Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Leofwine_draca
A vehicle for Mark Dacascos's martial arts talents cunningly masquerading as a thriller, this basic actioner has little plot to speak of and no real acting. What it does have are a string of incredible martial arts sequences, the likes of which have never been seen before in an American film, which make it extremely enjoyable. Not bad for a DTV flick, and ever since interest in the martial arts resurfaced after the blockbuster hit THE MATRIX, this even went so far as to get a DVD release! Things kick off with Dacascos arriving in the US after stowing away on a boat. Immediately he's up to his neck in bad guys who want to shoot him in the legs. After a battle on the boat, he escapes to a bar, where another gun fight ensues and Dacascos takes out about ten of the enemy single-handedly. He hooks up with a failed black writer, who provides much of the film's comic relief, and the two go on the run. They variously get handcuffed together, fight off more bad guys, hide in a motel which is then exploded and finally take on the entire force of baddies in a karaoke bar (a location which also gives the supremely talented Dacascos time to work on his warbling skills).I would instantly say that this has to be Mark Dacascos' best film. Since DRIVE, he has starred in cheap rip-offs (DNA), and loads of straight-to-video trash (THE BASE, SABOTAGE, etc.). This is the only film where he really impresses with his fighting skills, as none of the other flicks really give him a chance. His acting range may be limited, but he's a nice enough guy and the things he does with his body to turn it into a weapon are phenomenal. Here, Dacascos has strong support from Kadeem Hardison who excels in his comic relief role, Brittany Murphy, who makes the most of her seductive young girl in love with Hardison, and a whole slew of comic-book villains.For action fans, this is a must see. Sure, there's a fair share of huge explosions and gun fights, but the martial arts fights are the things that really work. From a battle in a motel room where Dacascos takes on about twenty men armed with electric shock prods to the final, prolonged battle between our hero and an advanced super model, things never let up. Super-fast editing, cool stunts and lots of wacky situations (one bad guy gets his arm cut off with a chainsaw, and then the severed limb manages to shoot him!) make this one to watch. Highly recommended!
sky_blue_lad
this martial arts/comedy is packed with fun. mark dacascos is just an excellent fighter and he should do more films similar to this one!! good story line and great fight scenes. one of my favourite films to date. the acting may not be Oscar winning but it sure is entertaining. the special effects are noting special with the explosions for example. i would recommend this to anyone who likes action and a bit of humour. its a good film. it starts of with probably the best fight scene in the whole movie but don't worry there are plenty of fight scenes right the way through it. kadeem provides the comedy for this film as he is always moaning. i'm going on too much so just watch it. maz
l_cobern1989
If you are looking for a film that is a proper action film with non-stop action, stunts and fights scenes then you have come to the right place. The action is quality, especially the ending and the stunts are brilliant and they look so dangerous and crazy. But the fights scenes...WOAH. They are amazing. The choreography is brilliant. The moves Mark Dacascos are breath taking. You might think he used wires to do some of it but no he didn't. He did all his fight sequences on his own. Kadeem Hardison and Mark Dacascos are good partnership and they add Britney Murphy in to give it some more comedy in which she does. This film will blow you away with it's amazing fights scenes. It is a must see for action fans with great action.
chrichtonsworld
This unknown movie maybe one of the best action movies I have seen. To my surprise everything works. Mark Dacascos is great. This is one of the few where he has gotten the chance to show what he can do. Kadeem Harrison isn't annoying in the supporting role and has some good chemistry with Dacascos. Even Brittany Murphy performs well. Although again she plays a socially awkward but endearing character. I wonder how much of that is acted and how much of it is real. It is very fascinating since it is hard to tell whether she is insane or just happily disturbed.Like I said the action is top notch. MD delivers on this front like he did in Crying Freeman. Very reminiscent of Hong Kong style action. And this should not be a total surprise since Koichi Sakamoto and the Alpha Stunt Team was behind the stunts for Drive. They were attached to the Power Rangers franchise if that means anything to you. The martial arts sometimes is used in combination with wireworks. But it is not obvious. In this way it intensifies the action scenes. I must admit that the climax: fight between MD and other "super" man could have been much longer but still it is a great finale. The main highlight is the sequence in the motel where we get introduced to Brittanny Murphy's character. It's a very long but very rewarding scene interchanged with a lot of comedic bits. For a low budget production the movie looks great. The plot is adequate and provides a good background for the main characters. (At least it was in my version: director's cut).Overall it is a very fun and fast paced movie and still holds up today.
