Headshot: Who Are You Again?

Headshot is an Indonesian action thriller film directed by Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto. The plot sees an unknown man (Iko Uwais), awaken in a hospital bed, he does not remember who he is or how he came to be in sad bed. However, once he leaves the hospital he is hunted down by one of the most ruthless bosses in the underworld Lee (Sunny Pang) and has to fight for his survival.

So, after seeing Uwais in several other action films I was expecting big things here, and I have to say I was disappointed. My main issue with the film was the action and the fights, they felt toned back and lacked the same excitement as I can come to know from the Indonesian action subgenre. The fights here not only felt underwhelming, they felt like they were done on the cheap.

Moreover, the story was uninspired we have seen the amnesiac waking up to trouble storyline play out over and over again and this film can’t be bothered to do anything new with it. The midway through twist, which I won’t spoil, is insanely predictable and worst of all you just don’t care after it is revealed.

There are a few cool moments, such as the prison escape scene at the start of the film, that is really all the good I can say about this film. These scenes are incredibly few and far between and the film as a whole feels stretched out for far too long, to a point where you are looking at your phone because you can’t take the tedium anymore.

Overall, a subpar Indonesian action flick, I expected more.

Pros.

A few cool moments

Cons.

A played-out storyline

Uninspired fights

Characters you don’t care about

Pacing issues in the extreme

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Honest Thief: Jai Courtney Always Popping Up When You Least Expect Him, And Certainly Don’t Want Him

Honest Thief is an action thriller film directed by Mark Williams. The plot sees successful bank robber Tom (Liam Neeson) try and confess to his crimes after meeting a woman, who he falls in love with, he hopes that by confessing they can have a life together. However dirty cops frame him for the murder of a fellow agent, and he must prove his innocence.

So, this is about what you would expect, it is your standard Liam Neeson schlock, he uses his skills to defeat the baddies prove that he is a good guy and that’s that. There, that’s the plot summed up in a line. However, for me I am not watching these films for their plot I am watching these films to watch Liam Neeson in ever more preposterous situations, and hey I was not disappointed here.

Ultimately, the film is quite generic. It is nothing you haven’t seen before, there are some tense moments that give the film so watchability, but really the only thing that keeps you invested is Neeson, if he wasn’t in it this film would be trash.

Jai Courtney is in this film, yes he hasn’t just faded into obscurity as you and I had believed far from it he is the villain of the piece. In this film he reminds us all why he is rarely cast, though it is fun to watch him be terrorised by Neeson.

Overall, your enjoyment of this film will come down to how much you like Liam Neeson and his schlocky action films.

Pros.

Liam Neeson

How over the top it is

It is almost funny at times, obviously unintentionally

Cons.

Jai Courtney

It is generic

The action leaves quite a lot to be desired

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Unhinged: Bait

Unhinged is a thriller film directed by Derrick Borte. The plot sees angry man Tom Cooper (Russell Crowe), have a mental break and go on a rampage after his wife leaves him, he takes to the streets to harass, terrorise, and kill people who he deams rude drivers or those who slight him.

This is the film that told the pandemic to do a hike and came out in cinemas anyway, the film that refused to go straight to streaming and said it was too tough for that. It made you risk your health to prove your machismo.

This film is clearly made for a certain type of person, it takes multiple digs at modern culture, and seems to hate anything that was popular after the year 2000. The weird way that the film gives Tom Cooper’s character anti hero like qualities is troubling as it is almost condone this character, that is clearly the villain here.

The central family that become Cooper’s victims are so incredibly bland that I seem to have purged them for my mind, all I can remember is that the kids is incredibly irritating and talks in a way no other human child has ever talked before.

The pulpy schlock of it can only go so far before it just starts to feel lazy, the scares don’t really land because the film can’t seem to decide whether it is secretly trying to praise Cooper and his actions.

Overall, a skinhead action film if ever there was one, that seems to be at odds with the modern world and proud of it. Crowe is clearly trying which makes the whole affair sadder as it shows how far he has fallen.

Pros.

Crowe is trying

Cons.

The central family is generic

The kid is annoying

It can’t seem to settle on how it wants to depict the violence and aggression

It seems to be oddly dated

It has some unpleasant undertones

0.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Prophecy: Viggo Mortensen Is Under Your Bed

The Prophecy is a fantasy thriller film directed by Gregory Widen. The plot sees angel of death Gabriel (Christopher Walken), seek to find an evil soul and use it to wipe out mankind. It is set to a backdrop of a centuries long angelic civil war.

This is pulpy good fun, will it win awards no, but it was solidly entertaining for an hour and a half and it made me want to check out its sequels, stay tuned for reviews of them. I enjoyed the deeply 90s aesthetic of the film it reminded me a bit of films like The Crow. I thought the world building was incredibly on point, they create a huge world with a lot going on, but don’t spend big parts of the film spouting exposition which is appreciated.

The performances are really a conversation about two actors Christopher Walken and Viggo Mortensen. So, Walken played the menacing angle of death well, he was a very believable badass and managed to seem worse than the devil himself. Speaking of, Mortensen’s Lucifer is only in the film briefly, but he is a scene stealer while he is there, he is so manic and unhinged it is truly chilling; the performance has become one of my all-time favourite Devil performances.

Overall, if you want a schlocky good time with a surprisingly deep world and a few great performances then give this a try.

Pros

Walken

Mortensen

The deep lore

Not overcomplicating things and being a lot of fun

Cons.

It is quite dated now

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Love And Monster: Love In The Time Of Monsters

Love And Monsters is a post-apocalyptic adventure film directed by Michael Matthews. The plot follows Joel (Dylan O’ Brien), a survivor who doesn’t seem to be very good at surviving as he leaves his bunker hideaway in pursuit of his lost love Aimee (Jessica Henwick), after they reconnect over the radio.

So, if you had any doubt about Dylan O’ Brien’s career as a Hollywood leading man this film come as a comfort. Not only is O’ Brien a terrific leading man here, he is also perfectly cast and suited to the part. He has the physicality to pull off the action scenes, but also the awkwardness to not see like the standard action hero ‘type’.

I think the world and the tongue in cheek tone is a strength to the film. The mythology is present, but is not overly explored which allows there to be a degree of your own imagination set to the proceedings. The humour of the film resonated with me and often made me laugh.

I think the supporting cast all do great jobs with their limited screen time; they help the world to feel lived in and set up perfectly crafted emotional moments that will hit you. Henwick struggles somewhat in a leading role, but does have a few strong moments. I enjoyed that she was the inverse of Joel in almost every way and that their romance often subverted my expectations.

Overall, a gem of 2020 that you can’t afford to sleep on

Pros.

Dylan O’ Brien

The romance

The world

The supporting characters

The tone and the humour

Cons.

Jessica Henwick is a weak link, but has redeeming moments

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Eastern Promise: Viggo In The Russian Mob

Eastern Promise is a gangster film directed by David Cronenberg. The plot tells the story of an abandoned baby from a 14-year-old drug addict. Anna (Naomi Watts), delves into the Russian underworld to try and trace the roots of this now dead junkie, so that her baby can have a chance at a future.

I loved the world of the Russian mob that this film dives into, it is so deep and layered, there is so much to it and all is explored in great detail. Furthermore, this film teaches us the audience a great deal that we might not know in this regard, such as the importance of tattoos within the mob.

Watts is fine, serviceable but not much more, however the real star here is Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen). Mortensen gives a very strong performance that feels nuanced and well delivered, he is so much more than the thug character type he has so much more personality than that. The twist with his character, that I won’t spoil here, is quite obvious but it still works well.

The ending of the film does set it up for a sequel, which I think could be great if it continues to dive further into this world; however according to Cronenberg himself it is dead.

Overall, a bit more thinky than most Gangster films, the plot and the themes are just as important as the violence.

Pros.

A deep world

An intriguing story

Viggo Mortensen

The twist works

Cons.

Naomi Watts is very eh

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Prophecy 3: God’s Plan

The Prophecy 3 is a fantasy action thriller directed by Patrick Lussier, serving as a continuation of the Prophecy series. The war in Haven rages on, and now the Angel of Genocide Pyriel (Scott Cleverdon), has arrived on Earth to finish what Gabriel (Christopher Walken), started and wipe out the Nephilim and the humans with them.

This film completes the obvious character arc of Gabriel, and makes him a hero, which it turns out was God’s plan all along. Yes, this time around Gabriel wants to save the humans, as he himself is now one, and fight along side them to defeat Pyriel. I enjoyed seeing Walken play the character differently, it gives him chance to flex his charm and show his more loveable side.

I thought this film was a step up from the second but is still behind the first. The main reason for this is Cleverdon’s Pyriel. Pyriel is a much better antagonist, than a played-out Gabriel and has much needed presences and menace, I enjoyed seeing him ham it up as a very over the top evil villain and he looked like he was having fun.

The ending to this film also adds a nice sense of finality to the series as it feels like a lot of the lore and plot stuff has been tided up neatly and can be filled away; I am aware that there are two more sequels and maybe one day I will watch them.

Overall, still a lot of pulpy heavily 90’s fun and a decent final note.

Pros.

Cleverdon

Walken

The ending

Gabriel becoming the hero, even though it was cheesy and predictable

Cons.

It feels unnecessary

The production quality is still quite low

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

For The Sake Of The Vicious: Motorcycle Gang Of Death

For The Sake Of The Vicious is an action thriller film directed by Gabriel Carrer and Reese Eveneshen. The plot revolves around a tragic misunderstanding. When Chris’s (Nick Smyth), daughter is raped he abducts the man he thinks is responsible, he then brings him to the house of nurse Romina (Lora Burke), for unsaid reasons to begin the investigation. However, things are far more complicated than any of them know.

This film is unrelentingly bleak, which can be an issue for some people, it is not as easy watch I myself had trouble with it at times; but it is well worth sticking around for. The unpleasantness creates a real visceral sense of brutality which nicely compliments the film in its later stages when it shifts from being a character piece into basically being a slasher film.

The performances were strong and compelling, Romina was very easy to root for and it was easy for us the audience to put ourselves in her shoes and empathise with her. I think the standout performance of the film was definitely Smyth’s Chris who played a man possessed well. You could tell how haunted and troubled he was every second he was on screen it was both off putting and fascinating

My one issue with the film would be that the first act is very slow, and I mean slow. It was a bit of a slog to get through, but it is worth sticking with for the all-out brawl at the end.

Overall, a very intense film that wont be to everyone’s tastes, but if it sounds like something you might enjoy then you should definitely check it out.

Pros.

The drama and slasher elements nicely complement each other

The action scenes in the final act are really well done

The performances are top notch

The drama is compelling and engaging

Cons.

It is very bleak

The first act is too slow

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Peppermint: John Wick Was A Good Film Right? Lets Copy It.

Peppermint is an action thriller film directed by Pierre Morel. The plot follows the transformation of quiet suburban mother Riley North (Jennifer Garner), after the death of her family.

So, this is a deeply average action film that is clearly trying to cash in on things like John Wick and those other kind of action films for as much as they can get. As such the story is played out before it begins and you can guess easily where it is going, it is a mash up of many different genre cliches and stereotypes.

Jennifer Garner is fine, nothing more than that. She is believable enough in the physicality of the role, but because the film is so poorly written and has no real reason to exist, her character feels incredibly hollow. Yes she is a badass, so what? We don’t feel anything for the character and the drama feels cliché and forced.

I mainly watched this as I was looking for schlocky action and that is pretty much all it is good for. It is just fun to watch guys get mowed down sometimes, I guess. Some of the scenes push the boat out on what is possible and are usually better for it.

Overall, only watchable if you either can’t find anything better or are looking for just some generic action schlock.

Pros.

It is watchable

Some of the more unbelievable action scenes are fun to watch

It is schlocky as hell

Cons.

Jennifer Garner brings nothing to the role

The film feels like a rip off

It has no reason to exist

It is incredibly generic

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Villianess: Raised To Kill

The Villainess is a South Korean action film directed by Byung- Gil Jung. The plot follows assassin Sook- hee (Ok-Bin Kim), as she joins up with the South Korean intelligence service to order to hunt her husbands’ killer.

The action is well done, I especially enjoyed the first-person action sequence at the start of the film. I thought the brutality of the film added to its overall feel, it gave the film a gritty take no prisoners sort of attitude that really helps to define it.

The plot keeps you guessing it is full of twists and turns, however I would say that it is overstuffed. There is so much exposition, back story, and flash backs which are all pivotal to the narrative, it is a lot, also if you lose track you will be lost.

I enjoyed the lead performance I thought OK-Bin Kim did a good job, she was cool and badass, whilst also having a vulnerable streak that makes her very easy to root for and cheer on.

My main issue with this film is that it has major pacing issues, parts of it drag and feel like they’re overdone for the stake of being stylised. I feel It could do with being about half an hour shorter as it stands it feels like it has a lot of bloat.

You can see how this film has inspired others that have come after it (John Wick 3), and how it has been inspired by other classic action films (Old Boy, The Raid, Leon).

Overall, this is a nicely stylised action film that has a few pacing issues but is still well worth the watch.

Pros.

Good action

A homage to other classic action films

A strong lead

Cons.

Pacing issues

The story has a bit too much going on and is often confusing.

3/5