TV series “Mutant X” and Tsui Hark’s Black Mask 2: City Of Masks marked my first looks at actor Scott Adkins in the early years of his career. Truthfully though, I was no fan of Hark’s direct-to-video sci-fi action sequel, and I hadn’t really known that was Adkins in the role of the villainous “Dr. Yang,” so that was…pretty weird cinema. Still is.
To say the least though, I think a lot of folks might consider Isaac Florentine’s 2003 DTV hit, Special Forces, to be a more formal introduction into Adkins’ potential at the time. The film reunites Florentine with Marshall Teague, who leads a cast that includes Troy Mittleider, Tim Abell, T.J. Rotolo, Daniella Deutscher, and Eli Danker. The story follows a U.S. special forces unit on a mission to rescue a journalist being held captive by a sadistic ex-General with his own ruthless army.
Prior to this, Florentine caught me completely off guard with U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force, which featured an array of complete, Hong Kong-styled action and popcorn thrills. The second I saw Florentine’s name on the back of the VHS case for this film upon rental, I had a little more faith than before as I’d become a little jaded with American DTV action having seen what was capable from producers like Keith Strandenberg and in the mid-90s Hong Kong crossover, and director Steve Wang whose Drive became a total turn-of-the-century sleeper hit on video and DVD.
And boy oh boy, did Adkins meet the demand or what? Special Forces is host to a slew of amazing action sequences, crafted by the ever-apt Akihiro “Yuji” Noguchi, and with Adkins stealing the show nearly every step of the way. From the moment he makes his entrance as a covert SAS operative out to avenge his comrade, right down to his final fight with co-star Vladislava Jacukevicius, Special Forces is an absolute must see for any martial arts fan and Adkins acolyte.
I can’t count how many times I rewound that tape and skipped back to that timestamp in the film to see that final fight. It’s pretty much burned in my head as one of my top ten final fight scene faves right next to Jackie Chan and Benny Urquidez in Wheels On Meals. I don’t even really have a top ten – or five for that matter. I just know that one of those two are viable contenders in my book.
