AFFINITY Review: Marko Zaror Continues To Show He’s The Real McCoy
I haven’t seen all of director Brandon Slagle’s filmography. Inarguably though, he’s found his footing well in the indie arena with a notable body of work, including the several titles that I have been able to give proper review coverage to, most recently being Arena Wars. It took a while before he finally started throwing hints around that he was collaborating with Chilean actor and martial artist Marko Zaror though, which makes my upkeep on his trajectory all the more exalting with the arrival of his latest sci-fi action crime thriller, Affinity.
The movie comes bolstered with some positives in its campaign, aside from Zaror’s addition to the project in the years since it began development. I could talk for ages about Zaror and how he’s mapped himself to not only put Chile on the map, but become a global sensation on the big and small screen. It makes me wish someone would actually put forth the effort to make “Zambo Dende” a thing and not just the shortfilm concept brought to life nearly a decade ago, but the larger focus remains Zaror’s continued sustenance over the years in acting, writing, producing and setting his own stage as an action director.
The movie also joins our star and director with Ernesto Diaz Espinoza who has been with Zaror for close to two decades dating back to the breakout thriller, Kiltro. Espinoza sits in as editor on Slagle’s latest, and with a cast that lists film multi-hyphenate and co-star Louis Mandylor, and actress and CrossFit titlist Brooke Ence whose supporting role alongside Zaror gets firmly punctuated by her athleticism, and adaptability to Zaror’s action direction. The same goes for Customs Frontline and Vanguard baddie Brahim Chab who returns for another villainous turn on screen, having previously shared the set as fight coordinator on James Madigan’s Fight Or Flight for leading man Josh Hartnett, with Zaror co-starring.
Affinity also sits in the catalogue of Allen, Texas-based Well Go USA, a label which usually has a knack for acquiring titles that appeal to action fans, including and especially Espinoza’s Fist Of The Condor. Additionally, the film has already began generating buzz since premiering before fans at the third-annual Big Bad Film Fest last month, setting itself up nicely for a campaign warming up for its release at the end of September.
That brings us to Slagle’s new film, brooding and violent at the start for its intro which serves as the tragic preamble to the story of ex-soldier, Bruno (Zaror). Now living in Thailand and working at a restaurant run by former commander Joe (Mandylor), Bruno has been long suffering from PTSD, stricken with grief and spiraling downward into alcoholism. Indicative of how bad it is gets signaled by his first fight scene with a gang of thugs after getting drugged and mugged, and before landing in jail.
Bearing in mind the significance of the drug, the subject comes up later as the plot thickens and Bruno discovers a woman named Athena (Jane Mirro) washed ashore at his riverside doorstep. Eager to care for her against what Joe perceives as his own better judgement, Bruno finds himself connecting with Athena and striking a romantic connection, forming a respite romance that gets cut short when mysterious forces are found stalking Athena in public. Amidst a backdrop of cases of disappearing women and a doctor in the headlines, and flashbacks to a field of white flowers, Bruno gets caught in the crossfire of Athena’s past with no choice but to get to the bottom of his latest explosive mystery and save Athena, or die trying.
At a lean eighty minutes and some change and set partial to a synthwave score, Affinity tells a story well-balanced in its applications of action and drama, stimulating from top to bottom, and pensive enough that fans are given the best of our cast at all times. Zaror’s scope as an actor serves as a testament to his craft, affirmed with a cast that compliments all aspects of what Affinity has to offer from script to screen.
This sentiment extends patently to film’s action scenes choreographed by Zaror and performed aptly by our players, and shot keenly by Niccolo De La Fere who also collaborated with Joshua Dixon on Hellhound, and on Mandylor’s latest helmer, Prisoner Of War. Wide angle lensing is put to fervent use in capturing Zaror and the cast in action along with the film’s handy Thai stunt talents for the film’s overall piquant fight scenery.
Outlining the usual nitpicks for these sorts of films are the CG frills and otherwise gaudy VFX fillers in the intro and select moments of the film. I take issue with certain aspects of filmmaking of late which have led to an irksome evolution that some directors find useful for some reason, although more pointedly I can guarantee that the ever-promising visual effects you can count on with Affinity are the genuine feats that Slagle, and namely Zaror, successfully help pull off for the bulk of this film’s runtime.
Affinity will release on digital, Blu-Ray and DVD on September 30 from Well Go USA.
