Triple Threat (2019) - A Review

 

Look at the cast of this movie!

Triple Threat is an American/Chinese/Thai/French action movie released in 2019. It stars Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen, Iko Uwais, Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Jeeja Yanin, Celina Jade, Michael Bisping, and Michael Wong. The movie was directed by Jesse V. Johnson, with action/fight choreography by Johnson as well.

In Triple Threat, Payu (played by Tony Jaa) and Long Fei (played by Tiger Chen), both ex-Special Forces, help a mercenary group free prisoners in a Thailand village on a humanitarian mission. Or so they think. This group, led by Devereaux (played by Michael Jai White), includes Mook (played by Jeeja Yanin), Joey (played by Michael Bisping), Steiner (played by Ron Smoorenburg), and Dom (played by Dominique Vandenburg), are not good people. In actuality, they are there to free their leader, Collins (played by Scott Adkins) only. A lot of innocent people die in this mission, including Jaka's (played by Iko Uwais) wife. Jaka fights back, but is defeated early on.

After Collins is free, the mercenary crew rig the prison to explode, leaving Payu and Long Fei for dead. Time passes, and Jaka is on a quest for revenge. He encounters Payu and Long Fei in an underground fighting tournament. All three of them decide to team up to find the mercenary group and seek revenge on them. When it seems they are all on the same page, Jaka seemingly betrays them the next day! The mercenary group are on another mission. A mysterious crime boss wants wealthy philanthropist Tian Xiao Xian (played by Celina Jade) dead. The mercenary crew find out from Jaka that Payu and Long Fei are still alive, and immediately search for them to eliminate them. From there, a violent game of cat and mouse commences, with Payu, Long Fei, and Xiao Xian constantly on the run with Jaka pulling the strings.

The cast of Triple Threat is amazing, but they are let down by the story. The story is a bit lackluster, I must say. The heroes aren't really given much of a personality. Iko Uwais as Jaka wants revenge for the death of his wife, but is not trustworthy throughout the movie. Thankfully Tiger Chen and, especially Tony Jaa are likable, so you root for them to overcome the odds. Only Collins and Deveraux have personalities on the villain side. Collins is just a raging a-hole, and Deveraux is a cocky jerk (with good taste in bootleg movies). Michael Jai White is amazing as Deveraux. He can talk some mean crap!

The fight scenes are good, but they are not amazing. When you see all these amazing martial artists in a movie together, you expect to see some incredible fights. As I said, the fights are good. They could have done so much more! I have read that they only had thirteen days to shoot (either the whole movie or just the fight scenes), so I can forgive the lack of amazing fights. Iko Uwais has a nice short fight with Tony Jaa, and then with Tiger Chen. Tony Jaa's fight with Ron Smoorenburg (the kicker from Who Am I) was pretty cool. Iko Uwais vs. Michael Jai White was good too, but it was kind of ruined by the constant inter-cutting with another fight scene. The final fight is pretty good, too. Wish it could've went longer. Jeeja Yanin was totally underutilized in this, though! I wanted to see more of her in this setting. 

So, should you see this? I would say yes, if you want to see all these martial arts superstars in a movie together. The plot is basic, yet kind of convoluted. It visually looks good, too. There is a lot of gunplay in this, if you like that kind of action. I just hope all these actors come together in a movie again, and the story and fighting action live up to their talents. I don't hate this movie, I'm just disappointed in it.

The Blu-Ray I watched for this review.

Back of the slip case.

Blu-Ray disc. No cool artwork or designs, unfortunately.

Reviewed by David Williams

The Raid 2 A.K.A The Raid 2: Berandal (2014) - A Review

 

The Raid 2 is an incredible action movie!

The Raid 2: Berandal is an Indonesian martial arts/action/crime movie released in 2014, and is the direct sequel to The Raid. It stars Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abdullah Abbad, Kenichi Endo, Oka Antara, Cecep Arif Rahman, Julie Estelle, Very Tri Yulisman, and Yayan Ruhian. The Raid 2 was written, directed, and edited by Gareth Evans, with fight choreography by Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, and Larnell Stovall.

The Raid 2 starts off where The Raid ended. Rama (played by Uwais) is asked to go undercover and infiltrate a gang to gather evidence against corrupt police/government officials. Rama refuses at first, but after a personal tragedy, agrees to go undercover. Rama goes to prison (for assaulting a government official's son) and befriends one of the top mob bosses' son, Uco (played by Putra). During a riot, Rama saves Uco's life. For this, Rama is hired by Uco's father Bangun (played by Pakusadewo) to be an enforcer and to keep an eye on Uco.

Rama eventually gains the trust of the criminal organization. Bangun tells Rama to watch out for Uco, and to warn him of any weird behavior from him. Uco is an impatient, ambitious man, and feels his father is being 'weak' (to simplify it, it's a bit more complicated than that). Uco joins forces with another mob boss, Bejo (played by Abba) to start a gang war so they can get the Japanese mob's territory. Things start getting dangerous for Rama, and he does not know who to trust anymore. After some complications and tragic incidents, Rama decides to end things once and for all.

If you thought The Raid was an intense action movie, The Raid 2 blows it out of the water! Things are tense as heck, the atmosphere is dark and brooding, the violence is bloody and gory, and the action is incredible. The Raid 2 does not disappoint! The story is deep and layered. The characters are believable in their motivations. This movie shows that living in the crime world is not worth it. No matter what your morals and values are, they will be tested, and you will most likely abandon them. Yes, the action is great in this movie, but the overall story is stellar as well. Iko Uwais plays his part perfectly, showing his confliction about what he is doing, but also starting to lose himself in the darkness surrounding him. Arifin Putra, as Uco, does an excellent job playing the arrogant, impatient, ambitious mob boss's son. That guy is really unlikable!

The action in this movie, though. Good lord, the action in this movie! The fight scenes are great, from the bathroom stall fight, to the muddy riot, to the noodle shop fight and beyond, they are all excellently choreographed and intense! The fight scene with Yayan Ruhian is bloody, brutal, and sends a message that there is someone deadlier that Rama has to face. Of course, the final fight scene is my favorite. That fight is INCREDIBLE. The choreography, the setting, the music, the intensity; just perfect. I was sitting on the edge of my seat when I first watched that scene in the movie theater! Even if you don't like the plot, it's worth watching The Raid 2 for that final fight scene alone!

There is also this incredible car chase that occurs in the film! It is wild! Rama has to fight mob thugs in the back seat of an SUV while a car follows in pursuit. There are multiple crashes, thugs gunned down, thugs run over (and it is shown), and property smashed during this chase. One of the best car chases ever filmed, in my opinion.

I wholeheartedly recommend watching The Raid 2! If you've never seen it, stop reading this review and watch it right now. Go! NOW! If you're still reading this, thank you. The Raid 2 is one of the best action movies ever made, period.

The Blu-Ray that I watched for this review.

Back cover of the Blu-Ray. Look at those assassins...

The Blu-Ray disc. This movie would look amazing in 4K Ultra HD!

Reviewed by David Williams

The Raid A.K.A. The Raid: Redemption (2011) - A Review

 

'The Raid' is an amazing movie!

The Raid (also known as The Raid: Redemption) is an Indonesian action/thriller/martial arts film released in 2011. It stars Iko Uwais, Donny Alamsyah, Joe Taslim, Iang Darmawan, Yayan Ruhian, and Ray Sahetapy. Gareth Evans wrote, directed, and edited the film, with Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian responsible for the stunts and fight choreography.

In The Raid, Iko Uwais plays Rama, a rookie cop on an elite task force on a mission to raid an apartment complex owned by crime boss Tama Riyadi (played by Sahetapy) to arrest him. Rama is a good Muslim man with a wife and a child on the way. Sergeant Jaka (played by Taslim) and  Lieutenant Wahyu (played by Pierre Gruno) lead a 20-man team into the complex. Outside the apartment complex they meet a tenant (played by Darmawan) who just wants to get inside to tend to his sick wife. Rama has mercy on him and protects him as they make their way in. Of course, Lt. Wahyu ruins everything and puts the whole squad in danger. The movie becomes a fight for survival for Rama and his squadmates as they take on murderous thugs and Mad Dog (played by Ruhian), a relentless, vicious fighting machine.

This movie is intense! It is dark, brooding, and and tense to the max. There are many tense scenes. The cinematography is dark, desaturated, and gritty, making it feel like you are seeing one of the worst places on Earth. There is some creative editing in this film as well, especially during the fight scenes. The music is good, fitting for the film but not exactly memorable. It is a well-made film; Gareth Evans knows what he is doing.

The action in this movie is next level. Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, and Gareth Evans do a fantastic job showcasing the Indonesian martial art of Pencak silat. The moves are fast, hard-hitting, and brutal. It is a joy to see Rama wreck fools with his martial art! All of the action scenes are good in this. All of them offer something different and unique. My favorite fight scene is the one that takes place in a narcotics lab. Rama, Dagu, and Lt. Wahyu kick some major butt in that one! Of course, the final fight against Mad Dog is intense. Mad Dog is an unstoppable fighting machine! Yayan Ruhian is the man in this movie; he is a martial arts monster! Rama has to go to extreme measures to put down the Mad Dog! The choreography in this movie is great. There are some creative camera angles and cuts to make the action scenes that much more thrilling. Just great stuff!

So, should you see The Raid? The answer is YES! If you've never seen it, make plans to watch it right now (or at least, until after you read this review). The plot is simple, but there is enough tension, action, and character arcs to keep you interested. This is a movie for action movie enthusiasts! As much as I love The Raid, I think the sequel blows it out of the water...

The cover of the Blu-Ray I watched for this review.

Back cover of the Blu-Ray.

The disc. We get a free action scene inside the case, how nice!

Reviewed by David Williams