A Conflict Of Interest Looms For A Gifted Fighter In Manu Lanzi's New French Shortfilm, HERO ??
It’s been quite a while since I saw actor, performer and action director Manu Lanzi on screen. However, the multi-faceted stunt actor and performer has an exemplary resumé working on such film properties as The Transporter, Taken, Samurai, Kiss Of The Dragon, The Musketeer, Brotherhood Of The Wolf, District B13, Unleashed, JCVD and Jackie Chan’s latest, Chinese Zodiac.
To me though, his most memorable performance was with fellow actor and fight choreographer Patrick Vo in writer/director Aurélien Poitrimoult’s 2006 action jam-packed superhero short, The Green Hornet, based on the classic 1930’s radio and TV character of the same name. Accordingly with today’s debut, Lanzi returns the trend with his newest shortfilm now available on his Vimeo channel, Hero ??, with co-star Alban Lenoir, taking viewers on a gritty, dark, less-glamourous journey of a talented fighter who is forced to confront a dilemna when raw footage of a daytime assault catches him on tape doing nothing to stop it.
The film is brilliantly made with Lanzi giving one of the best standalone performances I have seen from him in his time as an up-and-coming actor and stunt coordinator. The action is gruesome and visceral as it gets with our masked vigilante taking on half a dozen thugs in a dark alley. Heads are smashed, bones are broken…it’s too cool to miss!
Unfortunately, it’s all in French with no subtitles, but hopefully this is not an issue for you.
Be sure to subscribe to Manu‘s Vimeo channel, and watch the shortfilm to catch my good acquaintaint Anthony Pho at the 2:58 mark in the brown jacket. I had the honor of meeting him back in late May when we went to see After Earth. (Click here for the video!)
HERO ?? from manu lanzi on Vimeo.
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!