Accident Man (2018) - A Review

 

Accident Man is a fun ride with lots of action!

Accident Man is an action/thriller/comedy movie released in the United States and the United Kingdom in 2018. It stars Scott Adkins, Ray Stevenson, David Paymer, Michael Jai White, Ray Park, Amy Johnston, Perry Benson, Ross O'Hennessy, and Ashley Greene. Accident Man was co-written and produced by Scott Adkins, with Jesse V. Johnson directing and Tim Man choreographing the action. Accident Man is based on the comic strip by Pat Mills and Tony Skinner. 

Scott Adkins as Mike Fallon, the Accident Man.

In Accident Man, Scott Adkins plays Mike Fallon, an assassin who makes the targets of his kills look like they died in an accident. He frequents a pub called the Oasis, where other assassins hang out and they receive their assignments. The Oasis is run by Big Ray, a retired assassin and all of the assassins' mentor. The other assassins who come here are Carnage Cliff (played by Ross O'Hennessy) a big brute of a guy who kills his targets with an axe; Poison Pete (played by Stephen Donald), whose method of killing is self explanatory; Mac (played by Ray Park) and Mick (played by Michael Jai White) military special Ops assassins who make their targets' deaths look like they were victims of street crime; Finicky Fred (played by Perry Benson) who comes up with weird ways and weapons to kill his targets; and Jane The Ripper (played by Amy Johnston), an assassin who seduces her targets before killing them with her sword (it is rumored she has a collection of her victims' 'manhood' but the other assassins are too afraid to find out if it is true). They all get along, for the most part, until...

Mike finds out his ex-girlfriend has been murdered, and when he looks into it, the way she died seems very familiar (let's just say, he is friendly with the killers). With the help of the girlfriend of his ex, Charlie (played by Ashley Greene), Mike goes after who he knows is responsible. With each battle, he gets more information that leads to the person who ordered the hit, and he is determined to make that person pay!

Mike Fallon can more than handle any opponent that comes his way.

It has taken a while, but I finally watched Accident Man! I didn't really have any expectations for this movie; I thought it could end up great or it could disappoint me. Lucky for me, it ended up great! Accident Man is full of interesting characters, some dark comedy, and awesome fight scenes! What more could you want in an action movie? The story moves at a rapid pace, and it is never boring. The dialogue is good, too. Being shady people, most everyone in Accident Man uses very salty language. Scott Adkins is great in his role as Mike Fallon; he is an antihero, but even he has his limits. He just wants to find and kill the person who ordered the hit on the love of his life. How can you not root for him? Of course, Michael Jai White kills it in his role, but more on the acting side of things. He just performs his lines so naturally. He really should be a bigger star. It was great to see David Paymer in this movie. I would never expect to see him in a movie like this! He is pretty funny in this, too.

The fight scenes in Accident Man are so good!

But what about the action? Well, the action in Accident Man rocks! Scott Adkins has exciting fights with most everyone in this movie. Scott throws some awesome kicks in this! In the first fight scene, Mike Fallon fights some guys in a bar who are harassing a woman. Here we learn how brutally ruthless he is as a fighter, because he beats them up bad, breaking their bones in the process. I liked the fight scene where an assassin on a motorcycle attempts to kill Mike. This scene was full of Hong Kong cinema homages, from the assassin wearing yellow and black (like Bruce Lee in Game Of Death, 1978), to Mike Fallon using Richard Norton's famous quote ("Painful?"), to Mike Fallon doing an absolutely wild kick that Jackie Chan did in Wheels On Meals (1984). Great stuff! Scott Adkins takes on Ray Park (Darth Maul and Toad himself) and Michael Jai White (Spawn and Black Dynamite himself) at the same time. Great fight scene, and Ray Park does some awesome moves in this one. Scott takes on Amy Johnston in a hard-hitting fight, that is full of sexual tension. Amy Johnston is an awesome fighter, and she holds her own against Scott in their fight. Hopefully we see more of her on the big screen! The fight scenes are fast, hard-hitting, and exciting. Very Hong Kong-style, which I appreciate. Scott Adkins is the man in this movie.

As you can guess, I highly recommend watching Accident Man. If you are looking for a fun, action-packed movie, this is it! Mike Fallon is such an interesting character, that I hope Accident Man continues as a film series. There is so much they can do with this world. Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday was released in 2022, so it has continued so far (and I've read that it is really good). Scott Adkins is such an underrated action star. He should be proud of what he, Tim Man, and Jesse V. Johnson accomplished with Accident Man. Watch it! Now!

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] It's A Little Bit Funny

 It's Friday, so that means it's Fight Scene Friday™! This week brings us Vlad Rimburg's latest short film! Vlad directed and choreographed this one, with Shai DeBroux, Cameron Okubo, Jordan Okubo, and Ryu Minami (among many others) starring. Very interesting concept, and the action rocks! Awesome music, too! Check it out!

 

Ichi The Killer (2001) - A Review

Ichi The Killer lives up to its infamously gory and perverse reputation.

Ichi The Killer is a crime drama/horror movie released in Japan in 2001 and stars  Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ōmori, Paulyn Sun, Shinya Tsukamoto, Shun Sugata, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Jun Kunimura, Suzuki Matsuo, and Hiroshi Kobayashi. It was directed by Takashi Miike, and is based on the Ichi The Killer manga series by  Hideo Yamamoto.

Kakihara is one cruel bastard.

 In Ichi The Killer, Tadanobu Asano plays Kakihara, a cruel sadomasochistic enforcer in the Yakuza who is looking for his boss, named Anjo. Kakihara thinks Anjo may have left town with a prostitute and 3 million yen of the gang's money. Desperate to find his boss, Kakihara eventually finds out that Anjo may have been kidnapped by a rival gang. He viciously tortures rival Yakuza gang members to find out where Anjo is. He finds out that Anjo was killed by a man named Ichi, and that he (Kakihara) is a target as well. Kakihara is intrigued by this development.

 Ichi (played by Nao Ōmori) is a very psychologically disturbed man. He is meek and withdrawn, usually. He plays video games all day at the house of Jiji (played by Shinya Tsukamoto), his mysterious caretaker. The thing is, when Ichi becomes sexually aroused, he becomes a killing machine! Ichi thinks of the Yakuza members that he's brutally murdering as the kids who bullied him when he was in school. Things get kind of complicated when Ichi helps a kid, Takeshi (played by Hiroshi Kobayashi), who is being bullied at the apartment complex they live in. Takeshi is the son of Kaneko (played by Hiroyuki Tanaka), a former police officer who now works under Kakihara in the Yakuza. Kakihara has very selfish reasons for finding Anjo, and eventually meeting up with Ichi. Will it be all Kakihara hopes for?

Ichi is seemingly a nice guy. Just don't turn him on.

 Ichi The Killer's reputation preceded itself when I first heard of it in the early 2000s. I heard it was gory, it was violent, and it was perverted. Finally seeing it in 2023... it more than lives up to its reputation! I had a chance of buying the special edition DVD back in the day (it came packaged with a bag of blood), but I just couldn't buy it. I was too worried about what the people in Best Buy (an electronics store) would think of me if I bought that DVD. I have regretted not buying it ever since then, but after watching it, I realize I would not have been ready for it back then! This movie is brutal. There are gallons of blood throughout. There are some disturbing torture scenes (which made me cringe, and cringe in the original use of the word, not the current internet version). I was digging my nails into my arms during some scenes; it was just too brutal. There are rape scenes in this as well, so fair warning!

 Takeshi is the only purely good person in this movie. It is very hard to root for Ichi, as you find out who he is and what drives him. You can kind of root for him when he is in his more docile mode, and he is killing Yakuza members, but Ichi is just too messed up of a person to fully support. Kakihara, on the other hand, is one evil and sadistic gangster. Let's just say, his motives are sexually based as well. He is not above hurting or mutilating a person to get what he wants, including himself! Great performances from both Nao Ōmori and Tadanobu Asano.

Ichi The Killer is brutal. That is not water being poured on his back, by the way.

 There are a lot of violent acts in Ichi The Killer. Ichi is a skilled martial artist, but he does not take very long to kill his victims. He has a hidden blade in the heel of his boot, and when that connects, it's over! The special effects, both practical and CGI, are well done. Apparently one special effect (let's call it "man nectar") was actually the real thing, so... keep that in mind. If you love brutal, bloody, gory violence, this is the movie for you!

 So, should you watch Ichi The Killer? Despite the extreme violence, the perversity, and the hard to root for characters, I would say yes! This movie deals with some very interesting subjects, the acting is excellent, the plot is compelling, and it is never boring. I left a lot out of the movie synopsis, because there are a lot of surprise revelations that will help you understand where everyone is coming from. Once again, this movie is not for children, and viewer discretion is strongly advised. If you're willing to take the plunge, you're in for quite the wild ride! Takashi Miike made another modern classic with this one.

 

The special collector's edition of Ichi The Killer that I passed on buying. Really wish I bought it back then! I'll get the blu-ray, regardless.

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams 

[Fight Scene Friday] The Magician

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is a short film written, edited, choreographed, and directed by Bryan Sloyer. Jay Kwon stars, and there is an appearance by former Power Ranger Yoshi Sudarso. This is a very cool concept that I could imagine happening in a movie or TV show. Check it out, it's really good!

 

[Fight Scene Friday] Penance

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is a hard-hitting short film directed by Stephen Renney! Not only is the action awesome, but so is the cinematography! I really like the look of this one. Everyone goes hard in this one! Check it out!

 

Future Cops (1993) - A Review

 

The infamous Hong Kong take on the Street Fighter characters.

Future Cops is a fantasy comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1993 and stars Andy Lau, Simon Yam, Jacky Cheung, Dicky Cheung, Chingmy Yau, Ekin Cheng, Billy Chow, Charlie Yeung, Andy Hui, Aaron Kwok, Ken Lo, and Richard Ng. It was written and directed by Wong Jing, with action directed by Tony Ching Siu-Tung. Future Cops features characters based on the video game characters in Street Fighter II.

Dicky Cheung as Chan Tai-hung (left), Andy Hui as Kei-on the bully (right).

In the future, The General (M. Bison, played by Ken Lo) is imprisoned for trying to take over the world. His henchmen, Kent (Ken, played by Ekin Cheng), Thai King (Sagat, played by Billy Chow), and Toyota (E. Honda, played by William Duen) decide to go back in time to 1993 to brainwash the judge that convicted their leader. The Future Cops get wind of the criminals' plans in a battle with them and tell their superior, who sends them to 1993 to protect the future judge. Lung (Ryu, played by Aaron Kwok) stays behind because he is their superior's brother-in-law .

Ti Man (Vega, played by Andy Lau), Broom Man (Guile, played by Jacky Cheung), and Sing (Dhalsim, played by Simon Yam) arrive in 1993 to find that the future judge, Chan Tai Hung (played by Dicky Cheung) is a bit of a loser. He is still in high school, even though he is 28 years old, still lives at home with his mom and sister, and is constantly bullied by everyone at his school. Learning this, they help him stand up to his bullies and become more of a success in school.

As you can imagine, Chan Tai Hung starts evolving as a person, even becoming successful with his crush, Choy Nei (played by Charlie Yeung). Ti Man becomes involved with Tai Hung's sister, Chun May (you can guess who she becomes, played by Chingmy Yau), and Broom Man gets involved with Tai Hung's bully's girlfriend (played by Winnie Lau). Eventually, the bad guys make their presence known, and take over the school. It's up to the Future Cops to level up and stop the General from taking over the world...

The Street Fighters... I mean Future Cops. Yes, that is Simon Yam as Dhalsim (far left) and Jacky Cheung as Guile (far right).

I had heard of Future Cops back in the day after finding out the director of City Hunter (1993) made a 'Street Fighter II' movie. I could never find much information about it, but I saw the odd movie still and trailer here and there. I finally found it on my favorite DVD online store and ordered it (paid for it and everything). It's been close to 20 years and I still haven't gotten it in the mail! As you can imagine, trying to find and watch this movie has been quite the struggle. I finally found the whole movie online, and I watched it. Did it live up to my expectations?

It did not. The director, Wong Jing, is known for making wacky, silly comedies that you either love or hate. I've seen City Hunter (which I liked at first... now I find it too silly) and Last Hero In China (1993, only really liked the action in that one), so I was expecting some zaniness, but... this is just too wacky for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of funny scenes, but there is a lot of annoying things in it, too. It also doesn't help that there are only three action scenes in this movie (and much like the Jean-Claude Van Damme Street Fighter movie, most of the actors don't have martial arts skills). The Street Fighter fight scene in City Hunter is better than all of the fight scenes in Future Cops. It also bothers me that all these grown adult men are pursuing relationships with teenage high school girls.

Despite all of that, there are some good performances in this. Andy Lau is good as the sensitive Vega. Dicky Cheung is likable (for the most part) as the bullied future judge, though he says some horrible things to the people that are laughing at him (it's really messed up). Andy Hui as the main bully is great (as is his hairstyle). It's always great when Charlie Yeung shows up in a movie (though she just plays the love interest). Chingmy Yau is the best thing in this movie; she is just so funny. Richard Ng is in this as well, and of course he's hilarious! There is also an homage to a classic video game that was pretty unexpected!

Ken Lo as M. Bison is an inspired choice. Ken and E. Honda are his henchmen.

As stated above, there are only three main action scenes in Future Cops. Inspired by Street Fighter II: Turbo (I assume), the fights are super sped up with special moves galore. You'll see Hadokens, Spinning Bird Kicks, Hurricane Kicks, Yoga Flames, Sonic Booms, and more. Sound effects from the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom version of Street Fighter II are used in the fight scenes, at least. Despite all that, I can't say the fights were actually good or exciting. They are over the top, but not in a good way. Really disappointing. Some may like the fights, though!

So, do I recommend Future Cops? I would say no, unless you are that much of a Street Fighter fan that you have to consume every type of Street Fighter media. You may also like it if you are looking for a wacky and insane over the top type of movie. As I've said in other reviews: humor is subjective. What's funny to me may not be funny to you, and vice versa. Otherwise, steer clear. This movie is a clear case of cashing in on a phenomenon, without actually paying for the license. I was looking forward to this movie for years, and it broke my heart when I finally watched it. It's not the end of the world. There are three excellent Street Fighter movies in existence (two anime, one live action), so I can watch those for my Street Fighter movie fix. If you still decide to watch Future Cops, go into it with expectations for a crazy comedy and not for an awesome action movie based on a video game.

Reviewed by David Williams

Slate (2021) - A Review

A really good martial arts fantasy.

 Slate is a fantasy/action/swordplay movie released in South Korea in 2021, and stars Ahn Ji Hye, Lee Min Ji, Jong Ho, Jo Sun Ki, Jung Jin Woo, Lee Se Ho, and Park Tae San. Slate was directed by Bareun Jo.

Cha Yeon Hee, played by Ahn Ji Hye, just wants to be a heroine.

 In Slate, Ahn Ji Hye plays Cha Yeon Hee, a woman who has wanted to be a heroine since being orphaned as a child. To do this, she has studied martial arts, stunt work, and acting to become an actress in the Korean film industry. She gets called in for an audition for the lead role in an action movie, but she finds out it's not exactly the role she wants. Despite being told that she will never be cast as a heroine, she takes the job anyway. Yeon Hee arrives at the set with her friend early, and as they explore, the friend finds a wooden slate (or clapper/clapboard). As the friend claps the slate, Yeon Hee wishes she was a heroine...

 Next thing Yeon Hee knows, it's evening and she's on a random street. A gang, led by Dong Ja Roo (played by Jong Ho), are demanding money from some townspeople. Seeing the prop sword Yeon Hee is carrying, Kim Ji Na (played by Lee Min Ji) assumes she is the Soul Slayer, the only person who can help her town fight against Taepyeongso (leader of the villainous Dragon Clan). Ghoster, a missing Youtuber (played by Jung Jin Woo), informs Yeon Hee that they are in a parallel world where things are not exactly the same (Korea is in warring states period, there's no internet/wi-fi, and people openly carry swords). After fighting off thugs with her prop sword, Yeon Hee realizes why she is there: to be a heroine! Yeon Hee is up to the challenge, but Taepyeongso is dying and his two top men, Priest (played by Lee Se Ho) and Mr. Phillip (played by Park Tae San) are vying for control. Also, the real Soul Slayer (played by Jo Sun Ki) arrives to deal with Taepyeongso, but is baffled when the townspeople pay him no mind. Everything comes to a head, with betrayals, unlikely allies, and sword fights aplenty.

The Priest, and Mr. Phillip behind him, are not good people.

 Slate is a nice action fantasy movie. The characters and situations are believable (even though this is a fantasy with mystical elements), and even the action is realistic (for the most part). There is some comedy in this, both of the subtle and laugh out loud variety. Jong Ho as Dong Ja Roo provides the comic relief; he is fiercely passionate, emotional, and loyal. Jo Sun Ki as the real Soul Slayer is also funny in his somewhat arrogant, yet humbled role. Even though Cha Yeon Hee is ready and capable of being a heroine, she is not perfect. In fact, she comes out of some fights gravely injured. She is determined to do the right thing and stop the injustice and protect the people at all costs. Ahn Ji Hye does a great job playing Cha Yeon Hee. You can tell she is a strong person in real life. Lee Min Ji, as Kim Ji Na, plays a strong town leader that is beloved by the people. She is great in this. Another thing I liked about this movie was that there was no romance or love interests. Yeon Hee was focused on upholding justice throughout.

Slate has some nice sword fighting scenes. Ahn Ji Hye does awesome in her scenes.

 The action in Slate is all sword-based. There is some nice choreography on display, and Ahn Ji Hye shows that she has some serious skills as a sword fighter. She even throws in some nice kicks as well. Though there is a lot of sword fighting, it doesn't get too over the top with the blood and gore. I would say it is pretty realistic with its depiction of blood loss in this movie. The most graphic scene is a surprise death, and even then the movie doesn't dwell on it.The action is fast and razor sharp, but the choreography is more on the realistic side. There's nothing wrong with that, as the fights are exciting.

 So, should you watch Slate? I would say it's not a must see movie, but if you like action movies, sword fighting, comedy, cool and interesting characters, movies with a nice visual style, and a rocking soundtrack, give it a chance. The plot is easy to follow and understand, the action is good, and the actors all give believable performances. The film references Alice In Wonderland throughout, but there is a bit of The Wizard Of Oz in it as well. I watched it two times for this review, and I actually liked it even better the second time. Check it out, it's pretty good!

 

 

 SALUTE!!!

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams

[Fight Scene Friday] Michael Lehr Vs. Bryan Sloyer: Fight Practice | GUN-FU | CQC FIGHT SCENE | EQUILIBRIUM | GUNPLAY

 This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is a close quarters combat scene featuring Michael Lehr and Bryan Sloyer. It was directed, edited, and shot by Emmanuel Manzanares, with inspiration from Equilibrium (2002, starring Christian Bale --- excellent movie, you should definitely watch it if you haven't). Really awesome action in this one, check it out!

 

Voltes V: Legacy - Mega Trailer

 Check out this mega trailer for Voltes V: Legacy, a live action re-imagining of the classic Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes V anime series. This looks awesome! I really hope this show gets an international release, because this looks really good! It will premiere in the Philippines in the second quarter of 2023 and will have 80 episodes.

(Spoiler Warning: There are apparently major spoilers in this trailer, so watch with care!)