual filmmaker and not just a director of action. It's clear that he and Zaror are using their pedigree as action filmmakers to homage those they admire and to pay tribute to those who have influenced them. However, Espinoza infuses just enough elements to separate his film from those he admires, thereby making Redeemer a unique religious actioner of its own accord.

Redeemer is a mostly solid but occasionally flawed actioner that restores the vigilante genre and marks both Zaror and Espinoza as two of action cinema's rising titans. The lead protagonist, the titular Redeemer, is one of the most unique anti-heroes to come along in a while. I would argue that even fans of superhero cinema would want to check this film out, as its hero bears many similarities to tortured or dark anti-heroes like The Punisher or Ghost Rider. After all, Zaror and Espinoza already made a straight superhero film, Mirage Man, before going full mythic with their hero in Redeemer. Zaror shines in a silent performance that showcases both his acting and ass kicking abilities. It's clear that Redeemer's production value is its greatest weakness, as any and all special effects in the film are particularly weak and jarring to the eye. Still, Zaror's lengthy one on one fights and Espinoza's careful control of the camera make the films multiple brawls the highlight of the film. I can tell that both Zaror and Espinoza will get better with time and larger budgets that allow them to create action films with higher production values.

Rating: 6/10 - Noah Segan and production values aside, Redeemer is a particularly solid martial arts actioner that brings the pain Seagal style.

The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)

Director: Roy Ward Baker / Chang Cheh

Cast: Peter Cushing, David Chiang, Julie Ege, John Forbes-Robertson, Robin Stewart

Country: Hong Kong / United Kingdom

Rating: R

Run Time: 89 Minutes

Hey everyone, I wrote another awesome review for City on Fire! This time I tackled the schlock-tastic The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, co-produced by both the Shaw Brothers and Hammer Pictures. Check out the review here!

The Hand of Death (1976)

Hey everybody! I recently had the privilege of contributing to City On Fire, an action movie news and reviews site that mainly focuses on Asian cinema and martil arts. For my first review, I tackled one of John Woo's earliest films, The Hand of Death, featuring two of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung's earliest performances. Check out the review here!

Heart of Dragon (1985)

Director: Sammo Hung

Cast: Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan, Emily Chu, Mang Hoi, Lam Ching-ying

Country: Hong Kong

Rating: R

Run Time: 90 minutes

Heart of Dragon is one of the most bizarre and ridiculous Jackie Chan films I have ever seen. And not bizarre or ridiculous in that the film contains oodles of silly humor like Chan's City Hunter. No, I'm talking ridiculous in the sense that the film is both a balls to the wall action film and an emotional drama about a cop and his autistic brother. I don't know what Chan and director/co-star/bad ass legend Sammo Hung (Eastern Condors, SPL: Sha Po Lang, Ip Man 2) were thinking when they made this movie because I couldn't take a minute of their brotherly drama seriously. 

I laughed out loud numerous times while watching this. That should give you a sense of how well I responded to the film's "sad" and "heart wrenching" drama. However, Heart of Dragon is one of those rare films that blows it in the drama department but excels above and beyond in the action department. Deep within this flawed and accidental comedy is quite honestly one of the best action movies ever made. If this film had been stripped of its autism plot and turned into a more focused police story like...well, Chan's own Police Story, than this easily would rank as one of the best martial arts films ever made. But alas, Heart of Dragon wouldn't be such a crazy and special discovery of mine if it didn't contain scenes of Hung's autistic character getting the crap repeatedly beat out of him by people who clearly have no sympathy for an autistic person. One part I Am Sam autism drama and one part Hard Boiled action fest, Heart of Dragon is truly one of the most unique martial arts films I have ever seen. For better and for worse.

Oh yeah, this image definitely conveys "emotional autism drama."

Heart of Dragon was clearly an attempt by both Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan to take the comedic martial arts genre that they made so popular in the 80s into a more serious direction. While I typically commend any actor for trying something different than what they are typically known for (i.e. Seagal in On Deadly Ground or Stallone in Cop Land), Heart of Dragon's biggest flaw is its tug of war between autism drama and bad ass action fest. There is no exaggeration when I say that the first 45 minutes of this film is devoted entirely to the autism drama between Jackie and Sammo's characters and the final 45 minutes are devoted entirely to a cops and criminals plot in which Sammo's character is kidnapped by ruthless thieves. In my opinion, this is the film's absolute biggest flaw. Sammo Hung should have either committed to making an entire autism drama or a balls to the wall action film, not one and the other mixed together. They simply don't blend.

I truly cannot decide if Sammo Hung's portrayal of a mentally challenged man is awful or genuine. It's evident that Hung and Chan had the noblest of intentions with the autism portions of the film. However, I just can't take any of it seriously. The film made for a better "so bad, it's good" kind of drama than a truly riveting one. I believe the reason for this is because many Hong Kong filmmakers and actors tend to amplify their characters' emotions and actions to extreme heights. When Chow Yun Fat screams at his blood brothers in A Better Tomorrow, it makes for great drama. However, autism is the last subject that should be treated with such extremes. Even though the film showcases the kind of brothery love that I love so much in H.K. cinema (i.e. The Corruptor, City on Fire, Rich and Famous), it doesn't work nearly as well as Hung and Chan probably intended.

Here is an example of the awkward extremes that the film reaches. In one scene, a group of kids take advantage of Hung and use him to dine and dash at a restaurant. When the waiter asks for Hung to pay the bill, he replies that he can't because he doesn't have any money. When Hung tries to run away, the waiters slam him onto a table and beat the crap out of him! I kid you not! It is absolutely hilarious and depressing to see. Scenes like this pepper the entire film and make one wonder if they are to laugh at the ridiculousness on screen, feel bad for the characters, or question why no one else is stepping in to help such an autistic person. I don't know, maybe this movie is a masterpiece and I am just realizing it right now. Than again, I am used to the excess of H.K. cinema and probably shouldn't be as surprised or shocked as I am.

Yes!

Depending on how you respond to the material, the first 45 minutes of Heart of Dragon are either going to be riveting drama or accidental hilarity. However, anyone who watches the final 45 minutes of the film is going to agree that it contains some of the best action scenes in movie history. The first epic set piece of the final 45 minutes is an insane car chase between Jackie and a squad of police officers on motorcycles and in cars. This chase is absolutely nuts as Jackie launches off of numerous ramps and drives off of hills with no hesitation. And you know what, neither do the police! These cops are willing to jump their bikes and cars off of ramps and hills without a moment's hesitation either. That is what you call dedication.

The big set piece of the film is an amazing construction site fight sequence that finds a way to use every possible element of a construction site imaginable. In this scene, Jackie and his crew of fellow detectives storm a construction site filled with criminals who have kidnapped Sammo Hung. Jackie and his buddies engage in an epic shootout that leads into plenty of melee fights with machetes, pipes, and wooden blocks. This sequence is jam packed with "Oh!" moments that will get every action fan up out of their seat in excitement. Jackie's fight with villain James Tien's right hand man is one of the swiftest and hardest hitting fist fights I have ever seen in an action movie. All of Heart of Dragon's ridiculous autism drama is worth sitting through just to get to this magic at the tail end of the film. I cannot praise Jackie Chan's choreography and stuntwork enough. The man is the God of fast paced action.

Brothers for life!

Heart of Dragon is one heck of a unique action film. Odd balls like this don't come along very often. Therefore, I pride myself on discovering bizarre and insane action films like this when I do discover them. From an action stand point, this film is a masterpiece. The fight sequences are so damn good that they will blow any viewer's mind. However, all of the emotional drama simply falls flat and ends up being more funny than moving. I guess my final question is, why is this film called Heart of Dragon? Recommended to Hung and Chan fans who are willing to excuse some ridiculous drama in order to get to the amazing action that the two are so well known for.

Rating: 6/10 - If anything, it is those final action scenes that hold this film up.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

Director: The Wachowski Siblings

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Colin Chou

Country: United States / Australia

Rating: R

Run Time: 138 minutes

Even though The Matrix Trilogy consists of three films, the series is truly split into two parts. When the Wachowski Siblings set out to make their Matrix trilogy, the two had to deliver a successful Matrix Part One before they could be guaranteed a Part Two or Three. Therefore, when The Matrix blew up in 1999 and set a new precedent for action filmmaking in Hollywood, two sequels were obviously commissioned. These sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, were shot back to back and released within the same year, 2003. However, both of these sequels featured numerous new characters and a grander storyline previously unexplored in the small scaled The Matrix. Even though The Matrix introduced us to a post-apocalyptic world run by sentinels, The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions were the films that directly dealt with the issue head on. The Wachowskis essentially crafted a focused and small scaled Part One that led into two large scaled Parts Two and Three shot at the same time. Therefore, I have always viewed the two sequels as being separate from the original for this reason.

However, many other movie fans view the sequels as being separate from the original because...well, they hate them. The Matrix sequels are notorious amongst movie buffs as being inferior and unnecessary in comparison to their amazing predecessor. The general consensus is that the sequels favor special effects and plot over the focused character work of The Matrix. Personally, I also think that the sequels' choice to dive head first into the heavy themes teased at in the original alienated audiences as well. Action is fun and all for audiences, but not so much so when you have to listen to heavy conversations about predestination, artificial intelligence, and causality. 

Is there anything more awesome than leaping out a window firing guns?

I remember seeing The Matrix Reloaded at midnight with my dad when I was in the 5th grade in 2003. Even though I probably didn't fully understand what was happening, I can tell you that the action scenes blew my mind as a kid. I don't know if my childhood history with the film clouds my opinion, but I think that The Matrix Reloaded is an ambitious sequel that falters in parts but mostly succeeds. Even after 10 or so viewings of The Matrix Reloaded, I still find myself picking up on ideas that I previously forgot the film explored. Regardless of how good or bad you think the sequels are, the fact that the films jog your brain after each viewing is a testament to their lasting value. Therefore, I have decided to revisit these two massive and complex sequels in order to determine my opinion on them once and for all. Also, I am going to go into mild spoilers for the two films. 

The film begins six months after the events of the first film. Neo (Keanu Reeves) and friends continue their rebellion against the machines in both the Matrix and the real world. The machines have begun to drill into the human city of Zion in order to attack the humans back for freeing so many minds from the Matrix. When Neo speaks with the Oracle for help, she tells him to locate a Key Maker who can lead them to the source of the machines within the Matrix. However, Neo's journey for the source of the machines is complicated thanks to the likes of antagonists Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and The Merovingian (Lambert Wilson). 

The Matrix Reloaded heavily expands upon the mythology of the first installment by introducing numerous new characters and tackling a large scale story hinted at in The Matrix. If anything, The Matrix Reloaded is one of the biggest sequels ever next to The Chronicles of Riddick in terms of expanding upon the mythos and scale of the small scaled original film. The film also dives deeper into themes of artificial intelligence, identity, reality, predestination, creation, religion, and causality dealt within The Matrix. However, Reloaded and its sequel devote entire scenes and conversations to discussing such themes. Therefore, modern audiences may find themselves bored and distant from such complex scenes that come in between slam bam action set pieces that please the eyes. The Wachowskis clearly took advantage of The Matrix's success and decided to go full philosophical and intellectual with their sequels. When I look back on the Matrix sequels, I almost can't believe that a studio like Warner Bros. funded such deep and complex R rated action films.

"Surprised, Mr. Anderson?"

While ambitious and positively epic, The Matrix Reloaded bites off more than it or its audience can chew. The film relies so heavily on plot, and a weird one at that, that it leaves its characters in the dust at points. The sequel also incorporates such a massive amount of sub-plots that it becomes difficult to keep track of them all even after all of these years of viewing the film. You've got the threat of the duplicating Agent Smiths, the Smith induced Bane character who wants to kill Neo within the real world, the threat of the machines' imminate attack on Zion, Neo's journey for the source of the machines, Neo's desperation to stop his visions from coming true, the tension between Morpheus and Commander Lock, to even the stories of the littlest of supporting characters like Link or Kid. Because everyone has a story of their own amidst the grand scheme of things, it becomes a lot to take in for only a two hour film. And while I love the ambitious nature of Reloaded and find some of its sub-plots to be truly riveting, the film's ambition turns it into a somewhat bloated epic that lacks The Matrix's tight focus.

Even though the film features far too many characters for its own good, I still enjoy some of them. My personal favorite is the Oracle's bodyguard, Seraph. Not only does Seraph have a great character design and purpose within the film's narrative, but he is even played by Hong Kong action star Collin Chou (Flash Point). Chou does a great job with his few minutes in the film and even takes on Neo in a great one on one fight a top several wooden tables. I also love the design of The Twins, two of the Merovigians henchmen who have the ability to turn into ghosts in order to phase through walls and to heal themselves. Other character highlights include the stern Commander Lock (Harry Lennix, Man of Steel) who will do anything to protect Zion, the cold but sexy Persephone (Monica Bellucci, Brotherhood of the Wolf), and the kind and helpful Key Maker (Randall Duk Kim, The Replacement Killers). Returning franchise characters Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, The Oracle, and Agent Smith are all well played by their respective actors; especially Laurence Fishburne (Death Wish II) who turns in an incredibly emotional and physical performance.

Praise the action movie gods.

It's no surprise that The Matrix Reloaded's strongest aspect is its fantastic action sequences. The Wachowskis and choreographer Yuen Woo Ping (Kill Bill, The Grandmaster) up the ante by delivering the kind of bigger and crazier set pieces you expect in a sequel. Reloaded showcases fist fights, car chases, and gun fights galore. The melee fights in the film are uniformly perfect, ranging from a massive brawl between Neo and numerous Agent Smiths to a small one on one fight between Morpheus and Agent Johnson (Daniel Bernhardt, John Wick) atop a moving 18 wheeler. The epic car chase in the middle of the film stands as the biggest and longest set piece in the entire franchise. Filmed entirely on a newly constructed freeway specifically for the film, the Wachowskis deliver a grand and massive cavalcade of vehicular destruction.

I especially adore the Vampire Chateau fight between Neo and The Merovigian's henchmen set to music by Rob Dougan. The sequence features pitch perfect camera work, excellent editing, and stunning fight choreography. The sequel's many action sequences are made all the better by composer Don Davis' score. Davis continues to expand upon the musical themes heard in the first installment by upping the ante and delivering a broader and grander score. Additional tracks by Rob Dougan and Juno Reactor are just as fantastic as Davis' musical themes. I truly could go on and on about Reloaded's exquisite action scenes and how I have watched some of them well over twenty times. But I will leave these few short words to express my adoration and obsession with them. When Yuen Woo Ping is the fight choreographer and Bill Pope is the cinematographer, a film's action scenes are going to look damn good.

Unfortunately, I have to fault Reloaded for its terrible incorporation of CGI during a few shots of the burly brawl between Neo and Smith. While most of the film's fight sequences feature real stunt men performing real stunts, the burly brawl between Neo and Smith requires up to 100 actors to be seen on screen at once. Therefore, some of the characters are rendered entirely with computer animation for a few choice shots in order to deliver complex moments of fight choreography. Much like Guillermo Del Toro's Blade II, The Matrix Reloaded shoots itself in the foot with these painfully obvious moments of computer graphics. It doesn't help either when the Wachowskis cut from a shot of a CG Keanu Reeves to a shot of the real Keanu Reeves within the same fight sequence. The jarring difference between computer graphics and human actors pulls the audience out of the filmic experience whenever it is apparent in the film. And believe me, it is extremely apparent when the characters in the film look like something out of an early 2000's PlayStation 2 video game.

"Well that's a neat trick."

Entertainment Weekly declared The Matrix Reloaded the 25th worst movie sequel of all time in 2007. Their paragraph on the film directly attacks the film's rave sequence and mocks it as a Lenny Kravitz music video. In all honesty, how can this be the one thing that Entertainment Weekly wrote about? Did they not see the amazing action scenes, brave storytelling, and incredible ambition that I saw? Yes, I admit that Reloaded is a somewhat bloated epic that falters from poor CGI and heavy reliance on plot. But I find that its positives greatly outweigh its negatives. I adore The Matrix Reloaded warts and all. It's an incredibly entertaining and massive science fiction epic that I have been watching for more than 10 years now and hope to continue revisiting for as long as I live. Tune in next time for the finale that movie fans hate more than The Matrix Reloaded...The Matrix Revolutions!

Rating: 8/10 - Haters be damned. The Matrix Reloaded has everything I love about an R rated blockbuster.

Franchise:
The Matrix (dir. The Wachowski Siblings, 1999)
The Matrix Reloaded (dir. The Wachowski Siblings, 2003)
The Matrix Revolutions (dir. The Wachowski Siblings, 2003)

Game of Death (1978)

Director: Robert Clouse (w/ segments by Bruce Lee and Sammo Hung)

Cast: Bruce Lee, Yuen Biao, and Kim Tai-jong as "Billy Lo", Gig Young, Colleen Camp, Robert Wall, Dean Jagger, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chuck Norris (stock footage)

Country: Hong Kong

Production Company: Golden Harvest

Rating: R

Run Time: 100 minutes

From 1971 to 1972, Bruce Lee starred in three of the best martial arts films of all time (The Big Boss, Fists of Fury, Way of the Dragon). After Way of the Dragon, Bruce immediately began production on his newest film, The Game of Death. While working on the film, Bruce received an offer from America to come to the U.S. and to star in the biggest budgeted martial arts film of the time, Enter the Dragon. Therefore, Bruce suspended production on The Game of Death and went to America to film Robert Clouse's Enter the Dragon. The plan for Bruce was to film Dragon and than return to Hong Kong to complete The Game of Death. Unfortunately, Bruce died of cerebral edema before being able to continue his work on the incomplete film and was pronounced dead at the age of 32 in 1973.

After Bruce's passing, The Game of Death was taken over by Dragon director Robert Clouse (now retitled Game of Death). He shot numerous scenes, reworked the script, and used body doubles and stock footage to stand in for the actual Bruce Lee. Even though I am sure that Clouse and Golden Harvest had the best of intentions with honoring Bruce, Game of Death is a lousy mess of a film. None of the acting is any good, all of the action scenes are decent in comparison to Bruce's actual work, and the attempts to convince the audience that the "real" Bruce Lee is in the film is preposterous. And yet, all of these things make Game of Death a horrible but enjoyable mess of an action film. I know some action fans disown this film and consider it an insult to Bruce Lee. And in all honesty, those fans are completely right. Why try to create a new film with body doubles that also uses old footage of a deceased actor? However, if you can overlook that insult and look at it as an honest but laughable attempt to complete Bruce's final film, than you will have a great time watching it.

"Hey! It's Bruce...wait."

Game of Death opens with an awesome title card sequence that makes you think you are about to watch some kind of lost James Bond film. Unfortunately, it's just Game of Death. The film opens with stock footage of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris fighting from the end of Way of the Dragon. Apparently, this footage is a new fight scene that actor Billy Lo is shooting. After Billy Lo completes the fight, a light falls and almost crushes him. Lo quickly finds out that gangsters are threatening his life because they want to sign him to their entertainment company. When Lo disagrees, the gangsters try to kill him on the set of his next scene (which is just more stock footage from Fists of Fury). After getting shot by an actor, Billy stages his death and convinces the public that he is deceased. The film even uses actual footage from Bruce Le's real funeral to portray this! 

Now that Lo has convinced the public he is dead, he decides to go after the gangsters who threatened him and his girlfriend's life. He even dons a "very convincing" beard to disguise his identity from the gangsters and their many henchmen (including Way and Enter the Dragon's Robert Wall). This plan doesn't really make much sense but we might as well go along with it. The film finally becomes exciting when Billy fights a bunch of motorcycle riding henchmen in a warehouse. This action scene leads into the actual footage that Bruce Lee shot in 1973 in Hong Kong. The real Bruce Lee works his way up a multi-leveled restaurant and fights a new henchman on each level. It's something straight out of a video game and it's the real highlight of the film. Bruce continues to work his way up the building until he takes out each and every henchman and gangster he can get his hands on.

"There's the real Bruce...with a superimposed towel around his neck."

I normally don't go into as many plot details as I just did but Game of Death has no real spoilers. It's an attempt at completing an incomplete film anyways so it's not like the plot was going to blow your minds away. I admire Clouse's attempt at trying to work the original footage into this new film but the whole film is just a mess. Every time the film cuts to a close up of Bruce Lee and tries to pass it off as footage from the current fight scene, it looks terrible. It's really distracting when the film shows a close up of Bruce Lee from a previous film and than cuts to a shot of the stand in actor who clearly is not Bruce Lee. I really thought about how they could have saved this film and I came up with two answers.

1) Don't use any stock footage or any real Bruce footage until the very end of the film. This way the entire film looks like a new movie even though it is clearly not the real Bruce Lee until the very end.

2) Don't film any new footage. Simply charge a lower ticket price and show the original yet short amount of footage shot and edited by Bruce Lee. This way, people can see the last pieces of the very last movie that Bruce ever worked on and appreciate the little work that he left us with.

This half-assed attempt at using stock footage, superimposing heads and towels onto an actor, using stand in actors, shooting actors from behind their head, using footage from Bruce's actual funeral, dubbing in dialog whenever a character's face isn't shown, and combining it all with footage of the actual Bruce Lee can't be taken seriously. However, all of this also makes Game of Death one of the most interesting action films ever made. It's not often that we get a film as baffling and chopped up as this. It's a glorious mess and I enjoyed every second of it.

The real corpse of Bruce Lee actually makes an appearance.

Stand in actors Yuen Biao and Kim Tai-jong try their best to emulate Bruce Lee but fail miserably. They seem to have Bruce's mannerisms down during the fight scenes but can't emulate his charm or personality during the dialog and dramatic scenes. Bruce wasn't just an action powerhouse. He was a funny, charming, and lovable screen presence that few action icons have been able to match. The horrible wigs, sunglasses, and fake beards that the stand ins wear are also laughable. Especially the beard! What were they thinking?

Almost every newly shot actor in the film is either decent, bad, or really bad. The worst offender is Billy Lo's girlfriend played by Colleen Camp. Even though she looks adorable, her screaming, crying, and yelling comes off as hilarious and over the top. All of the American villains are pretty weak too. My favorite was main villain Dr. Land. He's an old unpredictable man who enjoys feeding little fish to his killer scorpion fishes. He continually asks throughout the film, "What about Billy Lo? What's going on with him?" It's so funny whenever he asks this, I can't get enough of this guy. It's as if he has no clue what is going on even though he has ordered his henchmen to attack Billy numerous times.

There are several notable supporting players in the film. Robert Wall has a pretty large role as one of Dr. Land's best henchmen. He and Billy Lo have the best newly shot fight scene for the film in a locker room and it shines thanks to some great slow motion editing and solid choreography. Wall had previous fights with Lee in Way of the Dragon and Enter the Dragon so it makes sense that his big fight scene would be a solid one. Legendary martial artist Sammo Hung (Eastern Condors, SPL) even gets to fight Wall in an organized match in a boxing ring. The fight has nothing to do with the plot but it's a great showcase of action and it's always great to see a young and plump Sammo do his thing. James Tien (The Big Boss) also appears in some of the original footage from 1973.

David vs Goliath

The best acting and performing in the whole movie takes place in the footage actually shot by Bruce Lee. Bruce is as lovable and bad ass as ever in these short 11 minutes of action packed greatness. Bruce gets to fight three different henchmen and each one has a different fighting ability. The first one fights using red nun-chucks, the second fights with just his fists, and the third is the towering Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Each of these fighters possess a unique personality and shine in their few minutes of screen time. The fights here are some of the best fight scenes in Bruce's career, especially the one between him and Kareem. It's a shame the film was never properly finished because these excellent fights would have gone great with the originally intended film.

All of the action that Robert Clouse shot for the film ranges from decent to excellent. As I stated before, the two fights that Robert Wall has are very good. The other standout action scene is the big motorcycle fight in the warehouse. It's an extravaganza of slow motion kicking, jumping bikes, and henchmen flying into cardboard boxes. This is easily the best action scene of the film shot by Clouse. John Woo must have gotten his love for motorcycle driving henchmen from this film (check out Hard Boiled, Hard Target, Black Jack, Mission Impossible 2, and Paycheck).

The most iconic aspect of the entire film lies in Bruce Lee's yellow and black track suit. This track suit has appeared in numerous other martial arts films (High Risk, Shaolin Soccer, Kill Bill Vol. 1, and City Hunter) and stands as Lee's most memorable costume from any of his films. The yellow track suit is homaged to this day and has appeared in comic books, music videos, and even video games.

More slow motion would have been appreciated.

I think you could classify Game of Death as a "Bruce-ploitation" film even though it contained brand new footage of Bruce Lee at the time of its release. It's definitely playing off of Lee's success and fandom and uses other actors who try to look like "Bruce Lee." The poster should have advertised the other stand in actors because it's unfair to solely advertise Bruce Lee as the star of the film. Not counting stock footage, Bruce is only in 11 minutes of new footage.

It is most unfortunate that Bruce Lee was never able to complete The Game of Death as originally planned. The original plot deals with Bruce and some friends trying to discover what is located atop a large pagoda. To get to the top of the pagoda, Bruce and friends have to make their way through the henchmen who appear in the 11 minutes of real Bruce Lee footage in Game of Death. Bruce had originally planned to film scenes with Nora Miao, Robert Wall, George Lazenby, Shih Kien, Bolo Yeung, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Betty Ting, and even Jackie Chan! It's a shame Bruce passed because I would have loved to have seen this line up.

For those who are curious, the original surviving footage of The Game of Death can be found on the Enter the Dragon DVD. It is in the middle of a documentary on Bruce's life. The footage is as originally intended by Bruce and not the way it is found in Clouse's Game of Death. I highly recommend all action fans seek out these surviving minutes of the film because they are better on their own than the entirety of this film.

Will the real Bruce Lee please stand up?

Robert Clouse's Game of Death is a mish mash of three things: stock footage of Bruce Lee, about an hour and 30 minutes of newly shot material by Clouse, and 11 minutes of footage from Bruce Lee's originally intended The Game of Death. It all adds up to a mess of a film but it's darn fun to watch. You'll find yourself laughing at the ways the filmmakers thought they could convince the audience that Bruce Lee is in the film whether it be through stock footage or actors standing in for him. Underneath it all, Game of Death is a silly, dumb, and serviceable 70's action thriller with lots of martial arts in it. Even though it's not very good, I am going to recommend this film. It's such an unbelievable piece of cinema that you have to check it out in order to believe it. Bruce Lee's original intact footage is amazing and honestly the only thing worth watching. However, a group of action fans might have a hoot checking out the whole movie. 

Rating: 6/10 - A mess, but a fun mess. I wonder how great the film would have turned out if Bruce hadn't passed away.

Franchise:

Game of Death (1978, dir. Robert Clouse)

Game of Death II (1981, dir. See Yuen-Ng)

DTV Cinema - Dragon Eyes (2012)

Director: John Hyams

Cast: Cung Le, Jean Claude Van Damme, Peter Weller, Crystal Mantecon

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 91 minutes

After checking out both of John Hyams' awesome Universal Soldier sequels (Universal Soldier: Regeneration and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning), I figured that I would check out his only other feature film. The guy only has three films, why not just check them all out?

Unfortunately, Dragon Eyes can't stack up to Hyams' other masterful DTV features. Sure, there is some decent action, Jean Claude Van Damme, Peter Weller, and the typical John Hyams' tracking shot. But that's about it. Everything else present in the feature is either bad, forgetful, or bland. Even Warner Bros., the studio who put out the film on DVD (not even on Blu Ray? geesh), knew the film wasn't that good. They didn't even attempt to put together a comprehensive release of the film. You pop in the DVD, go straight to the menu, and are met with two options: Play or Languages. Not only are there no making of bonus features or trailers, but there isn't even a scene selection option! Talk about lazy.

The drifter arrives in town.

A drifter named Hong (Cung Le) drives into the town of St. Jude, a crime ridden town run by gangs and drugs. A local gang takes a disliking to Hong and immediately picks a fight with him. After Hong dispatches a few members of the gang with ease, he earns the attention of all of the gangsters in town, including head honcho Mister V (Peter Weller). Much like Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars, and Last Man Standing, Hong is in town to play both sides of the gang war and the police as well. Much like the secrecy found in Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, Hyams keeps Hong's reasons for being in town a secret until the very end of the film.

The film also has numerous flashbacks of Hong in prison that explains his backstory and how he learned to fight. After getting roughed up in the yard one day, a man named Tiano (Jean Claude Van Damme) comes to Hong's rescue. He teaches Hong how to fight and befriends him during their time in prison. However, Tiano also has his reasons for teaching Hong how to fight and reveals his interest in the young man near the film's end.

Dragon Eyes balances that fine line between straight forward DTV action flick and confusing as hell DTV action flick (much like Day of Reckoning). When you look back on the film after having completed it, there is a very basic and simple plot. However, your first time through the flick can be quite confounding. Hyams reveals characters' true motives and reasons at his own leisure. For example, a flashback early on makes it appear that a woman was shot early on in Hong's life. Hyams wants you to believe that Hong has arrived in St. Jude in order to take revenge on this woman's death. However, Hyams twists this assumption towards the film's end when it is revealed that Hong himself actually shot the woman on accident and that is how he ended up in prison in the first place. In all honest, my favorite scene in the whole film is the scene where Tiano finally reveals his reasons for training Hong for so long. It's a fantastic reveal that helps put a twist to an otherwise formulaic DTV flick.

The dual gangs go to war.

Dragon Eyes is an action film that is surprisingly low on quality action but also low on dialog. The film has a sort of Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai vibe at times with its quiet characters and slow pace. However, I don't think that the film is quiet and artful enough to be effective. Ghost Dog is a fantastic action-esque arthouse film with a unique sense of humor and an incredible sense of pacing. Dragon Eyes on the other hand feels like a mish-mash of filmmaking styles. There's little dialog, quiet characters, obnoxiously long stoner scenes, stylized action, tracking shots, lots of training scenes, and Peter Weller hamming it up beyond belief. It's all an interesting blend but it never amounts to something special like Hyams' other two films. Dragon Eyes lands somewhere in between all of the excellent DTV masterpieces and all of the dreadful pieces of DTV garbage.

The action on display is fairly decent. My largest gripe with the film is how stylized the action can be at some points. Hyams' Universal Soldier films had a good grip on when to flaunt its fancy slow motion editing and when to let an action scene play out in real time. Unfortunately, every single one of Dragon Eye's fight sequences (minus Van Damme's sole fight), are either slowed down or sped up. I found most of the highly stylized editing to be monotonous and exhausting. The problem is that most of the fights aren't visually interesting. When the action slows down or speeds up, the painfully simplistic fight choreography is revealed. Slowing down or speeding up the fight sequences 300-style causes them to lose all of their momentum.

There are some pretty awesome action beats though. I'd be a liar if I told you that the film failed to get an, "Ohhh!" reaction out of me. During the opening fight, Hong picks up a gangster and shoves him into two of his friends. The gangster at the back of the bunch falls backwards and shatters the car window behind him. Hong than round house kicks the remaining gangster through a bus stop. I also loved the action scene where Hong and a local girl named Rosanna talk in Hong's kitchen. Hong's front door blasts open and a gangster rushes in guns blazing. Hong grabs a pot and chucks it at the gangster, knocking his silenced Desert Eagle out of his hand. Hong than tackles the guy right into the wall and breaks through it. These action highlights prove that Hyams' eye for action is never completely dormant, although Dragon Eyes is his weakest action picture to date.

Jean Claude deals some Van Dammage on Cung Le.

Surprisingly, I thought that the best action scene in the whole movie was the flashback that reveals how Van Damme ends up in prison. The scene is captured with grace thanks to Hyams' dedication and adoration to showcase first class tracking shots. It's also a cool scene because it's the only scene in the movie that shows Van Damme in an action scene outside of prison.

Cung Le is a decent action lead. He has a pretty good action resume having appeared in such martial arts films as Bodyguards and Assassins, Tekken, The Grandmaster, True Legend, and The Man With the Iron Fists. Having not seen any of these films or his other performances, I only have this one to go off of. I think that Le's action prowress and abilities are definitely there. He just needs better fight scenes and possibly more dialog to show off his charisma and star power. I won't judge the guy until I see him in something else though.

Hyams regular Van Damme is also pretty good. Much like his role in Day of Reckoning, Van Damme is reduced to a very small supporting role that probably took two days to shoot (one for his prison training scenes and one for his flashback action scene). Van Damme has a lot of great words of wisdom like, "Don't think about the gun, think about the man," and "Fall like a boy, get hit like a boy. Fight like a man, get hit like a man."

Gangsta style firing almost guarantees you'll miss you shot.

However, the absolute best actor in the whole film is Peter Weller (Robocop, Leviathan) as the main villain Mister V. Weller chews up the scenery like a piece of beef jerky as he hams it up beyond belief. He turns dreadful dialog and a lousy character into something fun, silly, and entertaining to watch. I'm sure Weller knows the material isn't all that great. So he probably decided to have fun with it. You can say what you want about Weller's current career choices but at least he isn't phoning it in like so many other actors out there.

Unfortunately, every other actor in Dragon Eyes is pure garbage. I especially hated the two cops that worked for Peter Weller and the two stoners that Hong attacks. These annoying characters are given far too much screen time and have scenes that run for far too long. The scene where the two stoners yell at one another must go on for nearly a minute and a half before Hong shows up to beat their asses into the ground. Why was I forced to go through a minute and a half of two stoners yelling, "I'm high bro!" and "I've got the gun, I back you up nigga!" before the scene got to its point? Oh well. There is also a really bizarre scene where one of the cops has sex with a naked prostitute. Peter Weller walks in and interrogates the man by beating him in the face and playing Russian Roulette with a revolver aimed at his crotch. When Weller leaves, the woman gets back on top of the cop and punches him in the face for no reason with a smile on her face. Why?

But the worst offense in the entire film are the awful freeze frames that reveal characters' names on them. Whenever a significant character is introduced for the first time, the screen freezes and says the character's name and gang affiliation. But it isn't just a simple freeze frame. The image has a fuzzy filter over it, the character's head is tilted diagonally, and the name is written in the ugliest font I have ever seen. This freeze frame technique is lazy because the film doesn't even try to introduce the characters' names in a natural way. It looks amateurish and feels like something out of a student film.

Cung Le goes toe to toe with the film's final baddie.

Dragon Eyes is mostly forgetful material. I normally avoid most DTV material because a lot of it is just trash. I usually read up on what are the good ones and check those outs (Universal Soldier: Regeneration, Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear, The Keeper, Undisputed III, Dead in Tombstone, Command Performance, etc) and sometimes give a random one a whirl simply because of who is starring in it (Jean Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, Danny Trejo, maybe Steven Seagal, etc). However, I don't regret watching this film. There's some decent martial arts, a very charismatic performance by Peter Weller, and a very solid John Hyams tracking shot. However, everything else is white noise in comparison to the rest of the genre. I also give the film props for taking elements from action classics like Yojimbo and Ghost Dog. Plus, I can now say that I have seen all of John Hyams' films and look forward to whatever he makes next.

Rating: 5/10 - A forgetful DTV entry in an otherwise crowded action genre. It's not bad, just forgetful. Recommended only for fans of martial arts, DTV, and John Hyams. Van Damme and Peter Weller completists will also find something to love as well.