ASHES: Crowdfunding Begins For Malay Kim’s Inspirational New Kung Fu Action Drama
Crowdfunding runs through June 1 for Malay Kim’s inspired new kung fu action short!
david sakurai
AFM 2018: Odin’s Eye Shops David Sakurai Action Thriller, ANGEL’S RAGE
Unbroken: Path To Redemption and Acts Of Vengeance actor David Sakurai‘s profile has been gradually increasing in the last several years. The star of Can Evenrol’s Monster Fest best director winner, Housewife, is soon to appear in David Yates’ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald before long and now his latest prospects are circling at the American Film Market for upcoming action thriller, Angel’s Rage. A Japanese gangster living and operating in LA desperately attempts to fight his way out of the Yakuza path that his family has followed for generations. Things go awry when his young daughter Koyuki is kidnapped by gangsters. Our hero will stop at nothing to save her. The film stands as one of any number or projects Sakurai has been circling, prolifically such to get to finally tap into his prowess in screenfighting since laying claim to Shaky Gonzalez’s Echoes Of A Ronin short thriller […]
THE BUTCHER: Get A Fistful Of David Sakurai In The New Concept Trailer
Don’t look too hard online just yet for any extra details as of late. You won’t find much to go on for Danish/British director Shaun Rana’s latest endeavor, The Butcher, taking on a graphic novel-esque life of its own with Danish actor and martial artist David Sakurai in the title role. A concept trailer is now live along with some plot filling to aid forthcoming curiousities about the project in its current stage. The film hails as Rana’s second turn at the helm and for what it’s worth, is not without its share of genuine talent front and center. Details on when cameras will role otherwise remains pending. Central Europe, a dystopian near future – high tech and gleaming in places – slum elsewhere. A violent metropolis ruled by the syndicates in the most brutal ways. A world where individuals with ancient super natural powers used to co-exist in peace.. […]
Super 8mm Thriller, LE ACCELERATOR Shifts Gears Into The Brutal And Bizzare In The Latest Trailers
Forgive my tardiness, kids. My previous device had a heart attack and died a violent, bloody, fiery death and so it’s taken me quite a bit to get my footing back. Thankfully after racking my brain to remember certain passwords, I’m currently using an alternative mobile device to get back to doing some necessary blogging and catching up. Nice little vacation though. No beachfront views unfortunately. Sans laptop or desktop (such is life), I should have a new phone within maybe a week and I can finally tie all ends together with my social medium access. Until then, I’m back, and here to present the latest trailers for a long-awaited project from director Thomas Eikrem titled Le Accelerator. Nope, nothing of the commercial type, though if you’re plenty into arthouse and fancy some bizzare film oddities, this one might be right up your alley. Mind the logline though as it […]
THE HIT LIST – July 4, 2016
All I’ll say is to click here to get a glimpse of how a part of my weekend went. Needless to say, it was fantastic and I’m glad to share it with you all, and I certainly hope to have more moments like it with even more people within my purview. For now, It’s Monday, and that means it’s time for The Hit List, and kicking things off is, by far, one of the best and most impressive tricking reels you’ll see, here and now from Westminister-based martial artist and stuntman, Martial Club member Brian Le who has been very busy in the past few years building his prolife as a bodybuilder. And so, while not all trickers can perform these feats with the same hefty frame, it’s thrilling to know there are a few who have the caliber to do so, and Le’s reel is a proven hit among […]
ECHOES FROM TUTUS: A Night Out With Actor And Martial Artist David Sakurai
Well, I’m currently recovering from a small injury on the right side of my jaw from Thursday. In the meantime, my holiday weekend was another high-mark for my time as a writer with Saturday night proving quite feasible. As we speak, there are a bunch of stunt performers and actors working on a several projects here in the tri-state area, and it just so happens that Denmark’s own, actor David Sakurai was in town. I’ve been writing about Sakurai since 2013 and he’s made some notable appearances in a few completed and upcoming projects in several genres, including Shaky Gonzalez’s Echoes Of A Ronin, Károly Ujj Mészáros’s multi-award winning Liza, The Fox Fairy, and Kurando Mitsutake’s latest revenge thriller, Karate Kill. We met up at a place called Roberta’s Pizza in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn around 10:00pm. David found me and brought me to another place up the […]
Hayate Strikes In The New KARATE KILL Trailer!
Korea’s Bucheon International Film Festival kicks off its 20th anniversary on July 21, and in great company with a terrific line-up of titles and other events to satisfy attendees. As such, award-winning director Kurando Mitsutake (Gun Woman, Samurai Avenger) is lending his craft to the festivities starting the following day with the premiere of his latest offering, Karate Kill, starring newcomer, actor Hayate in a stellar debut role as a martial arts expert who sets out to find his missing sister. How stellar? Well, if you’ve seen the first teaser back in March then you might have a damn good idea. Beyond that, if there is one thing I loved about Mitsutake’s work, specifically Gun Woman was its blend of stylish action with 80’s and 90’s B-movie tone that lives up to the splendor it promised which made it so well received among festival goers and critics at the time. […]
Mitsutake’s KARATE KILL Lands A Sick New Poster
Yes, by all means, bask in the newly invigorated hopes of what looks to be another awesomely put together martial arts revenge thriller with Mitsutake Kurando’s new movie, Karate Kill. The most recent teaser was unveiled back in February featuring Hayate in the lead, and to much avail for fans who have grown fond of his work since Samurai Avenger and last year’s super sexy, gory and brutal trigger thriller, Gun Woman starring Asami. Now, the film is moving forward, bound for its stake in the festival circuit in the coming months and Twitchfilm has presented the first official poster-art, erected by acclaimed artist Tom “The Dude Designs” Hodge. Hayate, from Mitsutake’s script, takes the mantle in his feature film debut as Kenji, a lone, vengeful Karate master who ventures out to L.A. in search of his missing sister. Rounding out the cast are Mitsutake veterans, Asami and Gun Woman […]
Watch The Seething New Teaser For The Global Release Of DARK SAMURAI Starring David Sakurai
Liza, The Fox Fairy co-star, Danish actor David Sakurai first came under my radar in 2013 with a fight sampler to headline his then latest move toward formidable action roles, and since then he’s landed a few notable blows; He currently has a role in director Thomas Eikrem’s long-awaited noir actioner, Le Accelerator, and gave an electrifying performance in Shaky Gonzalez’s meaty martial arts action short, Echoes Of A Ronin while his next step in the genre will be in Gun Woman helmer Mitsutake Kurando’s upcoming international revenge flick, Karate Kill opposite lead actor Hayate. Throughout all of this is the brewing patience for genre fans outside of film festival reach for Sakurai’s role in a more cerebral, revisionist look at historic samurai warrior, Japanese martial arts and philosophical staple, Miyamoto Musashi. For this, we turn to Sidney Lexi Plaut following previous shortfilm stints in 2005 and 2007, who has since […]
Hayate Turns LA Upside Down In The New Teaser For KARATE KILL
Director Mitsutake Kurando wagers some of his best and most outstanding vision for a film, and anyone who’s seen his most recent work, Gun Woman, knows this. Since, then he’s got quite a feat happening with his latest production, Karate Kill, debuting actor Hayate in the role of a mysterious man who paves a warpath on the streets of L.A. in search of his missing sister. A release date hasn’t yet been set as plans are in motion to get the film rolling in the market and festival circuit. In the meantime, Mitsutake finally unveiled a teaser over the weekend and as you’re about to see with action design courtesy of Gun Woman fight coordinator Babuchi Keita, Hayate proves his mettle in a fight sequence that does the film title justice. Note the cast in the teaser as well with Gun Woman star Asami, actress Sakura Mana and actor Sakurai […]
Hypnotic Samurai Drama DARK SAMURAI Gets A New Teaser!
Versatile actor David Sakurai is back with another step forward in immersing himself as an action star with writer and director Sidney Lexy Plaut‘s latest feature-length endeavor, Dark Samurai. The new film, produced by Adriana Filipczuk and executive produced by Lene Borglum (Only God Forgives), takes on a visually intense, arthouse-style approach to its multi-dimensional story focused on iconic samurai warrior and author Miyamoto Musashi. Sure, it’s a switch in gears for Sakurai following his electric performance in the martial arts action short, Echoes Of A Ronin, but presents an otherwise stunning and solid new look while stepping into more contemplative territory for its surreal setup. via Twitchfilm: Dark Samurai is inspired by the legend of Miyamoto Musashi, who was one of the most famous Japanese ronin and warrior philosophers. This alternate and very visual interpretation of the fate Musashi is brought into a mixture of a contemporary Yakuza underworld […]
Shortfilm Review: ECHOES OF A RONIN (2014)
SYNOPSIS: The story is set in a contemporary Scandinavian/Asian environment with a universal story about injustice and loss of innocence combined with recognizing ones destiny. This is all seen through the eyes of a child and through her experience see how man, despite being protected by morals and a strong code of honor, can be thrown off balance and become overtaken by jealousy, desire, love and revenge. The film explores her loss of innocence, the child parent relationship with the ongoing struggle to find balance in life and ultimately, her victory over the traumatic experience. REVIEW: At its core, award-winning filmmaker Shaky Gonzalez‘s newest foray into action is a thing for all who have a distinct affinity for samurai movie lore, on top of thrilling action and touching drama. That effort now takes shape in the newly released shortfilm, Echoes Of A Ronin, with results that should be satisfying for […]
Listen To The ECHOES OF A RONIN In A New Behind-The-Scenes Featurette!
The past year or so has seen some pretty awesome highlights for martial arts cinema, mainstream and indie, and if you follow the genre, you can also denote some amazing happenings on the independent level in one capacity or another. Such effort can be seen director Shaky Gonzalez‘s latest shortfilm, Echoes Of A Ronin, a conceptual martial arts action project which harkens back to elements classic chambara for Denmark’s modern action niche. Actor David Sakurai takes the lead in this Scandinavian/Asian hybrid tale of one man’s self-betrayal, interpreted through the eyes of his on-screen daughter, played by Katinka Elmin Danielsen. The story, featuring stellar action choreography by Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear fight director Tim Man, is described as a nod to fantasy and contemporary storytelling with a stylistic graphic novel look, which centers on injustice and loss of innocence, combined with recognizing ones destiny. Following the release of an […]
New ECHOES OF A RONIN Footage Slashes Its Way Online in David Sakurai's New Action Reel
With Cannes wrapping up this week and other film festivals to come along the way, festival attendees in North America who love their fair share of action may expect to see a little more of actor David Sakurai with director Shaky Gonzalez‘s newest shortfilm, Echoes Of A Ronin. Following the airing of a new clip that was unveiled back in February, the film is the latest in a batch of projects that can now be sampled in Sakurai‘s newest action demo reel which you can now check out below with more news to come, in addition to upcoming news on helmer Sidney Lexy-Plaut’s transcendental hybrid action drama, Dark Samurai, and Thomas Eikrem’s upcoming noir crime thriller, Le Accelerator, which is currently in post production with a vinyl soundtrack set for July. Check it out below, and by all means, follow David Sakurai on Twitter to satisfy your curiosity. David Sakurai […]
Watch David Sakurai Clean House In A New Action-Packed Clip From ECHOES OF A RONIN!
Actor David Sakurai is looking to make 2014 his break out year as another rising action star in the genre with the forthcoming release of his latest shortfilm out of Denmark, Echoes Of A Ronin. The shortfilm has since begun ramping up promotional efforts with new teaser photos unveiled earlier in December last year, and this week, we now have an exclusive clip, courtesy of Twitchfilm before the its entry into this year’s film festival circuit. Katinka Elmin Danielsen, Thomas Chaanhing and Nukaka Coster Waldau round out the main cast, with signature choreography by Ninja 2 action director Tim Man. SYNOPSIS: The story is set in a contemporary Scandinavian/Asian environment with a universal story about injustice and loss of innocence combined with recognizing ones destiny. This is all seen through the eyes of a child and through her experience see how man, despite being protected by morals and a strong […]
David Sakurai Will Unleash The ECHOES OF A RONIN
While we await the fate of Sidney Lexy Plaut’s Dark Samurai and Thomas Eikrem’s Le Accelerator, actor and rising action star David Sakurai has also been busy on his next project with writing and producing partner, filmmaker Shaky Gonzalez titled Echoes Of A Ronin. Twitchfilm broke the story on Wednesday with new photos from the upcoming shortfilm which wrapped just last month after about a month’s shoot. Echoes of a Ronin is described as a martial arts shortfilm that lends a nod to fantasy and contemporary storytelling with a stylistic graphic novel look attributed to depicting the message of the Japanese philosophy, Bushido: The Way Of The Warrior. Expected to arrive in 2014, Echoes Of A Ronin also stars Nukaka Coster-Waldau, Thomas Chaanhing and Katinka Elmin Danielsen, with fight choreography by Tim Man (Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear). A trailer could come any day now, so here are the synopsis, […]
Updates On Thomas Eikrem's Epic Noir Action Thriller, LE ACCELERATOR!
If you’ve been with Film Combat Syndicate long enough, you might recall back in May when Denmark-native actor, martial artist and screenfighter David Sakurai shared a one-take action project with 360 Stunts and director Phillip Pedersen to help illustrate his shift away from dramatic roles and back into working with action and screenfighting projects. Since then, Sakurai‘s efforts have paid off, with at least two films on the way, including the gritty crime thriller, Le Accelerator. Interest came a few years ago when Norwegian filmmaker Thomas Eikrem met Sakurai and discussed doing a something creative for a “timeless” martial arts movie. Fast forward to October of 2012 and Eikrem is joined by a Sakurai and cast and crew shooting in black and white in Super 8mm film on location in Copenhagen, London and Marrakech. Judging by some of the pictures on the official website, the film already looks quite appealing, and with […]
Experimental One-Take Action With DAVID SAKURAI And STUNT 360
If you are familiar with films like Arahan, Undisputed 3: Last Man Standing, Contour (a.k.a. The Agent), Tom Yum Goong (a.k.a. The Protector) and Oldboy, chances are you are familiar with the thrilling elements of one-take action sequences in which these films are featured and most highlighted and appreciated by action fans everywhere in the world. Actor, martial artist, stuntman and Denmark native David Sakurai recently took a break from dramatic performances to collaborate with the Demark-based martial arts action team, Stunt 360 Stunt Services Int., and director Phillip Th. Pedersen, to showcase his screenfighting skills to the world by using this very technique. Like any action fan, David adheres to the classics, namely from iconic late-greats such as Charles Bronson and Brandon Lee. Moreover, his latest efforts seen below are a prime and pure example of a style of action that aspiring film workers are keen to implementing in their […]