CHINA SALESMAN: Tyson And Seagal Take Their Brawl To The States On June 15!
The past several months surrounding director Tan Bing’s latest, China Salesman, has seen a pretty interesting conversation surrounding its appeal. Critics at the Hollywood Reporter apparently had some positive things to say about it; I didn’t, and in some capacity, I still don’t.
That Mike Tyson still gets to do movies is beyond me and even though he can’t act, although I can respect his hustle – which is slightly more than I can posit for the appearance of Steven Seagal. The one fight scene that stems from this movie – leaked unapologetically by freebooters and torrenters on social media last year, has been the one thing selling this film to cult fans, sans context. Not to be outdone by better-faring screenfighters around him – Tyson included – Seagal just downright ruins that fight sequence (as great as it could have been) with his lanky, sluggish brood and his obtuse and lacking tai chi bravado.
Hopefully the rest of the film will fare better for moviegoers when it opens on June 15 in Los Angeles (Arena Cinelounge Sunset), Las Vegas (Galaxy Cannery) and New York (Cinema Village), while at least here, the film’s actual star, Li Dong-Xue, gets just a little more screentime for its stateside campaign.
Based on a true story, China Salesman takes us on a dangerous and epic adventure to Africa where a Chinese engineer/salesman comes face-to-face with a corrupt competitor over the contract for the first mobile telecom technology in Africa. Local tribesman Kabbah (Mike Tyson) and mercenary Lauder (Steven Seagal) get drawn into the conflict in a classic, brutal hand-to-hand fight while the entire country faces civil war battles.
Watch the new trailer below!
Native New Yorker. Lover of all things pizza, chocolate, pets, and good friends. Karaoke hero. Left of center. Survivor. Fond supporter of cult, obscure and independent cinema - especially fond of Asian movies and global action cinema. Author of the bi-weekly Hit List. Founder and editor of Film Combat Syndicate. Still, very much, only human.
You must log in to post a comment.