Big Bad III: Happy Anniversary, KILL ZONE 2!
Soi Cheang’s sequel to Wilson Yip’s 2005 Donnie Yen starrer celebrated its tenth birthday at the Big Bad Film Fest on Sunday evening.
spl 2 a time for consequences
GIVEAWAY: Win A KILL ZONE 2 Prize Pack!
*THIS CONTEST HAS EXPIRED Director Soi Cheang made a whirlwind of magic happen for martial arts fans back in 2014 when congregating with the likes of action stars Tony Jaa and Wu Jing for the production of the hit crime sequel, SPL 2: A Time For Consequences. The film has its mix of criticisms but the popular narrative thusfar is a positive one and with all the more to hope for with the otherwise tentatively-titled SPL 3: War Needs Lord in the works. As such, North America is finally getting its turn to enjoy the superb feats displayed by our stars now in the form of its North American title, Kill Zone 2, in theaters and on demand, and Well Go USA is releasing the film in select theaters this weekend. To celebrate, Film Combat Syndicate is running a GIVEAWAY for readers between now through Friday, May 20 at 12:00pm […]
Screener Review: SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES (2015)
As far as screeners go, SPL 2: A Time For Consequences marks the first time I’ll be reviewing a foreign language film that wasn’t subtitled. In that regard, the film was still a treat to enjoy from start to finish despite not getting the full context of much of the dialogue, although many of the scenes were suggestive in understanding what was happening and how, which essentially helps. Soi Cheang takes the reigns as director for the new film with returning actors Wu Jing and Simon Yam now joined by Tony Jaa, Zhang Jin and Louis Koo all toplining the cast. The film sets another high mark in 2015 for Jaa whose year went off with a bang back in Spring with Furious Seven for Universal Pictures, and Skin Trade for SC Films, so to see him in a production like this was a real treat to see next to, […]
LEAFF 2016 Peddles Forward With A Mini-Festival This Month!
Director Ryoo Seung-Wan’s Veteran drew huge approval this year, and with much praise and delight ahead of sequel news with said director. Just as equally for the movie crowd in the UK, the film will also be headlining as the opener for this month’s pre-launch ceremony for next year’s premiere installment of LEAFF (London East Asia Film Festival). Tickets for the pre-launch are now available with more info at the official LEAFF website. For this, host to a slew of info is their latest press release for the pre-launch which kicks off its three-day event on October 23, and there are only a handful of films, but it’s a tasty selection attendees will surely approve. Taking place from 23 to 25 October 2015 at Odeon Leicester Square, Odeon Covent Garden and Odeon Panton Street, this initial pre-launch edition of the new London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) will offer a […]
Well Go USA Announces SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES For 2016 Release!
Courtesy of Bravos Pictures It’s safe to say that director Soi Cheang‘s latest theatrical bit of action fanfare, SPL 2: A Time For Consequences, is a hit no matter what some opinions may be. Several reviews floating online are lending well-balancef earfuls to the film’s credit as an otherwise exciting follow-up to the first film in 2005. Tony Jaa and Wu Jing star at the forefront of this thematic continuation which sees Jing as an embattled undercover cop teaming up with a Thai prison guard to take down a courrupt warden. A film like this being celebrated this much deserves a broader release, and of course it was only a matter of time before Well Go USA snagged it for us, which could also mean great things with the third installment of the trilogy now pending. Read the official announcement! Plano, TX (August 10, 2015) – Well Go USA Entertainment […]
Paco Wong Announces The Green-Light For SPL3!
It’s a good time to live in Asia if you’re keen on martial arts action fanfare. The release of Soi Cheang’s SPL 2: A Time For Consequences has far been consequential in its prospects following its box office success throughout the region as of June 18 while we await further information on its release beyond borders. The film is a thematic build-up from the first with a mostly different set of characters that now center on an undercover cop’s mission to take out a corrupt crime boss and prison warden with the help of a guard desperate to save his dying daughter. Tony Jaa leads the cast along with Max Zhang and Louis Koo with returning actors Wu Jing and Simon Yam aboard from the first film, and with a script that takes its cues from Chinese astrology, there’s virtually no limit on how the story of a potential third […]
Media: SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES Is As Good As You Might Have Been Hoping!
The word is out following the most recent red carpet galas in Hong Kong and Macau for director Soi Cheang‘s SPL 2: A Time For Consequences, and the buzz is all kinds of upworthy this week. The film appears to be nothing short of a proud successor to SPL in 2005 and lends a certain nod to the advancement of its lead stars, including that of lead actor Wu Jing who portrayed an alternative role opposite then-star Donnie Yen in the first film. Elizabeth Kerr at THR calls the movie “tight”, “entertaining” and “fun” in an approving critque of Wu, stating in part, “Wu does some of his best work in his most memorable film so far,” while James Marsh at Screendaily boasts of Thai action star and merging Hollywood import, Tony Jaa‘s performance as “his most electrifying and charismatic, displaying a surprising dramatic range throughout the film.” These, on […]
SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES Lands New Character Posters And Featurette!
Three-way final fights in film can be the cream of the crop for any action films when done right, and Soi Cheang‘s approach to the climatic action scene to be shown in this month’s release, SPL 2: A Time For Consequences, is especially one fans are aching for. The film sequelizes Wilson Yip’s 2005 installment, SPL, now with Wu Jing switching gears as a key protagonist along with Tony Jaa in a story of a disavowed deep cover cop and a prison guard who must find compromise as a intricate case of organ black market smuggling unfolds while a corrupt warden and an array of criminals plot against them. Max Zhang plays one of the major villains in this one, and accordingly, he tackles the task of taking on both action stars in the new film which arrives on June 18, 2015. Several featurettes are online highlighting the action with […]
SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES Lets Out The Mayhem In A Brand New Trailer!
The verdict is still out on how well director Soi Cheang‘s SPL 2: A Time For Consequences will stand with audiences. In the meantime, the promotional campaign remains on-going and the footage is pulling no punches with actors Wu Jing, Tony Jaa and Max Zhang at the center of this gruesome crime tale thematic of Chinese astrology. The plot of this particular sequel installment is quite intricate with a much more grander scale for its characters and setting. My own summation here: Run by a corrupt warden (Zhang), a Thai prison and its illegal orga smuggling ring and an elusive crimeboss (Louis Koo) are the initial stake for an undercover Hong Kong cop (Jing) whose cover is blown and must find a way to break out, while serving as the only bone marrow match for the dying daughter of one of the guards who helps him (Jaa). The film is […]
Watch A New Featurette For SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES!
Depending on whether or not you’re into featurettes or anything that may potentially spoil your later enjoyment for director Soi Cheang‘s latest, SPL 2: A Time For Consequences, consider yourself otherwise warned. The film is just a little over a month away and Bravos Pictures is now underway with marketing the film with the usual assortment of posters, trailers and featurettes, and speaking of the latter, there are already a few now making the rounds. The one at the bottom doesn’t seem so bad…well, at least compared to one I caught earlier this month (find that one and watch it at your own risk), and should whet the appetite a bit more ahead of the film’s release. Preset by the first film nearly a decade ago, Wu Jing and Max Zhang are joined by international action star Tony Jaa and co-stars Louis Koo and Simon Yam as the film maintains […]
Wu Jing Is Trapped In Purgatory In New Poster Art For SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES!
Penance is, indeed, prevalent for the protagonist in director Soi Cheang‘s thematic sequel action thriller, SPL 2: A Time For Consequences. Chinese astrology is the trend here as per the 2005 predecessor SPL, now with returning actor Wu Jing in the apparent opposite of his previous role, now in the role of an undercover cop desperately seeking an out from his blown cover thanks in large part to his own corrupt department. Trapped in a Thai prison, getting out won’t be easy, and his only help is one of the prison’s guards, played by international action sensation Tony Jaa, and no less will there be fisticuffs and kicks aplenty before true justice is served. This film is already lining up an audience with its powerhouse cast and nothing short of what has been stellar footage. Of course, the film will be another matter as we await what the critics say, […]
Some More Wu V. Jaa In The New Trailer For For SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES
It’s clear that the biggest highlight of the upcoming release of director Soi Cheang‘s SPL 2: A Time For Consequences will be the cinematic match up between action stars Wu Jing and Tony Jaa. Much to our favor though, we now get to sample just a little bit more of the two going head-to-head in a brand new trailer following the first trailer last month; both take on similar tones, but this one has plenty of new footage between the action and drama that set it all up for the brutal finale to ensue. Plus, seeing Wu in a role completely opposite of what he played in the first film in 2005 opposite Donnie Yen will be a sure treat as well. SYNOPSIS: After busting a local gangster Hong in an undercover operation, hard-boiled cop Kit is captured by Hong’s men and wakes up in jail in Thailand facing a […]
HK FilMart 2015: Watch The Official Teaser Trailer For SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUNCES
I suppose it’s been worth discussing the prospects of seeing actor Donnie Yen return to the fray in a potential sequel to his previous role in the 2005 crime pic, Sha Po Lang. One never immediately came, but it led to a small string of notable hits pairing him with filmmaker Wilson Yip as the two became the most defining pair in contemporary action cinema at the time, reintroducing audiences to the visionary brutality of the genre with stories toned in tragedy, dark heroism and stylish action to boot. It’s the kind of filmmaking that sells to the hardcore niche, and director Soi Cheang is no stranger to this, having established himself quoted films like Dog Bite Dog and Shamo, and recent titles like Accident and Motorway before switching gears and stepping into CG-laden fantasy territory with last year’s box office 3D smash hit, The Monkey King. Alas, Cheang returns […]
SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES Unleashes The Inner Beast With Four New Character Posters
2015 just got better for fans of international action star Tony Jaa as he moves forward and beyond his historic career with the addition of three new titles so far, two of which will arriving as early as next month with the third to follow suit this summer. SPL 2: A Time For Consequences kicks off its campaign this week ahead of its expected July release with specific dates and territories pending, following director Wilson Yip’s 2005 crime thriller, SPL, which signaled an artful return to form for the Hong Kong action genre headlining action star Donnie Yen at the time. This time, The Monkey King helmer Soi Cheang fills in the director’s chair with Yip taking on producer duties with Paco Wong with a script by Jill Leung and Huang Ying that will reintroduce the central astrological themes surrounding our characters, several of which will surely take primal form […]
The Wolves Line Up In New Character Posters For WOLF WARRIOR + New Featurette
It’s probably a good thing that it’s taking as long as it has for the release of actor, producer and debut director Wu Jing‘s latest offering, Wolf Warrior. Production wrapped long ago on deck for what would have been either a late 2014 or January release in China before it was decided to add some IMAX/3D muscle, and for what it’s worth, it could pay off. Also produced by Lv Jianmin, Wu stars as a defiant Chinese commando operative whose skill set is put to use while training a new squad of elite commandos, only to come in the crosshairs of vengeful foreign mercenaries. Actor Scott Adkins stars opposite Wu as the main villain with fight choreography by Wu cohort, Nicky Li Chung-Chi (Legendary Assassin, Invisible Target) in what could only be one of the most highly anticipated screen bouts this year prior to Wu‘s goes forthcoming brawl with action […]
Kung Fu Star Wu Jing May Have To Retire Due To Film Injuries
It’s not easy being an action star, seeing as how our favorite frontmen work day in and day out to train their bodies to entertain the masses of movie lovers who enjoy great cinematic screenfighting. Incidentally, some of these actors also pay a high price for their personal up-keep as injuries are often a common thing between perfoming big stunts and dynamic fight choreography on set, and we can only hope that this type of thing won’t subject these talented folks to early retirement. Unfortunately, that very well may be the case for actor, action star and filmmaker Wu Jing, whose photos are now going viral showing the martial arts wunderkind bed-ridden with both legs wrapped and layered in casts. The striking picture comes on the heels of Wu having just finished Terence Cheung’s 2015 thematic prequel action thriller, Sha Po Lang 2: A Time For Consequences with Tony Jaa […]
Check Out Another Exclusive New Photo From SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES
Production remains on-going for director Soi Cheang‘s new film, SPL 2: A Time For Consequences. Currently, lead actor Tony Jaa‘s official Facebook page is the principal platform for the slate of set pics from the film outside of Chinese media for English-speaking audiences, aside from exclusive set photos presented here at Film Combat Syndicate courtesy of co-producer, Mike Selby, and that also includes the latest new EXCLUSIVE photo just below, in addition to two photos from Jaa‘s page just beneath (click for larger viewing): Sun Entertainment Culture Ltd. is producing the film from a script by Jill Leung, which sets off an epic international action-packed martial arts crime thriller preceding the 2005 hit film, SPL. The new film stars Jaa as Chai, a Thai prison guard whose only reprieve for saving his dying daughter’s life is to team up with her only bone marrow match-Kit, a tough Hong Kong cop […]
[UPDATED] EXCLUSIVE: Tony Jaa And Wu Jing Trade Blows In A New Set Photo From S.P.L. 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES
International action hero Tony Jaa is currently finished filming his role in his forthcoming Hollywood debut with director James Wan in Fast And Furious 7, and is back overseas to complete work on his upcoming role in director Soi Cheang‘s new film, SPL 2: A Time For Consequences. The film is just one of a handful of projects that are currently brewing for the Thai actor who has been reinventing himself through his official Facebook page, connecting with fans and showcasing his improvements in English, a sign of great prospects to come as he expands his horizons as one of the most prominent action stars of today. To say the least, I suspect some surprises may be on the way. That said, Film Combat Syndicate is proud to introduce an exclusive official HQ set photo with Jaa and fellow action superstar Wu Jing from the set of the film which you […]