close range

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SAVAGE DOG, PREMAN, BABY ASSASSINS And More As Well Go USA And Hi-YAH! Announce More Titles To Its Summer Rollout

Well Go USA has announced three more titles to its Hi-YAH! roster via social media this week with Isaac Florentine’s Close Range and White Elephant helmer Jesse V. Johnson’s Savage Dog. The announcement also includes footage from Johnson’s ensemble actioner, Triple Threat, as well as Randolph Zaini’s 2021 crime drama, Preman, and the previously announced Fantastic Fest favorite, Baby Assassins from director Yûgo Sakamoto.

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STUNT FIGHTING THE FUTURE: An Interview With Umar Khan

His efforts in past year have granted him the necessary credentials, tools and people necessary to help fulfill his goals of becoming a top-tier action director in the film industry, and with more growth to come in film and television. I have to say, it’s rare for me to meet someone like Khan of his caliber who happens to have a team of his own that is just beginning, and having seen what’s out there from other groups I’ve witnessed in the last decade along with sampling a bit of what Khan has been up to, I have some high hopes.

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CLOSE RANGE LENSING: A Word With Filmmaker Isaac Florentine

Isaac Florentine: It all goes back to the dance movies of the 1930’s and 40’s. When you see Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire dancing, you see them from head to toe with no cuts. When you are working with talented people like Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White or Marko Zaror and you’re working with great stunt performers and a cinematographer that you trust….  you say “why cut?”  Let’s push the envelope! Make a fight like the old days! 

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Peep The Exclusive DVD And Blu-Ray Art For Isaac Florentine's CLOSE RANGE

Martial arts action star Scott Adkins leads the action packed thriller from a script by Chad Law and Shane Dax Taylor about a former soldier whose problems worsen following the rescue of his niece, ensuing in a homefront battle of bullets and fisticuffs with a small army led by an evil crimeboss and a courrpt sheriff. Jeremy Marinas co-stars and directs the action sequences for this latest title from XLrator Media’s Turbo label, and if you’re curious about how the film delivers, our very own James Couche had a few opportunities to engage this film, one of which includes contributing his own review which you may read by clicking here; The second opportunity is…a surprise, so watch this space for more details and updates ahead!

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CLOSE RANGE Gets Up Close With A Killer Poster And, Once More, The Official Trailer!

About a week ago, someone reportedly jumped the gun on the latest trailer for director Isaac Florentine‘s newest action thriller, Close Range. Thankfully, Bleiberg’s Company B finally unveiled it online just a few days ago, and as of today, the film has a new poster as well, both of which you can check out right now.

Action star Scott Adkins leads the film as a former soldier forced to defend his family on their own home turf from a druglord and his men, and the crooked sheriff protecting them, after violently rescuing his niece from their clutches.

If you haven’t seen the footage yet, the action is intense as seen in the trailer sampling the usual best out of an Adkins/Florentine paring following their 2013 festival favorite, Ninja 2: Shadow Of A Tear. Plus, you get to see actor and fight choreographer Jeremy Marinas opposite Adkins in a few shots as well, which will make this film’s December 4 release all the more rewarding.

H/T: Twitchfilm

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BOYKA: UNDISPUTED IV Wraps, Star Thanks His Fans, Cast And Crew, Talks Future Movies

Martial arts action cinema has seen a ton of glory in the field of film for many years with a multitude of memorable and iconic characters to lend credit to. One such role as of late has been actor Scott Adkins‘s delivery of born-again Russian mixed-martial arts champion, Uri Boyka, following two principle roles in the direct-to-video end of the Undisputed franchise, with the sequel and threequel in 2006 and 2010 respectively, from director Isaac Florentine.

Clock into 2015 well long after the third film as fans remained sizzling with hope for another installment and fans evidently got their wish in late 2013 prior to principle photography earlier this summer, and no less with a meaty handful of top notch action actors from select parts of the world all congregating in Sofia, Bulgaria for the production of Boyka: Undisputed IV. Adkins and Florentine are reunited once more with co-star and fight choreographer Tim Man since putting together the dazzling action in Fantastic Fest 2013 favorite, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear – another title that is still garnering fandom in support of another, and granted, one that will assure fans more to come from Adkins and those in his corner.

Of course, none of this forward-movement is easy to come by. It took a really, really long time for another Undisputed movie to emerge, and now with its completion of principle photography, it’s onto the next phase which is post-production, and hopefully it won’t be long within that period before we see some footage. Until then, we can rest ourselves in the fact that another is in the can with an invariably exceptional amalgam of screenfighters – several of whom I have written about before on any number of indie projects. This, coupled with a great plot guarantees the franchise even further greatness for a character that has cultivated a generation of martial arts fans and athletes with the purposing of an idol that brings a world of electricity to a niche that will never run out of enthusiasm.

On that note, it’s Adkins himself who had something to say to his followers via social media regarding the new film, its stunt players, the possible future of the character he plays, and more:

That’s a wrap on Boyka: Undisputed IV. I’ve put my heart & soul into this shoot and pushed my body to it’s absolute limit to bring you the next instalment of the greatest martial arts movie franchise the West has to offer. 

Yuri Boyka will face many new fights in this chapter, but none more dangerous than the fight within himself. 

I’d like to thank Teodora Duhovnikova, Paul Chahidi and Alon Aboutboul who brought their characters to life with and supported my performance in the best way possible. 

The fighters Emilien De Falco, Trayan Milenov, Andy Long, Brahim Achabbakhe and Martyn Ford for giving it their all (especially Andy Long who I sent to the hospital – sorry Andy). 

Tim Man, our fight choreographer, we couldn’t do it without you my friend (2 more sections please). 

All the Bulgarian cast & crew for all their hard work and dedication. 

I love playing this character and we already have ideas on where to take him next so do me a favour – if you want to see more of Yuri Boyka and don’t want to wait another 6 years to see it then please, please support this movie through the official channels and not illegal downloads. It needs to make a profit to justify a sequel, it’s plain economics. 

Time for me to rest my aching bones. 

Cheers, 

Scott 

“If I’m the champion of the toilets? Then what does that make you when I kick the fucking shit out of you?!” 

~Yuri Boyka

So, for all intents and purposes, it’s quite simple, really. Grant your monetary support to this movie and support Adkins and the cast and crew of his film the right way, and we will see plenty more. The same goes for his recently-completed craft of action with Florentine for Close Range, which still awaits a date; You can also catch Adkins opposite Wu Jing on September 1 when Well Go USA releases Wolf Warrior on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Stay tuned for more info!

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EFM 2015: Scott Adkins Actioner, CLOSE RANGE Gets U.S. Distribution

Be ready for what comes later this year when cult action directorial favorite Isaac Florentine releases his latest new action thriller, Close Range. Production wrapped last week reuniting our dear director with elite Brit kicker and cinematic action hero, actor Scott Adkins who plays Colton McReady, a former soldier-turned-vigilante forced to defend his sister and niece in their own home against a ruthless drug cartel and a swarm of police under the command of their courrpt sheriff.

Such a plot line bodes perfectly well for the Adkins/Florentine duo whose work dates back close to twelve years of making solid and memorable action movies together, now with co-star and martial artist, actor Jeremy Marinas taking the reigns as the action director. It’s an exciting feat to welcome this year, and even more so as it gained ground over at this year’s European Film Market in Berlin where the film, represented by international sales agents, Blue Box International, has just closed a raft of distribution deals worldwide, including XLrator Media in North America and VVS in Canada.

The news should excite plenty of fans ahead of the new year as Close Range aims for another return to hard-hitting, pulse pounding action for the lead star as word awaits on a potential return to the fray as Russian kickboxer, Yuri Boyka in a hopeful forth installment of the Undisputed franchise among others. In the meantime, Adkins has a batch of other films on the way this year as well, so keep a look out for more information as it comes.

Close Range is a production of Bleiberg Entertainment’s own Company B with Ehud Bleiberg and Richard Donnermeyer producing from a script by co-producers Chad Law and Shane Dax Taylor. Actress Caitlin Keats and actors Nick Chinlund, Madison Lawlor, Jake La Botz and Tony Perez round out the cast.

H/T: Screendaily

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"MacReady" And "Cruz" Headline First Look Pics From The Set Of CLOSE RANGE

Actor Scott Adkins and co-star/fight choreographer Jeremy Marinas took to social media this week to share a first look at the characters they’re be playing on the set of currently-filming new thriller, Close Range. There isn’t much to add on to the updates here aside from their roles since it’s very early and these photos are from the first day of filming, but it’s the first of many methodically published teases we can expect as the month progresses. Check them out:

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EXCLUSIVE: Jake La Botz Joins Adkins And Florentine For CLOSE RANGE

Details are still embryotic in the public eye at the moment for director Isaac Florentine‘s upcoming movie, Close Range. Nearly a year after its announcement, the film is finally moving forward after the success of his most recently completed martial arts sequel thriller, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, and now as the wheels start spinning with martial arts action hero favorite, Scott Adkins back on the set with Florentine once more, fans can surely expect something very promising, including a cast with some very interesting details to follow.

That said, take a gander at today’s news regarding the addition of actor Jake La Botz (Rambo, Sinners And Saints) to the cast as “Walt Renyolds” as listed in the IMDb page; According to a source affiliated with the production, “Renyolds” is described as one of the main villains in the film and a major catalyst for all the calamity that awaits our protagonist, “Colton MacReady” a former soldier-turned-vigilante resigned to his deadly skillset to protect his family against a dangerous drug cartel, along with a corrupt sheriff and his men.

Close Range will be the seventh collaboration between Adkins and Florentine in their eleven-year history of making notable martial arts action hits, namely including Adkins‘s cult fanbase in support of his iconic character in Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, and Undisputed 3: Redemption. And in turn, with any luck, development on a fourth film for the latter will come to pass. In the meantime, fans can expect much more ahead with production slated to start sometime early next year as more casting announcements are made.

Bleiberg Entertainment’s Compound B is backing the production with a script by Daylight’s End and Drive Hard scribe Chad Law and Provinces Of Night helmer Shane Dax Taylor who are also co-producing. Fans may also expect to catch Adkins in next year’s IMAX and 3D China release of action star Jacky Wu Jing’s directorial debut, Wolf Warrior, in addition to the continued North American rollout of James Nunn’s Green Street Hooligans: Underground.

Stay tuned for more info!

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Scott Adkins Speaks On CLOSE RANGE And WOLF WAR

It was announced back in late January that action fans would get to see another new collaboration between headlining action star and filmmaking duo, Scott Adkins and Isaac Florentine for the contained rural action thriller, Close Range. Adkins discussed the film among a list others and a few select topics in an interview with The Action Elite which aired on Saturday, describing the film as a “modern Western” crossover between films such as Die Hard and The Raid, in which he plays “Colton MacReady”, a man left vulnerable by a corrupt sheriff and his men while cornered in his own ranch and forced to protect his family from a blood-thirsty drug cartel after rescuing his niece from their capture.

“It’s a good character, hard as nails… which I’m good at playing.”, he says. “It’s a full-on action movie where most of the story takes place in one area, so we’ll be able to shoot it quite quickly, I believe. It’s kind of like a siege movie with my character fighting off a load of Mexican Drug Cartel guys, trying to keep my family safe and they’re all trying to kill us… which means I’ve got to kill them. So it should be a good action film.”.

The actor also shared his thoughts on SPL actor Wu Jing in light of his forthcoming acting/solo directorial debut, Chinese commando thriller Wolf War, wherein he offered some details a brief description of his character in the film, which reunites him with actress Yu Nan since their last appearance in the 2012 blockbuster hit, The Expendables 2. “I was just happy to come out there as I’m a big fan of Wu Jing and the stuff that he’d done in the past.”, he says. “This job offer came up for me to come and play the villain; as I say, I have a lot of respect for him so I was happy to come out there and do that…”. He later added, “Those guys really know how to do the action really well so it was a pleasure to do it. I haven’t seen the film yet but hopefully it turns out well for Wu Jing as he’s a really nice guy.”.

Throughout the interview, Adkins also delved further on his experience working with fellow action stars Darren Shahlavi and Michael Jai White on the first season of the sci-fi action adventure TV series, Metal Hurlant Chronicles, in addition to his hopes for a part under Gareth Evans’ developing vision for his Indonesian franchise follow-up, The Raid 3, or the upcoming U.S. remake of the first being overseen by Evans who is executive producing. He closed out the interview speaking out on the consequences of online piracy at the expense of smaller, independent movies, stating in part, “…I realize it’s difficult to support a film if you know there’s a torrent on the internet with let’s say Undisputed 3, but if it doesn’t come out in your country until about three months later then you’re gonna download it and I know that you can’t help that, because how else are you going to get it? The distributors need to sort their end out but also there are just people who download stuff and don’t pay for it and they don’t understand that if they keep doing this, then you’re not going to get these types of films anymore…”.

Metal Hurlant Chronicles is expected to begin airing both its first and second seasons on the Syfy channel, beginning this April, while further info awaits on Wolf War, Close Range, and the long awaited news on Undisputed 4. Visit The Action Elite to hear the full interview.

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Scott Adkins And Isaac Florentine Reunite For CLOSE RANGE!

Well, you know what they say: If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!

Nearly eleven years after pairing together for the direct-to-video/DVD 2003 martial arts action adventure war flick, Special Forces, premiere action filmmaker Isaac Florentine and martial arts action superstar Scott Adkins are preparing to team once more for a new action thriller in the form of Close Range, courtesy of Compound B. The film sees Adkins starring as Colton MacReady, a man left vulnerable by a corrupt sheriff and his men while cornered in his own ranch and forced to protect his family from a blood-thirsty drug cartel after rescuing his niece from their capture.

The announcement comes on the heels of the successful fan support of the recently released Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, and will mark their eighth team-up as lead actor and director on a film, accompanied by the latest announcement of Adkins‘ return to the screen as the European underground prison MMA underworld’s self-proclaimed champion of the world, Yuri Boyka in Undisputed 4.

Further casting and crewing details are needed to build on this latest update, so stay tuned for more information as it trickles!

H/T: Impact

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