tony schiena

THE WEAPON Review: Tony Schiena’s Directorial Debut, Unlocked And Unloaded

The Weapon is currently available on Digital and On Demand, and will release on DVD beginning March 28. To date, I’ve only had the chance to see three films featuring actor Tony Schiena, of which two he didn’t direct. I enjoyed both of those in the years since then, with the third in question currently being his directorial debut recently released out of Lionsgate’s Grindstone label titled The Weapon – a title that would easily stand out to a fan of the film’s intended genre. The film is carried by a mostly talented cast with solid performances, coupled with a brooding tone and several brutal, competently shot action sequences with Schiena front and center. And that’s about it, really. The rest of the film’s floundering falls on poorly developed characters, meandering plot progression, and a contrived romantic side story that serves no real purpose in the film’s flawed and unengaging […]

Trailer: Tony Schiena Is THE WEAPON!

Lee B. Golden III

Darc and Wake Of Death actor Tony Schiena is getting his start in directing with the release of his first flick, The Weapon, from a script by Michael Caissie. Boasting a cast that also lists Sean Patrick Flanery, Cuba Gooding Jr., Donald Cowboy Cerrone and Richard Greco to name a few, the film will release theatrically, on Digital and On Demand from February 17, followed by DVD on March 28. The film also stars AnnaLynne McCord, Bruce Dern and Jack Kesy. Oscar® winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire), Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints), and Jack Kesy (“Claws”) highlight this bone-crunching action-thriller. Tony Schiena is Dallas, a one-man killing machine on a mysterious rampage. His attacks on biker gangs and meth labs anger the Vegas mob boss who’s holding Dallas’s girlfriend hostage. But who is Dallas working for? Even torture won’t make him talk…and he won’t stop until justice is […]

Armand Assante Joins Tony Schiena's DARC, Nick Powell To Direct

Lee B. Golden III

Decorated former Karate champion and real-life law-enforcement liason, actor Tony Schiena‘s new film, Darc, has been long in development for several years now and appears to finally be moving forward since last year’s update. The film has since switched its directorial duties from Damian Lee to veteran stunt professional-turned-filmmaker Nick Powell following his debut helmer, Outcast with Nicholas Cage and Andy On. Darc is finally assembling a principal cast for its production led by actor Armand Assante for producer and former Steven Seagal cohort Julius Nasso to produce, while actors Watanabe Tetsu (Why Don’t You Play In Hell?), Shiina Kippei (Assassination Classroom) and newcomer Ikushima Sho rounding out the current list. Darc initially began making the rounds several years ago with a promotional reel as far back as 2010 featuring Schiena in action. From a script by Schiena roughly based on his own exploits against global human sex trafficking, Schiena […]

Tony Schiena To Battle Underworld Sex Trafficking In The Upcoming Production Of DARC

Lee B. Golden III

Film producer and former Steven Seagal cohort Julius R. Nasso is looking to step back into the martial arts film foray once more with the forthcoming production of Darc, a new thriller to be directed by Damian Lee with actor and former Karate champion and multi-award-winning martial artist Tony Schiena starring. News of the production comes just sixteen years after Nasso met Schiena in London, where the actor also ran his own international security agency. Quoted in a new interview at the LA Times, Nasso says of Schiena, “I met martial artists all over the world during my tenure with Seagal. He’s the real McCoy. He’s got the credentials.”. Set for a budget of ten million dollars, the screenplay was written by Schiena and based on his personal fight against sex trafficking. To date, Schiena‘s extensive resume includes him as, among other things, a highly decorated, multifaceted liason to law enforcement […]