THE SIEGE Review: Daniel Stisen’s Latest Ode To 90s Action Nostalgia Holds The Fort
The Siege opens in theatres Friday, March 10, followed by Digital and On Demand rollouts on March 14.
The Siege opens in theatres Friday, March 10, followed by Digital and On Demand rollouts on March 14.
Action cinema junkies will have plenty of time before Green Apple Entertainment unleashes Taffy Edwards’s new gangster flick, English Dogs In Bangkok (or English Dogs according to the official U.S. trailer above), this August. An exact date remains pending for the film which has Ron Smoorenburg commanding things on the action front next to Mark Stas, and featuring Byron Gibson front and center to lead the tale.
Well this is spiffy. Who Taffy Edwards is remains a mystery while said individual sits in the directors chair for upcoming independent crime pic, English Dogs. The film is set to arrive sometime this year and has Time Rush actors Byron Gibson (Only God Forgives) and martial arts sensation, action actor Ron Smoorenberg (Asura) leading the cast.
Plot details are nil as things stand, save for what we can extrapolate from the official trailer that premiered on Wednesday in addition to the film’s doughty tagline: “There are 340 breeds of Dogs on the Planet but there can only be one Alpha”. And that’s about all we got to work with along with what the trailer offers in its ambitious British gangster tropes with Thailand as the backdrop, and watching Gibson throwdown along with shots of Smoorenberg in his element on top of chewing some scenery as a crimeboss, which is always welcome.
Check out the trailer below!
Freerunning extraordinare and actor David Belle is someone, in all certainty, I can vouch for when it comes to film and TV talent. I do profess, however, that it has been a little frustrating seeing him between phases of his career – at one point he’s leading a hit film and its sequel and at another, he’s being pigeonholed into smaller roles. I expected more than this after first catching him in action for the first time in Pierre Morel’s Banlieue 13 (not so much so in that film’s sorely, and poorly mishandled 2015 remake, Brick Mansions).
At best, one can hope that this particular phase changes as Belle moves onward with his career prospects, especially after spotting two trailers last year, one being for concept project called Jaya which also featured actor and late martial arts star Darren Shahlavi at the time. The other, Brutal: A Taste Of Violence, depending on your own tastes, for that matter, has gladly taken shape as its own series which is currently being streamed via Studio+ for mobile users in France and South America, and with any luck, for consumers overseas in due time with possible availability on platforms such as Blackpills or Netflix.
The series hails from Save Ferris Entertainment with filmmaker Julien Colonna making his series debut, bringing Belle back into the fold as central protagonist Axel Chen, a former solider making a living as a bouncer in France whose life is immediately thrown into lesser-needed chaos following a late night brawl with three thugs, accidently killing one of them in the process. With his name plastered all over the news, he has no choice but to turn to Marcus, an illegal underground fight promoter for his only chance at an escape, only to land in even thicker circumstances with his next destination in Thailand. It is there that Chen’s journey of self-discovery will decidedly either become one of regret, or redemption when a bet goes awry and forces Chen to fight for Marcus in order to save the gym that took him in, and its humble owner.
I earlier stated the insistence of one’s own tastes be taken into account for the fact that for most of the show’s run time, clocked in at a little over 58 minutes with ten episodes cut in between, Belle has no speaking lines; An earlier action sequence in the first episode sees his role sustain an injury to his vocal chords rendering him silent and unable to talk. This leaves the weight of the scripted drama and dialogue on the rest of the cast, obligating Belle’s acting range to focus more expressively next to the show’s multiple training sequences.
Actor Vithaya Pansringarm (Only God Forgives, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear) and actress Pim Bubear (The Man With The Iron Fists 2) who play respective father and daughter roles Lao and Lamai who service the fighters in Lao’s gym where Chen trains. Actor Byron Gibson (Only God Forgives) chews up much of the scenery in the commanding antagonist role of Marcus who also hosts the illegal online bouts where people place bets on their favorite select competitors, streamed through a webcam fitted inside of a skeleton which stands out as one of the show’s most interesting props. Pierre Marie-Mosconi and Charles Perrière stir the pot some throughout the series as France detectives Marcovic and Colbert.
The fight and stunt action directed by Laurent Demianoff and Alain Figlarz serves adequate for webseries standards as each segment is an average of six minutes, give or take. Belle’s action performance is a proven feat to watch while, in the process of filming in the all-too familiar Bourne style with shaky cam and frenetic editing at times, otherwise hampers overall watchability, leaving some parts more pleasant than others; One sequence involving a fighter taking a flying knee to the face from another fighter apparently required about four or five cuts even at high-speed lensing. The fights take place in a single constrained space leaving limited possibilities for camerawork to have an impression. Belle’s only parkour scene with Perrière feels a little less congested and offers something worthwhile to the traceur crowd.
As stated earlier, most of Belle’s portrayal of Chen is comprised of physical invocation and training montages. Fortunately he knows how to translate certain nuanced emotions and feelings and when to observe select moments of intensity, thriving on the remainder of the cast. A feasible love story arises between Chen and Lamai in one of the more heartfelt subplots as the stakes are raised nearing the third act.
Perhaps the one underlying thing worth mentioning here is the albeit experimental nature of Brutal: A Taste Of Violence. For the few scenes in which Belle’s character speaks, his voice is dubbed. It’s the third time I myself have witnessed this in watching Belle on screen which leads me to wonder if directors take issue with the way he sounds when he speaks English. I’ve only ever heard his actual voice once to that affect in an undubbed version of his line in Vin Diesel actioner, Babylon A.D.. I grant directors have their reasons for making these choices, but I rather wish I heard Belle speak more. Perhaps he could emerge more to the fanbase and be less obscured.
Or, maybe I have it wrong and his role was intended to be silent anyway. After all, Belle did co-write the script. I’m not sure. Thus, it really is a matter of opinion to those watching Brutal: A Taste Of Violence, for its story and acting stand strong when they do, and not so much on the action, save for a few moments. Gibson is at his best as the villain, and Pansringarm and Bubear lend some poignancy and meaning to what would have otherwise been a shallow story with a hero whose only means of shining on screen is by fighting his way through questionable fight-filming practices, in which case, some parts work, and other parts simply don’t.
One other upside worth pointing out here is that Brutal: A Taste Of Violence does end on a cliffhanger. If there’s more to come for the story of Axel Chen than I hope we get to see a more commanding presence of Belle by then, among other things.
I’m not at all familiar with director Daniel Zirilli’s repetoire, but I’m always keen on a filmmaker’s endeavors when it comes to tapping into martial arts stunt talent. So goes his latest venture with stuntman, filmmaker and producer, actor Dean Alexandrou who caught my attention as early as 2013 with his impressive 2010 award-winning shortfilm, Dohard. It’s little moments like this that keep me on the edge of my seat and wanting more, and just a few years later, we now have his latest pairing with Zirilli for the new thriller, Time Rush, showcasing an otherwise worthy experiment in independent film with some terrific moments…as well as some not-so-terrific ones.
Indeed, this film is pretty damn ambitious at times, but it lacks aplenty in quite a few technical areas, including audio and continuity – the latter attributed largely to the film’s guerilla characteristics, including moments where guns are blazing in the open streets of Bangkok and nobody flinches, which I thought was hilarious. Still, I was fascinated by the concept being applied through Alexandrou’s script which endures quite a few twists and turns for this particular story where we meet main character Alex, awakened, dazed and confused with a 30-minute countdown on his watch and a man in front of him getting his head blown off. Thus, in a scenario that ultimately repeats itself with no clear end in sight and otherwise only one fatal result, the chase begins almost immediately at the top of the film with our hero dodging bullets at the behest of a private military tactical unit hot on his tail, and end is always the same in some capacity – either getting him killed or violently knocked out. His only saving grace: his girlfriend, Jane, who he struggles to remember with each cryptik clue bringing him closer to the end of a vicious, drug-induced time loop that threatens to take away everything and everyone he loves.
The film jumps back and forth between the span of six months and a matter of minutes throughout as it tries to keep up with itself just a little bit more in its backstory. Actress Selina Lo, an award-winning martial artist multi-faceted in many styles, shines in the largely dramatic role of Jane, Alex’s long lost girlfriend, and similarly, the pneumonic catalyst that aides Alex’s subconcious before the bullets start flying again. Actors Michael Aston and Richard Dee Roberts are left picking up the slack in the film’s few key flashback scenes in the respective roles as a UK government agent looking to hire Michael’s pharmaceutical company off the books to use unassuming people as experimental test subjects, while actor Byron Gibson appears as the one who dares to play our ill-fated whilstleblower of the whole operation.
I have to give credit to Zirilli and Alexandrou who both executive produced the film on top of their respective roles on this production. Clearly some corners were cut and there are definitely a few close calls, including a loose dog whose daredevil cameo appearance comes just as Alexandrou is trying to escape the front of a train through a narrow commercial railway. This, coupled with the film’s numerous action set pieces are just the icing on the cake for fans who are fond of Thai stunt action, here and now with co-star and stunt coordinator Kecha Khamphakdee on both ends of the camera, and team Jaika Stunts getting some sweet fighting moments of its own with players like David Bueno, Alex Winters and Wirawat Kemklad to name a few.
People like Alexandrou will always be my go-to for almost all things in martial arts on film, for we need people like him to continue investing in ideas while he improves his craft. Here with Zirilli at the helm, Time Rush certainly helps keep that in perspective, although among its crippling flaws, the concept leaves you wallowing in a plot that takes bigger leaps more than it can afford to, on top of weak character development in a few areas, campy scripting and paper thin acting. The concept is a worthy one in terms of setting the story both back and forth in time, but it feels more meandering than thrilling.
The biggest factors to enjoy about this film are Lo and Alexandrou, the fights featuring Khampakdee and Team Jaika, and Ron Smoorenburg who absolutely conquers as the principle villain. A prominent stunt player in Thailand nowadays following a career with highlights that include Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Mickey Hardt, Scott Adkins and Tony Jaa, Smoorenburg is someone who has only gotten better over the years, and he never disappoints when he’s on screen and in his element.
On that note, perhaps the most rewarding thing about Time Rush is that we get Alexandrou, as a bonus or consolation – however which way you choose to view it. He’s definitely someone to lend an eyeful to and he shows it beautifully as a talented action performer with the potential for decent acting if steered the right way, and most importantly, the will to walk the talk and be the example he sees fit. Overall, I recommend Time Rush as a sure rental.
Actor, stuntman and parkour extraordinare David Belle has been an outstanding talent for many years now since breaking out with a lead role next to French action talent Cyril Raffaelli in Pierre Morel’s 2004 hit, Banlieue 13 and its Ultimatum sequel. He’s also popped up in a few titles thereafter with credits on both sides of the camera in Babylon A.D. and coordinating stunts in Oliver Megaton’s assassin thriller, Colombiana which is currently up for a sequel (he’s also been my personal pick for a hopeful spot as the lead for Fox’s Gambit movie – though I’ve learned to accept its current star if the film happens at all).
So, with a resumé that’s nothing short of ripe and impressive, Belle has also been rare to hear from and only now are we starting to finally see his name make the rounds once more with projects that have been brewing for the past few years with his involvement. For this, we turn to Studio + where filmmaker Julien Colonna is paving the way for a terrific-looking ten-part series now in the form of Brutal: A Taste Of Violence with Belle leading. Scribes Christophe Tomas and Jean-Charles Felli are producing the show which follows Belle as Alex Chen, a former soldier-turned-nightclub bouncer in Thailand who is forced to fight for his survival in an underground arena after being framed for murder and turning fugitive.
Actress Pim Bubear from The Man With The Iron Fists 2 and Only God Forgives co-stars Byron Gibson and Vithaya Pansringarm join in along with Ron Smoorenburg and Damian Mavis, and features action sequences designed by Laurent Demianoff (Lucy, The Transporter Refueled). A premiere date and platform are yet to be announced but the news isn’t far too off following the most recent trailer which you can now take a look at below.
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