ASSAULT ON RIO BRAVO: Alexander Nevsky Saddles Up For New Western Thriller By Joe Cornet
Alexander Nevsky (Black Rose) will star in Assault On Rio Bravo, a new Western thriller from Joe Cornet (A Prayer for the Damned).
Alexander Nevsky (Black Rose) will star in Assault On Rio Bravo, a new Western thriller from Joe Cornet (A Prayer for the Damned).
ITN Distribution has stepped up and acquired North American rights to Alexander Nevsky’s new action-thriller, Red Prophecies for a select theatrical release on March 5. Nevsky is joined by Michael Madsen, Casper Van Dien, Eric Roberts, Oded Fehr and Stephen Baldwin from a script by Alexander Izotov.
Actor and filmmaker Alexander Nevsky’s return to the screen now brings us the first official trailer for Red Prophecies, presented first over at JoBlo on Wednesday. Development and production span several years with principal photography commencing in Moscow prior to the pandemic, before shooting in Los Angeles under Covid-safe regulations this past summer.
With a resume that includes decades of fanfare with stars like Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Ted Jan Roberts, Gary Daniels and Olivier Gruner, you’d be forgiven for doing a double take with martial arts star and filmmaker Art Camacho’s latest pivot into foreign-language period sports dramas, namely the new movie Wild League which is now rolling out its first trailer online to the masses.
Film multi-hyphenate and author Alexander Nevsky is currently in post production with upcoming period sports drama, Wild League from directors Andrey Bogatyrev and Art Camacho. There’s plenty of time to let that one simmer while fans who follow this site and others are welcome to take a gander at his latest book plug for authors George Snyder and Rick Wayne titled “Three More Reps! The Golden Age Of Bodybuilding”.
Filmmaker Andrzej Bartkowiak hasn’t been hugely heard of since the dismal-performing Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li. Going forward, the Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 The Grave helmer’s latest comeback, Maximum Impact, is also a testament of…well, a few things since then.
Actor and producer Alexander Nevsky confirmed the latest production of his new film, Wild League, on Monday in an interview at The Action Elite. Author, filmmaker and martial arts cinema mainstay, Art Camacho, directs with Julia Petkun (Water), featuring cult favorite, actor Adrian Paul (Highlander: The Series) along with William Shockley (RoboCop, Last Rampage).
In the days and hours since the Action On Film International Film Festival in Las Vegas, crossover actor and producer Alexander Nevsky has been riding on ceremomy touting his latest accolades for his upcoming action thriller, Maximum Impact.
There’s something gratifying when you hear news of director Andrzej Bartkowiak finally sitting in the director’s chair of an action film. It’s been well over a decade and change since his previous work on films such as Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 The Grave graced audience with contemporary martial arts action cosigned with stylish choreography that notably raised the profile for Jet Li, budding at the time in his Hollywood crossover.
Actor, former Mr. Universe and film multihyphenate Alexander Nevsky (HFPA, Russia) is finally on deck to bring Hollywood Storm-produced action comedy Maximum Impact to theaters. Unified Pictures has officially acquired North American rights to the film joining Nevsky with screenwriter Ross LaManna (Rush Hour) and director Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo Must Die).
Niche film festivals and events are a bastion for folks like Alexander Nevsky who began placeholding his emergence into the U.S. through his Hollywood Storm production banner. Megafest, at this year’s fourteenth installment of the Action On Film International Film Festival will be such an occasion where the multifaceted film professional and former bodybuilding champ will be on deck to receive the 2018 prize for Break Out Action Star.
Our own James Couche has had much more engagement in recent years with Nevsky’s films and he might be able to give you a more astute viewpoint and analysis about his work. I’ve only begun covering him four years ago and so my take on his efforts are half-and-half; Black Rose was a fun, well-tuned, low-budget/mid-brow murder mystery thriller with Nevsky at the helm and Kristanna Loken prior to the recent release of the lesser-faring Showdown In Manila helmed by Mark Dacascos in his directorial debut.
No less than eighteen years in, it’s fair to say Nevsky comes from a great pedigree of folks with a wealth of knowledge and appreciation for film and if you look in the right places, it shows. I have my share of hopes for Maximum Impact when it releases this Fall and this time with the return of Andrzej Bartkowiak in the directors’ chair, and since it already came out in Russia, I’m curious to know if anyone who reads our site has any thoughts on the film. So, feel free to tweet us or reach out on Facebook.
As for the AOF ceremony, read on:
One thing we attempt to do every year is to find some of the most qualified stars and entertainers in the world to bring to our audiences each season. This year our committee decided on the great Alexander Nevsky as our 2018 Break Out Action Star.
Festival Director Theresa Coscarelli said, ‘He’s handsome, talented, professional and he’s worked with top people in front of and behind the camera. What more could you ask for?’
Alexander Nevsky was born in Moscow. Graduated from Russian State University of Management. Later learned English at the UCLA and studied acting at Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in Los Angeles.
When asked to receive the award at the August 25, 2018 event which will be held in Las Vegas, NV for the second year after twelve seasons in Los Angeles. Nevsky said, ‘Thank you very much for that huge honor and I really look forward to attending your great Festival! Thanks for supporting independent action movies, can’t wait to show my film Maximum Impact to the real action fans at ACTION ON FILM!’
Nevsky is a former amateur boxer and bodybuilder, he won Mister Universe title 3 times (at World Bodybuilding Federation / World Fitness Federation). He is a strong proponent of natural (drug-free) bodybuilding. He is an author of 9 successful books about fitness which were published in Russia. His new autobiography “Bodybuilding and other secrets of success” become a bestseller in Russia/CIS in November 2017.
Nevsky is established movie star and a household name in his home country. His TV show “Self Made Man” had an audience of about 50M people weekly on Channel One Russia in the 90s. He was featured in most of publications included The Hollywood Reporter Russia, Men’s Health Russia, GQ Russia, Playboy Russia etc. His first Hollywood film was Walter Hill’s Undisputed, his credits also included Somewhere by Sofia Coppola.
Nevsky produced 7 international action films to date (Moscow Heat, Treasure Raiders, Magic Man and Showdown in Manila among others). He made his directorial debut with an action thriller Black Rose which was a theatrical box office hit in Russia/CIS already and was released in North America by eOne / Sony. His upcoming projects include big budget action comedy Maximum Impact directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo Must Die) and written by Ross LaManna (Rush Hour).
Nevsky is an active member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and he votes for the Golden Globe Awards since 2003. His production company Hollywood Storm based in Los Angeles, California.
This is the 14th Annual Action On Film International Film Festival Black Tie Dinner and Award Show and previous award winners and participants include Talia Shire, Harry Lennix, Ron Perlman, Eric Bana, Bill Duke, JJ Perry, Deborah Kara Unger, Vinnie Jones, David Carradine, John Savage and many other great stars. Nevsky fits in beautifully with all of them and will be a great addition to the AOF Family
As far as all-starrers go, contributor James Couche and I have had our opinions on this one and we still stand by them. Nonetheless, it also comes with the fact that the film was a hit overseas and there are a number of fans in the demographic who will love it nonetheless. In that case, it should be plenty to hold the fort with until Nevsky’s latest re-pairing with Dacascos in Cradle 2 The Grave helmer Andrzej Bartkowiak’s next, Maximum Impact which awaits its release stateside.
It is an unmistakable truth that making these kinds of films can be VERY hard, and it is reasonable to believe that Showdown In Manila had its fare share of hurdles in trying to be better than what it has become. That said, it is unclear as of this review just when Dacascos will be directing again if he so chooses to, and hopefully his second outing will see him acquiesce to the standards long-lived and preset by some of today’s strongest, young and hungry cinema creatives. Until then, Showdown In Manila should serve as a lesson on what not to do when it comes to making an action movie. Nevsky’s own career vision is a meaningful one for setting a new, creative precedent with better filmmaking prospects in mind, but that vision is still one that needs to be met with concurrence, even in the name of fandom.
In a perfect world, a man like Alexander Nevsky would need no introduction. Often referred to as the “Russian Schwarzenegger”, the 6′ 6” bodybuilder and fitness author has been a cinematic force to be reckoned with since writing, producing and starring in the 2004 actioner Moscow Heat. Since then, he’s grown exponentially as a filmmaker and cinematic diplomat with a series of action extravaganzas; all possessing strong themes of international cooperation and understanding (along with a healthy dose of action and explosions). Coming off of his directorial debut in the 2014 thriller Black Rose, he’s back as the producer and star of Showdown in Manila; a throwback action film from first-time director Mark Dacascos.
Action fans in the U.S. can finally look forward to catching Black Rose star and director Alexander Nevsky in co-star, action star Mark Dacascos’s directorial debut, Showdown In Manila starting early next year. ITN Distribution has announced its acquisition of U.S. distribution rights to the ensemble cast action thriller which will open on January 19 in select theaters followed by a Digital and VoD rollout on January 26.
The film centers on a pair of Manila detectives Nick (Alexander Nevsky) and Charlie (Casper Van Dien) who assemble a heavily equipped team to take matters into their own hands when a murder investigation leads them to the jungle camp of an international terrorist called The Wrath. Nevsky and Van Dien lead the cast which also includes Tia Carrere (True Lies, Wayne’s World) and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, Memoirs of a Geisha) from a script by Craig Hamann (Boogie Boy).
The move marks the latest step for the film since becoming a hit overseas upon its Russia/CIS release last February and selling to twenty-eight territories. The film hails from Nevsky’s U.S.-based production banner, Hollywood Storm, and is executive produced by Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo Must Die) and Alexander Izotov (Moscow Heat). CineTel Films reps the film internationally.
L.A.-based Nevsky is a former Mr. Universe and an established movie star in Russia, as well as a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. His credits additionally include Undisputed, Treasure Raiders, Somewhere and the upcoming film Maximum Impact which also co-stars Dacascos.
ITN Distribution President Stuart Alson negotiated the deal along with Nevsky on behalf of the filmmakers.
EXCLUSIVE: International action star Alexander Nevsky hit a personal career milestone this past Spring with the U.S. release of his murder mystery directorial debut, Black Rose. Onward, he still has at least two completed films coming down the pipeline, one of which includes Andrzej Bartkowiak’s upcoming action comedy, Maximum Impact, the latter which also has Mark Dacascos starring.
The other, Showdown In Manila, which stars the two with Dacascos debuting as director, became a hit overseas in Russia with a script by Craig Hamann who last directed Dacascos’s 1998 direct-to-video action thriller, Boogie Boy. As things stand, Nevsky and Hamann are now poised to reunite once more for a new project that will set up in Asia with Savage Attack as principal photography readies for the Fall.
We have included a first look photo of Nevsky from the film’s current development stage in his forthcoming return to the set. Hamann’s script will see Nevsky leading the TBA cast as a Russian-American CIA operative who springs into action when his former partner, working undercover, is caught and captured by the criminals he was infiltrating.
The project is being conceived as a cross between Assault On Precinct 13 and Gareth Evans’s The Raid with locations priming in The Philippines as well as Indonesia, the latter where Nevsky hopes to court notable local stunt talent, actor and fight choreographer Yayan Ruhian whose credits include hit thrillers namely Merantau, The Raid and its sequel, Miike Takashi’s Yakuza Apocalypse and Liam O’Donnell’s Beyond Skyline to name a few.
Nevsky is producing Savage Attack via his Hollywood Storm banner with Bartkowiak also producing while the search for a director continues. Bartkowiak’s Maximum Impact may see a late 2018 release with an official trailer arriving in the next few months.
He’s got more films lined up and he discusses them accordingly as well in the text beneath, in addition to plans for a new book now well on the way to publication for health and fitness aficionados. Interestingly, he also hints at some possible prospects for the character he plays and that of others in the murder mystery millieu within Black Rose; you can read our latest review by clicking here while I humbly invite you to check out the previous interviews linked above with Hues, and especially Loken who delves considerably into her own involvement and investment in the film.
The past year or so have lended an ample opportunity to familiarize myself with the work of actor and producer Alexander Nevsky in lieu of his upcoming April 28 U.S. release, Black Rose. The film marks his directorial debut wherein he also stars in a formula slightly different from his usually known action star persona from his film career in Russia, and joined by none other than actress Kristanna Loken.
Matthias Hues: Thank you! Yes it’s been a great opening in 2017. For one, I’m excited that Alexander Nevsky’s Black Rose is getting a theatrical release. Also I’m currently working on a new franchise takeover by the producers of Transformers, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and with Kurt Russell’s Bone Tomahawk producer Dallas Sonnier called Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich which could be another interesting film and potential franchise to talk about in the near future.
The last several years have been tremendous brain food for me in learning about various filmmakers from around the world and even getting acquainted with some of them in the process. They’ve all been delightful surprises in some degree or another, much like multifaceted Russian bodybuilding exponent, actor and producer Alexander Nevsky who has kept himself weighing in frequently as the latest in action stardom in his own making for close to two decades.
His latest brings us to his directorial inaugration, Black Rose, for a familiar, albeit doable murder mystery narrative that largely functions as you would hope. The film doesn’t waste time identifying itself as you are instantly immersed into a world where a presumably Russian serial killer is on the loose in Hollywood, stalking women, torturing and murdering them, and then leaving cryptic notes and black roses with their corpses. Lead detective Matt (Adrian Paul) is running cold with no progress for his investigation, leaving Captain Frank (Robert Davi) no choice but to summon one of Russia’s best, police Major Vladmir (Alexander Nevsky) to aid the LAPD’s efforts in communicating with some of the Russian locals in order to help bring the killer to justice. The plot thickens when the killer targets Vladmir’s newly assigned partner, Emily (Kristanna Loken), a resilient rookie police profiler, entangling them both in the killer’s web of intrigue and danger as the bodycount grows with each passing moment.
There’s good footing in Nevsky’s storytelling with much credit here to Brent Huff and George Saunders for their script. Nevsky’s entrance brings the kind of 80’s and 90’s action star flair folks in their 30’s and over would appreciate given his persona, and while his acting initially comes off a bit wooden at times, he does makes up for it with a bit more charm and grace for the rest of the runtime. One can also ascribe this to Loken’s introduction about half-hour in, cueing some rather amazing chemistry between both our lead actor and actress, and particularly with respect to Loken who provides one of the film’s strongest performances.
Seasoned thesp Davi brings conviction to the supporting role of the aforementioned police Captain next to that of actor Paul’s role of subordinate detective Matt whose cooperation with the case leaves a lot to be desired. Action aficionados will take a liking to the appearance of actor Matthias Hues who steals the film’s first biggest sequence during a violent bank heist, testing our hero’s mettle in a hail of bullets to bookend Vladmir’s cool and reserved demeanor. Action sequences are kept minimal, albeit signature and coordinated accordingly in entertaining fashion.
For most of the film you’re given a decent handling of the murder mystery whodunit formula with notably compelling performances from most of our cast; Even co-star Oksana Sidorenko had me guessing to some degree as Sandra, a bartender at the nightclub that becomes the epicenter of our killer’s psychological and bloody stranglehold.
Pre-Order Black Rose on DVD today!
Arguably, there’s no question that Nevsky has grown in notoriety at home, and there may be even some folks beyond Russia who know of Nevsky’s body of work moreso than others. Conveniently our own James Couche was already on familiar territory with Nevsky’s films before screening Black Rose for his own review wherein he describes it as a crime thriller in the vein of Walter Hill’s 1988 action thriller, Red Heat, as well as a bold move for a first time director relatively known for action thrillers. He isn’t wrong, and after my own viewing, I can fairly assert the same, in addition to Nevsky’s execution in doing away with some of the Cold War stereotypes often evoked in writing Russian characters in Hollywood. It’s something he humbly acknowledged in our interview at the top of last year and so in similarity with many Asian Americans and the ire they take with Whitewashing (not to be confused with the industry in Asia where consumers are less concerned since Asians are continually represented in media all the time), I can understand how some critics in the U.S. might feel a little stymied.
Nevsky’s got plenty to offer in my book when it comes to his potential in film. I’m not as familiar as others may be, but looking past of the film’s minor bumps, he’s earned my interest. He manages to spearhead an ample story founded on an archaic performance that illustrates the action hero image he is known for with a slightly more cerebral approach that gives him a bit more room for affability, which is something I believe most action fans and cinephiles in general can appreciate.
ITN is releasing Black Rose in select theaters and on VoD on April 28.
Black Rose Movie – http://blackrosemovie.com
Alexander Nevsky Twitter – https://twitter.com/nevskyalexandr
Alexander Nevsky Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/realalexnevsky/
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