Here is the trailer for Monkey Man, an action movie written, directed by, and starring Dev Patel. Here is how the YouTube description describes this movie:
Oscar nominee Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash.
After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Not going to lie, I hadn't heard anything about this movie before seeing this trailer on Instagram. I was actually surprised to see Dev Patel being in a movie like this. It will be cool to see Dev Patel using martial arts in a movie since playing Zuko in The LastAirbender (2010) (Patel is a Taekwondo black belt). I am quite excited for this one, that's for sure!
Monkey Man comes out April 5, 2024 in the United States.
It's Fight Scene Friday™, and this week's scene comes from Andrew Franklin and crew! Jahlil Wallace and Zar Succarotte give awesome performances here, and Andrew Franklin does a great job with the camera work, directing, and editing. Really fun fight, with some cool grappling sequences in there. Hopefully we see more of these guys in the future! Check it out!
Baby Assassins is a really funny, yet violent, movie!
Baby Assassins (also known as Baby Valkyrie , Baby Walküre, and BeibiWarukyure) is an action comedy film released in Japan in 2021 that stars Izawa Saori, Takaishi Akari, Mone Akitani, Yasukaze Motomiya, Uekiya Satoshi, and Mimoto Masanori. It was written and directed by Sakamoto Yugo, with Sonomura Kensuke in charge of the fight scenes.
Perfect shot of Mahiro's (left) and Chisato's (right) personalities.
In Baby Assassins, Fukagawa Mahiro (played by Izawa Saori) and Sugimoto Chisato (played by Takaishi Akari) are two young women about to graduate from high school... who are also assassins. The assassin agency they work for tells them they must get part-time jobs after they graduate (to not arouse suspicion of where their income is coming from), and arranges for the both of them to live in an apartment together. Things go fine between Mahiro and Chisato at first, but things get tense between them later. Mahiro is more of an introvert, while Chisato is an extrovert. They both have trouble finding and holding jobs. Then they get mixed up with a Yakuza family, and their lives become even more complicated! Can Mahiro and Chisato get on the same page and deal with the Yakuza together?
The Yakuza family having a heartwarming gun lesson.
Baby Assassins had a lot of hype when it came out in 2021, with many people raving about the action scenes in it. With Sonomura Kensuke in charge of the action (he did the awesome fight scenes in Hydra, 2019), my expectations were pretty high for this movie. Did this movie live up to the hype? For me, it totally did!
First off, there are only two major fight scenes, one at the beginning and one at the end of the movie. A lot of people who did not enjoy this movie expected more action, so please have your expectations in check. Even though the movie isn't full of action, there is a lot of violence (involving guns mainly), and the violence can get pretty brutal. To me, the best thing about Baby Assassins is the characters. Mahiro and Chisato have great personalities, and they play off each other so well. Their relationship evolves throughout the movie, and you can see where both characters are coming from (point of view-wise) Some of the situations they get in are hilarious. It is interesting to see these two young women trying to live a normal life in Japan while also being ruthless assassins. This movie is very funny! Despite the comedy, there is a sense of danger throughout, especially involving the Yakuza family. These characters are horrible people, but even they have some comedic scenes. The Yakuza father, Hamaoka Ippei (played by Yasukaze Motomiya) is especially cruel and irredeemable.
You've got to watch the fight scenes in Baby Assassins!
The action in Baby Assassins is awesome! Sonomura Kensuke really went all out with his choreography in this movie. The fighting is fast, hard-hitting, and relentless. The fights involve knives, guns, punches, kicks, and throws. Izawa Saori (Mahiro) is a stunt woman-turned actress, and she does the most intricate fighting in the movie. She is really good! I hope we see her in more starring roles in action movies. The final fight is the best fight, where Mahiro fights a Yakuza enforcer in a duel to the death. Really great stuff in this one; I don't want to spoil it, but it is a must-see fight scene. Though this movie doesn't have a lot of action, the action it does have is top-notch!
In conclusion, Baby Assassins is a fun, creative, incredibly violent comedy that I highly suggest watching. I know comedy is highly subjective, but I think this movie is really funny (especially if you understand current Japanese culture). If you don't like the comedy, stay for the action. A lot of creative stuff happens in the fights, and the fights are highly enjoyable. Besides all that, there is a message about friendship, understanding, and mental health throughout. Check this movie out, it's amazing!
Baby Assassins movie trailer (be careful, it basically spoils the whole movie):
This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is test fight featuring the Reel Deal Action crew along with Andy Long! Really awesome choreography in this one, and I appreciate the classic music from In The Line Of Duty 4 (1989) being used in this as well! Check it out:
Here is the trailer for Alienoid 2: Return To The Future! This is a sequel to Alienoid (2022), in which certain people in the distant past are looking for a sword that can 'control' time, and certain people from modern times are looking for an alien! Here is the synopsis:
Ean (KIM Tae-ri) has a critical mission to return to the future to save everyone. However, she becomes trapped in the distant past while trying to prevent the escape of alien prisoners who are locked up in the bodies of humans. Meanwhile, Muruk (RYU Jun-yeol), who helps Ean escape various predicaments, is unnerved when he begins sensing the presence of a strange being in his body. Traveling through the centuries, they are trying to prevent the end of the world...
Alienoid 2: Return To The Future released already in South Korea on January 10, 2024. It is releasing in America in theaters on January 26, 2024. I've got to watch these movies!
It's the first Fight Scene Friday™ of 2024, and this week's scene is the latest short film by Vlad Rimburg! Apparently, this is inspired by the movie Jumper (2008). It's got some good fighting action and some cool special effects! Check it out!
