EvilPhoEniX

This might have caught on in 1980s, but today it has no chance of satisfying anyone. Marko Zaror was great in John Wick 4, so I gave him a chance here, but it wasn't the same. His form is decent, he swings like Adkins, you have to admit, but it's just B-grade crap with an uninteresting plot around it. At least the fights are uncut and the choreography isn't the worst, but if you're an Asian geek like me, You won’t feel the adrenaline, suspense or the necessary excitement here.

Netflix delivers an unexpected surprise with Nazis from Germany. Blood & Gold, you could say, is a little sibling to the recent Sisu. Here too we have a treasure the Nazis crave and a likeable protagonist who takes them on. The only difference is that while Sisu introduced a near immortal hero in God mode, here they rely more on realism and authenticity. There is less gore, but I'm happy with both versions. Visually, Blood & Gold is on a decent level, it has a nice Western feel and you can feel Tarantino in places. At times there’s black humour and the characters are very good. Apart from the likeable protagonist, the Nazis are also good, especially the one-eyed general or the bastard with a bandage around his head, he stole most of the scenes for himself and entertained me. The action scenes are well executed and realistic. I was surprised by the contact fights, which are dynamic, rough, have great camerawork, and the Nazi fights are simply a joy to see. The shootouts are also nicely dynamic, with good sound and realistic, and there are plenty of them. In short, an enjoyable and unexpected genre one-off that will please fans of action, westerns and war movies. 7/10.

Anthony DiBlasi made a reimagining of his own 2014 horror film Last Shift, where he was given a bigger budget and could have gone wilder. While I'm not a fan of directors remaking their own films (he could have easily come up with something else), I have to admit that this is a decent demonic, psychedelic and atmospheric hell that surpasses even the 2014 original, which was too intimate and not as hard-hitting for my taste. The plot structure is similar, we have a likeable protagonist who volunteers for the last shift at a newly shut down police station to learn about her father's death and a mysterious cult. But this shift is going to be a literal nightmare and a hallucinogenic hell. The first 40 minutes are a little slower, we're introduced to the main character and the mythology surrounding the police station, but once the homeless man shows up a decent demon ride begins, where the more the merrier applies for me. The practical effects are a pleasure, the appearance of the demons is properly creepy, disfigured masks, all covered in blood, hanged men, some gore, a great dark atmosphere where you hold your breath (this is what Resident Evil should have looked like in a police station!!), and monsters that look as if they came out of Silent Hill or Hellraiser, accompanied by adrenaline music and the main heroine (at the end beautifully covered in blood (bringing instant memories of Inside, Martyrs, Macabre, Evil Dead – that's freakin awesome), flashlight, gun-armor – all evoking a good horror video game – and the final twenty minutes are action packed as they should be. For an indie genre film, above average horror entertainment with strong craftsmanship. Unexpected surprise. 8/10.

Be careful who you follow. A decent little inoffensive thriller that handles the premise of influencerism in an non-annoying way. The story is set in an attractive location in Thailand, where attractive influencer Madison arrives and meets a nice girl, only for the nice-looking new friendship to soon take unexpected turns. Unfortunately, there's not much to write about the film without spoilers, as the first twist comes somewhere in the first half hour, so I recommend not even watching the trailer. The film has a nice pace, it's quite suspenseful, it features some pretty ladies, it has a couple of imaginative twists, it's shot decently, and those who aren't too demanding may find it satisfying. For my taste, however, it was rather light, it could have been harsher and grittier; without proper violence it just doesn't have that much effect on me, but it’s watchable.

Guy Ritchie and his war movie The Covenant! Anyone who likes these modern Afghan war dramas will not be disappointed here. It may not surpass it's related brethren in terms of genre, but it maintains a similar high standard of craftsmanship and that's the most important thing. The first half hour is slower, but then it picks up decently with a cool action sequence involving a Taliban ambush, culminating in an uncompromising survival drama with two great actors – Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim (great chemistry, fatality, manly words). It is a very suspenseful sequence with a thumping soundtrack where the viewer is slowly left breathless. The second half is a little different, but definitely not bad. Gyllenhaal shows off his acting skills to the max, and even though the action drops, it's still a very engaging and high quality film that culminates in another action intensive finale on a bridge. There's not much to fault the film, there's simply everything you'd expect from an proper and well made modern actioner. Admittedly I don't quite have the urge to see The Covenant again straight away as I did with 13 Hours of Benghazi or Lone Survivor, for example, which I have a notch above. But this one too is a great flick that shouldn't offend anyone. Ritchie is awesome and an expert on macho movies. Leave the women in the kitchen and The Covenant with a beer won’t disappoint. 8/10.

The brilliant German director Fatih Akin (In the Fade, The Golden Glove) has made an epic gangster magnum opus about the famous rapper Xatar. The film immediately draws the audience into the plot as it begins in the Middle East, with imprisonment, torture, a birth in a cave, bombings, murder at an opera house, and the family's escape from Iraq to Europe. The first half hour is definitely intense, but the following developments don't lag. We watch little Giwar Hajabi grow up, become a small-time pot dealer, and when he gets his ass kicked by a local child gang, he decides to take revenge on them. He finds the biggest guy at the gym, asks to workout with him, and soon becomes the biggest dude in town, picking off the scumbags one by one and giving them a nice thrashing. A nicely conceived biographical gangster drama from zero to peak, just the way I like it. Jesse Albert gives a very convincing performance – the badass role suits him. There are some decently intense and raw scenes and the gold heist is really suspenseful and incredibly paced. The ending even moved me to tears, and overall the film is fast-paced and incredibly entertaining. I haven't been this hooked that I didn't notice my surroundings for a while and that's how I know a good film. 8.5/10

Netflix and the Poles serve up a gritty female revenge flick. The main character Nina is a former Spec Ops agent who must use her skills to rescue her kidnapped son, whom she never knew, and she will have to fight her way through the Polish gangster underworld alone. The story is nothing original, this theme is quite common, but the Poles have taken it up a notch. Form clearly wins over content. Agnieszka Grochowska plays the role of the tough agent very believably, all in one cool expression, and I believed her in the one-on-one fights as well and that is very important. Technically, the film is on par, with good music, great action, attractive camera raids and great use of the environment. Occasionally the director helped himself with some interesting slow motion and overall I found it very playful and pleasantly brutal, which does the trick. I have to praise the villains too. The skinhead leader in particular was a proper nutter, and the whole thing has a relentless pace. For me, a cool action one-shot that kept my attention and since I wasn't expecting much, I'm happy to round up. 7/10.

A feel-good sporty retro genre film with a good cast, great music, a clever script and a fun pace, which reminded me of Moneyball. The story may seem uninteresting at first glance, but it's simply an engaging and enjoyable flick from start to finish, with occasional humour. Nike did the best it could with this decision. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are excellent. 8/10.

After the disappointing 9, it's a return to the better parts of the franchise, thanks to the new actors on the scene. It's once again decent silly fun that entertains with over-the-top action, great actors, a fine soundtrack, apt humour, decent fights and surprising twists. Jason Momoa, who has been plotting revenge on Torret for years, comes in and he is the biggest asset of the 10th episode. Momoa is an incredible overacting madman who entertains, surprises and shocks with his eccentric performance. He is the best villain in the franchise and makes the film worth watching. I was also pleased with the likable Brie Larson and especially Alan Ritchson (Reacher!), another big thunderer on the scene, a bit of a replacement for The Rock. I was surprised that there aren't as many outright epic stunt set-pieces, but on the other hand there are plenty of physical fights, which is my favourite, and I enjoyed plenty of those (Statham rules!!). There is some dodgy CGI, but that's forgivable. The whole thing is fast paced and entertaining, the soundtrack is decent and Roman doesn't disappoint with the humour. There's a twist at the end and it's quite lethal. So the finale will be decently tense and I'm curious if there will be a new cast. For me, a fine popcorn blockbuster, perfect for a date night. 7/10.

An honest, bleak, chilling and awesome crime drama/thriller with a touch of the 80s from the director of Wild Tales. Awesome acting! Shailene Woodley plays a likeable, determined and intelligent policewoman recruited by FBI Commander Ben Mendelsohn, who literally shines! He steals all the scenes for himself with his acting and great dialogue and is a joy to watch and listen to. From the opening minutes, the film won me over to its side. It takes place during New Year's Eve in Baltimore, where the main villain starts killing random people with a sniper rifle and starts a decent chaos in the streets, followed by a pretty intense and atmospherically dense FBI manhunt, that made me feel that this is what honest police work is supposed to look like. We follow the two protagonists as they try to catch the main scumbag, practically never leaving the screen, and I liked that. No unnecessary side characters, no extra filler and plot lines, just honest investigative work by smart cops who step by step build a profile of the main enemy. The killer also has an interesting background from his childhood (anyone who has peeked at serial killers knows that most are driven by some sort of childhood trauma), and he has army skills, so this is no Dahmer, but more like a deranged Breivik chasing a body-count! The film also has a decent pace, it holds the audience's attention well, it's atmospherically dense and has some action (a shootout in a mall!), people scream a lot and I have very positive feelings about it. I haven't seen a better crime film in a while. 8/10.