action

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Fantastic Fest XX Review: In DEATHSTALKER, Part Homage, Part Spoof, All Fantastic

On paper, Deathstalker, the new film from Psycho Goreman director, Steven Kostanski, is a winner – a sword and sorcery 80’s throwback with a tongue planted firmly in cheek. It should be superb. Well, I’m pleased to report that Deathstalker is not only a winner; it’s an absolute triumph, and one of the best films of 2025. Despite being one of my favorites of the year, Deathstalker is hard to review. The reason being that it walks this unbelievably thin line between respectful homage and absolute piss take. It’s silly – goofy even. But there’s a distinct sense of Kostanski really wanting to honor the original Deathstalker. And that’s where its beauty lies. This film is both daft as a brush and extremely clever. The plot is fairly simple, despite a cavalcade of hard to remember names like Nekromemnon, Jotak, and Despairon. We follow the titular Deathstalker (played by stuntman, […]

ACTION Review: A Case For Doing Better By The Action Movie Makers

Lee B. Golden III

Action is now streaming on Peacock. The past eleven years have given me quite the insight into covering stunts as part of my regular syllabus on this site. Getting to meet, talk to and occasionally hang out with stunt performers is an amazing add-on to what I do. The most interesting thing though, is the more industry-tethered work that producers venture in covering that field for documentary purposes. With any luck, the documentary films and shows covering stunts will finally motivate The Academy to make the stunt community whole by attributing a new awards category in its ceremony. It’s a talking point that continues to endure with the help of actors like Keanu Reeves, David Harbor, and Winston Duke who help spotlight these below-the-line screen heroes in Action, a new six-part hourlong documentary on Peacock. Directed by Chelsea Allen and Bridger Nielsen, Action ventures a look into the tireless work […]

Celina Jade bursts back onto screens in the teaser trailer for OPERATION BLACK OPS

Shaun Williams

It looks like Celina Jade (Triple Threat) is ready to flex her action chops again with the upcoming military actioner, OPERATION BLACK OPS (not to be confused with the 2023 Tito Ortiz vehicle with the same name). The plot is still currently under wraps but, if the first teaser is anything to go by, it’s going to be jam-packed with action. Shootouts, hand-to-hand combat, car stunts, explosions… It’s all here! Action cinema regulars, Shawn Yue (Invisible Target) and Jiang Luxia (Bad Blood), also star and I, for one, am super excited about seeing Luxia and Jade on screen together as both should be superstars by now. Chung Siu-Hung (Kung Fu Mahjong) is in the Director’s chair. Check out the new poster and teaser trailer below!

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AWARENESS Review: Intriguing Sci-Fi Adventure filled with Action

Mike Garcia

After the success of “Xtreme”, Spanish filmmaker Daniel Benmayor returns with a bigger and more ambitious project, joining forces again with screenwriter Ivan Ledesma to build an absorbing science fiction story loaded with martial and ballistic action that delivers a trilling entertainment in which nothing is what it seems. The story weaves a tangled web of illusions and deceptions setting traps to the viewer, so they try to unravel secrets hidden behind the plot, following the story of a young man with psychic powers, who lives on the margins of society, running away from a dangerous agency that is after him… Spoil more from the plot would be ruining the experience for future viewers. “Awarenes” is a very commendable effort of the Spanish film industry that dares to take the risk of exploring new genres beloved by the audience but barely covered by Spanish cinema. A film highly influenced by […]

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THE ENFORCER Review: VCR Action In A Digital Era

Mike Garcia

Somewhere on the net, someone referred to this movie as “A perfect film to watch on your VCR”, though his intentions were clearly to mock the film, in my book, he couldn´t have made a higher praise. With that title seen million times, the guys from Millennium Films brings a generic action thriller with elements seen countless of times before in a limited budget production where Antonio Banderas shines above the whole cast, proving once again that he’s a terrific action hero, in a dark, violent but also satisfying flick that despite its flaws, with a start that seems confused what path to take, opting finally for a typical action spectacle that carries the legacy of 80’s and 90’s low budget action flicks, that nowadays struggles to survive in streaming and limited cinema runs. The film directed by Richard Hughes presemts a straight well paced story, where Banderas becomes an […]

BLACK LOTUS Launches First Explosive Teaser Trailer

Mike Garcia

World kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven (Kickboxer Retaliation) kicks his way to the big screen, sharing it with a veteran as Frank Grillo (Warrior, Boss Level) leading the cast of this upcoming action feature that promises an explosive spectacle of deadly one liners, and tons of action where Verhoeven gets into the skin of a special forces officer, who´ll start a war on the streets of Amsterdam in order to rescue his best friend´s daughter from the hands of a local mobster. Directed by Todor Chapkanov (Unidsputed IV), this action thriller with international flavor produced by Capstone Film Group and Black Lotus europe, will set a big test for Rico Verhoeven to find out if his dominance on the kickboxing ring can be transfered into the movie screen. Only time will tell if this could be the first step to pave a new career. The film still in post-production, is slated […]

EXCESSIVE FORCE Review: Thomas Ian Griffith’s Failed Attempt At Reaching Stardom

Mike Garcia

Is such a pity that this film bombed in the box office because is more than a decent action thriller cop, but the 90’s were a dark era for this type of films and for all those talented guys who tried to become martial arts movie stars… Produced, written and starred by Thomas Ian Griffith, under the direction of Jon Hess, this was supposed to be Griffith´s breakthrough to stardom but that never happened and he remained in movie history just as the bad guy from The Karate Kid 3. Role that recently has granted him a new popularity for the Netflix generation, in the spin- off of the saga, “Cobra Kai“… Coincidentally on this film, his character is also named Terry as in the Karate Kid, just coincidence? Or he was trying exploit that early success on his career? Only he knows.. What he really did well, was surround […]

G STORM Launches An Explosive Trailer For The Fifth And FinaI Installment of the Series

Mike Garcia

Louis Koo returns as ICAC investigator William Luk for this upcoming Hong Kong action thriller, sequel of P Storm and fifth and final film of the series, directed by David Lam that promises a thrilling action spectacle, following an investigation that leads to a Thai human trafficking ring, through the menacing fire of explosions and rains of bullets in the streets of Hong Kong. Louis Koo is accompanied in this new adventure by Julian Cheung, Kevin Cheng, Jessica Hsua, Bosco Wong and Michael Tsui among many others, in a filming that started in December of 2019 and had to be paused in January 2020 due the pandemic. Filming did not resume until June 2020. G STORM theatrical release is officialy set for December 31 in Hong Kong!

ONE LAST SHOT Review: Storm of Bullets with Sci-Fi flavor

ONE MORE SHOT Review: Storm of Bullets with Sci-Fi flavor

Mike Garcia

“The Story of Riki” has a big cult following among Hong Kong moviegoers around the globe, and since then, Fan Siu Wong has gained an important place in the hearts of the most nostalgic fandom, however, not many of those fans are aware that Fan Siu Wong keeps kicking ass in the chinese market where he doesn´t seem to lack of job opportunities, although that the only works that we could see from him in the west were Attrition, his adventure with Steven Seagal pretending to be Ip Man, or his own adventure portraying Ip Man.. This recent work, delivers a thrilling action/science fiction adventure, in which Siu Wong plays a Special Forces Team leader who quits his job after a disastrous mission where none of his men survived, but after that traumatic experience, he´s asked to enrolling high-tech military program, where his chance of being a hero is granted […]

TUNGUSKA BUTTERFLY Review: Asami’s Triumphant Farewell

Mike Garcia

Asami´s final ride on the screen, is truly a statement of what she´s always been capable of. The film not only gives her the chance to showcase her excellent skills as screen fighter, but also allows her to develop an emotional and complex character that gives off her immense talent as dramatic actress. If this is really the last time that we are going to see her in a film (I hope not) she can be proud of this wonderful final farewell. With a limited budget but so much heart, Akira nobi directs a heartwarming story of redemption and second chances, in which Asami plays Saki, a woman who struggles to survive, being unable of keeping or finding a steady job due her past as ex-convict, but her life changes when she meets a hopeless young girl, with whom she develops a strange but sincere relationship. A young girl who´s […]

THE OUTLAW THUNDER: DRAGON FURY ROAD: The Road Warrior From The East

Mike Garcia

In a desert post-apocalyptic world ruled by an evil organization named Sirius. A man known as Thunder, general of that organization, makes the choice of picking the side of justice, betraying them with no remorse, in order to fight them back and put and end to their reign of terror and fear, redeeming himself and a painful past that still haunts him, rescuing in the proccess a bunch of girls that were abducted by Sirius with mean intentions. A simple premise that is just an excuse to deliver a brutal martial arts spectacle, exploiting all the keys of post-apocalyptic cinema, ripping off the Mad Max saga, including Fury Road with a spectacular car chase opening sequence, but adding to the equation a non-stop martial arts fest, where Yue Song, as star and director of the film, displays a succesion of bone-breaking fighting sequences where he favors the impact of the […]

12 SLAYS OF CHRISTMAS: Cathy And Christina’s List Of Non-Traditional Holiday Thrillers To Enjoy This Season!

Cathy LaFrance

Sleigh bells and reindeer and sappy Christmas wishes: It’s that time of year when Lifetime and Hallmark play holiday movies back to back, and although the actors change and the music may vary, the plot basically remains the same: if someone is bitter, they find happiness thanks to Christmas; if someone is single, they find love thanks to Christmas; and so on and so on and can we get some better viewing options? If you agree with the above rant, have we got a treat for you! A couple of us here at Film Combat Syndicate decided to put together a list of non-traditional Christmas movies you should watch this month. In no particular order, here are the films as stored in the gallery below, or simply scroll down if you’ve opened this article via Twitter. THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) What it’s about: Jack Skellington lives in Halloween Town […]

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COMMANDO NINJA Review: Bringing back all the joys that made us love cinema

Mike Garcia

This crazy movie is an audiovisual love letter to 80’s cinema and all its mythology. An insane homage to Cannon films, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Van Damme, Mad Max and much more with Deloreans included, and references to the infamous IFD and their colorful ninja productions, containing a Richard Harrison’s clone, and his unforgettable Garfield´s phone, with he could communicate with Thailand mobsters from the past. Commando Ninja revolves around John Hunter, a Vietnam Green Beret Veteran, Half Commando, Half Ninja, whose daugher has been kidnapped by a secret Ninja organization leaded by a ruthless Central-America dictator, who wishes to rule the world, and will attempt doing it, traveling through time!! Pure madness wrapped in a parodic and comic tone, accompanied by a fantastic musical score that brings back the joys of the unforgettable soundtracks of all those films that marked an era and is paying tribute, that even today many […]

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RED SWORD (2012) Review: The Red Hood Tale That They’ve Never Told You

Mike Garcia

A long time ago, there was a tribe of werewolves that had no women. Throughout history, these desperate werewolves have attacked and raped human females as a way to continue their species, but werewolves have a terrible legend that every hundred years, on a night of the red moon, a girl will be born, destined to destroy the werewolf tribe. The red hood tale that you would never tell to your children, passed through the filter of the political incorrectness of Japanese V-cinema, in a twisted tale directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu, that turns the lovely and innocent Red Hood into an avenger, slasher of rapist werewolves, that carries a katana instead of a basket. An explosive bizarre twisted cocktail of action, horror and erotism, in which Asami portrays the character as an angel of death and justice, that fights her way through, under the excellent action direction of Shigeki Hayase […]

TO BE THE KILLER Review: Vengeance And Redemption Under A Bloody Rain Of Bullets

Mike Garcia

Good dose of ballistic action with some martial arts, to tell a story of revenge and bloody betrayals, that follows the story of a hitman who is hired by a gangster (played by an old TVB glory like Kent Tong ) who orders him to eliminate a female journalist who is about to expose to the public all his drty deeds. but things get complicated when the girl’s husband, a former bodyguard, who shares a tragic past linked to the hitman, appears to protect her. The conflict reopens wounds from the past that lead to a bloody and tragic outcome, which is resolved under a bloody rain of bullets. Very well shot, with good action sequences, that seek to emulate the epic of the masters of bloodshed, and a very well-constructed story that adds emotion to the most exciting moments in the plot, making the audience get involved in the […]

A SHOT OF VIOLENCE: HONG KONG STYLE Shortfilm Review: A Violent Journey To A Nostalgic Alternate Universe

Mike Garcia

A trip through Chinatown underground where an honest cop nicknamed Tequila and named Nick Diaz, finds himself involved in a spiral of violence and corruption where he has no choice than fighting the triads by himself. This Spanish short film directed by Angel García, pays homage to all that classic action Hong Kong cinema that today seems to be fading away but remains in the heart and the memory of fans around the world. A violent journey that keeps a dirty and tense atmosphere throughout the whole film, where we can feel the despair and anger of the main character, who guide us through different scenarios full of easter eggs and references that comes from an alternate universe, where posters of classic action films have the title of popular mangas and the excellent soundtrack of John Woo´s classic, “A Better Tomorrow“, appears constantly, from the whistle of a character, to […]

BURNOUT NEO Review: Asami’s Badassery At Its Finest Expression

Mike Garcia

Revisiting Asami´s filmography, I came to the conclusion that Burnout Neo, must be one of her finest works, at least in terms of martial action, but also might be one of the most unknown and unfairly forgotten, which means that despairly needs to be reivindicated. Produced by Zen Pictures, A movie company that produces every kind of different genres, from tokusatsus for kids and adults, to simply AV or action features like this one.We have a perfect action vehicle for Asami and Ayaka tanigaki, who teamed up as action heroines, playing, Misa and Lynn, two special agents from a special police unit known as “Garuda”, who has been assigned the risky mission to protect an important scientist, that has developed a an unique formula to develop a new source of energy, and who has been targeted by a dangerous group of North Korean spies. A simple and plain plot that […]

AFFD XVIII: Inuyashiki, Miss Baek, Fly By Night, Samurai Marathon, Zombie Parties And SO Much More Fun Starting Tonight!

Lee B. Golden III

The 18th annual Asian Film Festival of Dallas kicks off as of today through July 25 with a tasty raft of titles. Lee Min-Jae’s undead rural comedy, The Odd Family: Zombie On Sale, is poised to launch this year’s events, screening at the Angelika Film Center (Mockingbird Station) at 7pm, followed by a zombie-themed party at AKAI, a speakeasy inside Musume, located in the Arts District. This festival is ripe with other titles that have already drawn acclaim and movie fans are gonna want to sink their teeth into, including Zahir Omar’s seething Malaysian crime thriller Fly By Night starring Sunny Pang, and director Lee Ji-Won’s evocative and captivating Han Ji-Min drama, Miss Baek – both delighful feats for their screenings earlier this year at the NYAFF Winter Showcase and you can read my reviews and coverage here and here. Other titles attendees might take interest in include Well Go […]

Review: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016) Brings Ample Balance To An Awakened Force (Reprint)

Lee B. Golden III

I have to credit a large part of my nerdiness to my Dad. I remember my sister and I going over on weekends and he’d have comic books all around the house and a movie collection that could rival no other. Of course he gave us a proper education by having us watch the cult action favorites, new releases, and gems from his ever-growing collection of flicks. I was in elementary school during the time when word had started to circulate that the Star Wars movies were going to get a digital remastering. Mom (the other half of my nerd genes) wanted to make a big event out of it, we were going to go to the Uptown down in Northwest DC to go see it. Dad, upon hearing about this, sat my sister and I down, pulled out the VHS Box set of Episodes 4-6, and we marathoned the […]

Creature Thriller TREMORS: A COLD DAY IN HELL Arrives For Home Release In May!

Since the end of Tremors 5: Bloodlines, a very thrilling installment in South Africa pairing up Michael Gross as the eponymous survivalist Burt Gummer with Jamie Kennedy who portrays Travis Welker, Gummer’s son from an indiscretion with a 1960s liberated woman, people could not get enough of this fairly successful franchise and were looking out for a sixth movie in the works. According to Michael Gross from his official Facebook page, he had announced that there was going to be a sixth straight-to-DVD release of Tremors 6 back in late 2016. This time, Graboids are being used as weapons in the Arctic and it’s up to Burt and Travis to take care of this new threat at a remote research station. Originally with a January 2018 release date, Mr. Gross keeps fans updated on his Facebook page with the film’s progress while Syfy works on a new Tremors TV series […]