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Reviews
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Best Movie You Never Heard Of.
"The Boondock Saints" was an amazing film. I myself have never even heard of it until I had multiple people recommend it to me. It was as good as they said it was. It has a really great story line about two young Irish brothers in Boston who get into a bar fight with some Russian gangsters at a local pub. Afterwards they have a revelation and feel that they were called upon by God to clean up the city and rid them of these gangsters, thugs, pimps, etc. Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flanery have great chemistry with each other and excel in their roles. William Dafoe who is the detective after them, not realizing they are the ones killing all of these criminals plays an awesome character. He is very smart yet crazy at the same time. The supporting cast (which includes the infamous Ron Jeremy) are masterful in their small parts also. The filming of this movie is what I liked about it the most. Instead of showing the brothers killing everyone at the time it takes place, we are first lead to the crime scene after the fact and relive it through Dafoe's analysis. It is interesting because sometimes there will be multiple ways of showing what took place as they try and figure it out from the clues left behind. There are a lot of action moments, funny moments, and even emotional ones as this film is very well balanced. With great acting and a great script, I think many people will like this film, even if you aren't into the whole detective/gangster scene.
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Not as good as the first Two Films...
"Blade Trinity" was kind of a disappointing end to the trilogy. I think they waited to long to start filming this one after the second film came out. After the perfect second movie, this one was no where close to as good. That is not to say that this is a bad movie however. You still have a lot of action, and a lot of new characters. Newcomers Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel join blade in his quest to kill the legendary Dracula (called Drake in this movie) as young vampire hunters. Biel and Reynolds are OK, but I'd rather see Blade go it alone to go after the remainder of the vampire community. It was also weird seeing Reynolds not in a teen comedy role. It is hard not to compare Trinity to the rest of the series, but the bad guys aren't as bad, and the good guys aren't as cool and stylish as its predecessors. I just wish that they did more with this one. Fans of the Blade series should definitely still see this, and for the casual action fan this will be a decent movie for you as well.
Blade II (2002)
Better Than the First Film!
"Blade II" is by far the best in the trilogy. With loads of non-stop great action, and an awesome supporting cast, "Blade II" quickly became one of my favorite action films of all time. I can watch it over and over and over and never get sick of it. Wesley Snipes is even better than he was in the first film, and Norman Reedus (The Boondock Saints) does a great job as Blade's sidekick. The movie is about a new breed of monsters, who feed on vampires instead of humans. The vampire community who fear for their own lives team up with Blade to take on these new baddies. The vampire team may be one of the coolest groups ever. Led by Ron Pearlman, you also have Matt Schulze, Donnie Yen, and Tony Curran to name a few in the "Blood Pack". There is so much action it is hard to even pick a favorite moment. If you liked the first movie you'll love this one. If you like vampire movies, or action packed movies you'll love this one too. This is definitely better than you average action/horror film. I didn't expect it to be even better than the first Blade but it was much more. It has a good story with a new twist instead of your average vampire thriller. There are even quite a few good plot twist that I wasn't expecting in the movie either. With all the great action it is easy to overlook the story and acting, but I thought each character did a great job with their roles and there was a lot of good dialogue. Every seen had a reason and a purpose and you never get bored once. I can go on and on about it, but I think you guys get the point. The point being this movie will not disappoint!
Blade (1998)
Not Your Average Vampire Thriller.
Half human and half vampire, Blade is an unstoppable force. He hunts down vampires to save humanity. Since most are familiar with the background and story of Blade, I will tell you about the film. Wesley Snipes as Blade is perfect for the film. I can't even picture anyone else playing him. Kris Kristofferson plays an awesome ass kickin' old man in the movie as well. Frost, played by Stephen Dorff is the main villain in the film who at first appears to be a weak adversary but actually is quite good as far as acting goes. There is plenty of action and killing in the movie. Never is there a dull moment. It isn't so much scary as it is action packed. You'll get your guns your knives, your hand to hand combat, and a nice body count to end the movie. A decent amount of gore as well, so if that is what you are looking for then you won't be let down. The performances are good, the action is great, and the story is great, which leads to a pretty good movie. If you end up liking this one, see the second one as it is ten times better.
Bad Boys II (2003)
Bad Boys, Good Movie!
"Bad Boys II" was a very nice surprise. When I initially when to see it, I figured this would just be your standard action flick with some nice shots and a few laughs. Boy was I wrong. This was a very excellent movie which always kept you interested and on the edge of your seat. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are excellent together and have very good chemistry. The supporting characters are just as good such as Gabrielle Union, Joe Pantoliano, and Peter Stormare. The story is good, nothing special or really original, but still good. The detectives are after a drug and crime kingpin Johnny Tapia which like many other crime lords in movies can't be touched. Once they think they finally have enough evidence to bring him down, Lawrence's sister (Union) gets kidnapped by Tapia. This of course complicates the situation and they go on an all out assault on Tapia. There is lots and lots of action in this movie. It almost never dies down. There are plenty of gun fights and explosions to go around. You will also get a few laughs from Smith and Lawrence seeing how they both are into a lot of comedy roles. To tell you the truth I think Will Smith is better in an action movie than he is in a straight up comedy. Peter Stormare's character a.k.a. "The Russian Grim Reaper" is really cool. I think he is one of the most underrated actors and deserves more credit than he gets. You don't necessarily have to see the first Bad Boys to understand this one, but it would help I think get you to know certain characters better. This movie blows away the first time, in which I thought to just be a decent movie. I give lots of love to "Bad Boys II".
Sin City (2005)
One of the Best Movies of Our Time...
"Sin City" is a flawless movie. I really can't find anything wrong with the movie. It has everything you can ask for. It has an awesome cast with tons of famous actors. A great storyline even though it is four separate stories they all interlock with each other and happen relatively at the same time. Lots and lots of violence and great dialogue, it is a balance between narratives and non-narratives. Also the very stylized look to the movie is amazing. It is in black and white with only certain things in color, such as blood or a certain feature on a character. This movie is nothing like I have ever seen before, and I give a lot of credit to the originality. It is also amazing to know that while shooting this movie they hardly ever used a set, where as most of it was filmed in front of a green screen and all of the buildings and surroundings are digital. But why it is so amazing is that the buildings look so real, you can't even tell that they really aren't there. If you are looking for a great story you will be pleased. If you are looking for lots of action and blood you will be pleased. If you are looking for great characters and memorable dialogue you will be pleased. If you are looking for something different you will be pleased. I don't know anyone who didn't like the film, and they people who don't I don't understand why. The only people I can see having a problem would be those who don't like a lot of violence or coarse language. However the interesting stories can almost make it up for the non-violent fans out there. This is one of my favorite movies of all time and easily one of the best ever.
Tai gik Cheung Sam Fung (1993)
Jet Li Shines In "Twin Warriors"
"Twin Warriors" is one of my favorite Jet Li movies. It is about two monks who grow up together and befriend one another. After getting kicked out of their temple, they have to live in the world outside of the temple for the first time of their lives. Unfamiliar with the real world and how it works, they end up choosing different paths. In the end they end up fighting one another and throw their long friendship out the window. Also joining them is Michelle Yeoh, famous for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and does a good job as well. The story is pretty good, and it even has some funny moments. There is no sexuality or hard language which is good for this film. The action in it is over the top and non-stop. It is definitely why you would want to see this movie, all different kinds of combat and martial arts. You have one on one fights, huge wars, hand to hand combat, weapon combat, and even the grab anything and use it as a weapon combat. The dubbing is pretty decent, and I don't think you can even find it in the States with the original voices. There are some minor flaws, like a times you can see wires, or things just look really fake, but it doesn't really take anything away from the film and is very entertaining. If you are a martial arts, Jet Li, or action fan, you should like this one. It has an R rating, but really could be PG-13 as there isn't anything very gory or sexual.
Banlieue 13 (2004)
The Stunts and Explosive Action Steal This Show!
"District B-13" is a fast paced, non-stop, action flick. David and Cyrill are two amazing stunt men and it is truly amazing the stuff they are able to do. The action of course is the highlight of the movie, with incredible stunts and martial arts action, you can't take your eyes away from the screen. The acting is pretty good as well. I recommend watching it in subtitles with its original French language because the English dubbing is terrible. The story line was pretty cool as well. I wasn't expecting much of a story at all so it was a nice surprise. Without giving away much. A cop and a native of the barrio team up to go after a crime lord. He stole a bomb from the government, and kidnapped Leito's sister. With the clock ticking not a moment is wasted finding the bomb and the girl. I give it a 9/10 very close to perfect, just wish it was a little bit longer (not even 90 mins.) and I don't know why they took out so much from the casino fight scene. Watch the extras and see the full uncut fight, it is pretty amazing. Props to Luc Besson, maybe his best work since "Leon: The Professional".
Versus (2000)
What an Awesome Movie!
"Versus" is easily one of the best action movies I have ever seen. After seeing it at a rental store I decided to give it a try, it sounded decent, and being a fan of action and Japanese cinema I said why not? Wow, was I blown away. First off make sure you get the unrated version and not the R rated one, there is a huge difference. It is way more bloody and has more action scenes than the R rated one. One of the few films in my opinion where you can actually tell the difference between the unrated and R rated versions of a movie. I know a lot of people complain that the story is stupid or the characters are lame, but that is pretty arguable. If you watch it more than once (and you probably will after seeing it once) you will pick up more on the story, which may be unclear or not noticeable to the casual movie watcher. This is a really original one of a kind film. Kitamura did a nice job with a low budget and a lot of great camera work. Some of the best cinematography I have seen in any film. The last few minutes of the final confrontation between the two main characters is one of the greatest action shots ever. Beautifully filmed as the camera pans between the two characters and the sound and the music is just spot on. None of the other action scenes are shot like this, which really makes it stand out amongst the rest. Speaking of the action, it is simply stunning. If you are a fan of blood and gore you are in for a real treat. If you are a fan of over the top action you are in for a real treat. The movie never lets up and has some nasty ways to kill a zombie that's for sure. The way the characters act in the film is as if you were watching an anime come to life. From the dialogue, gestures and movement, and even posing for the camera, it really plays off as a cartoon come to life, which turned off some people. I however like it, and just for the action alone this movie is really worth seeing. Tak's character is one of the coolest characters I've seen and even Hideo's is really good too. Granted you are not going to get any Oscar winning performances, but you will be entertained. "Versus" is a film I highly recommend for any action/gore/zombie/Japanese/martial arts fan.
Desu toransu (2005)
Versus Fans Will Be Disappointed...
How can you go wrong with the action director of "Versus" and the star of the movie Tak Sakaguchi, you can with "Death Trance". After watching a trailer on line I hurried as fast as I could to find this movie. Once I got my hands on a copy and started to watch it, I got more and more disappointed. Being a huge fan of "Versus" I was expecting the same over the top crazy action and crazy characters. It was almost like watching a watered down version of "Versus", maybe that is because Kitamura had nothing to do with this film and that is what was missing. Almost the whole movie takes place in the forest, it even looks like the same one from "Versus", and you have your swords, guns, and even near the end zombie-like figures. There was hardly any blood or gore, the action was just OK, nothing special, and the acting was pretty weak I thought. Tak fights throughout the movie with his sword in its sheath because "Killing is no fun"? What?! Please Tak tell me they paid you a lot of money to say that. So most of the time you are just watching him bop people over the head with his sheathed sword. For a story to seem to have so much history and background behind it, we almost get no information on what is going on and why characters are doing what they are doing, even when they do try to explain, you could care less. The characters are poorly developed and the ending is pretty abrupt and feels like it shouldn't end. I really can't recommend this film to anyone, I know most "Versus" fans will try to watch this, but I hate to say that you will probably be disappointed.
Izo (2004)
Miike Lets Us Down Yet Again...
"Izo" Miike's samurai thriller which looked to be one of the greatest movies ever from the previews, leaves you saying after the movie ends "Huh?" Even after a second viewing to see if I could gather anything else from the film, I couldn't. What appeared to be over the top insane action was actually kind of boring. The fight scenes were terrible, and there really wasn't much point to the story. The main character Izo just goes from place to place, gets confronted by a cameo appearance by a famous Japanese actor, kills them then moves onto the next place. I couldn't figure out why this was happening or why he was doing this. Even reading other reviews I still am confused. What looked like and sounded like a great idea was a pretty big flop. There are also a lot of dry scenes, and because there are so many characters and you don't know or find out anything about them you get pretty bored and don't feel for any of the characters. Also the man playing the guitar is really terrible, and you could almost laugh at his singing, especially the five minute shot of him just standing there playing the guitar. What happened to the mastermind that created "Audition" and "Ichi the Killer"? Maybe Miike should take more time on one movie then hurrying and trying to make 10 in a years time.
Tom yum goong (2005)
Tony Jaa fights his way to one of the greatest action films ever!
"The Protector" in my eyes is easily one of the greatest action films of all time. Tony Jaa is amazing in this movie about a young boy who was trained and raise to protect elephants. Not to go into too much detail but the elephants are very important to their culture and beliefs and that they believe that elephants give people some type of power. I will leave it at that not so I don't get into any religious/cultural debate. Two of these elephants are stolen, and Jaa goes on a violent rampage to find them. The action in this movie is almost never-stopping and phenomenal. You will see various forms of martial arts and fighting from Muay Thai to Caperoia to guys on roller blades. The camera work is incredible as well, capturing Jaa and others amazing skills and fights. One of my favorite scenes is when he fights the Caperoia fighter in a flooded temple. Amazing sequence. Another great one is when he climbs the different floors of a restaurant battling men all the way to the top (reminds me a bit of Tower of Death). ANY action fan will definitely love this film. ANY martial arts fan will really love and appreciate this film. Jaa is incredible and I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more great films from him.