As anyone can tell from the title, this Australian drama, SEVEN SNIPERS, is an action flick. What you can’t tell is that the level of action may be less than genre fans would prefer. Radha Mitchell stars as a former topnotch army sniper, now not only retired to a remote ranch with her teen daughter (Annabel Wolfe), but apparently hiding from someone or something (or both) in her past. Early on, she’s discovered by one who wants to relay her location to a grudge holder, forcing her to summon whomever she can among her old colleagues to help her defend against the imminent attack. Six of them answer the call.
It becomes likely that the guy who put a big bounty on her head is “Dragon” (Tim Roth), the most vicious, if not psychotic, player in their previous military endeavors (or endeavours, for the cast of Aussies and Brits), and his looming presence scares the (insert your own synonym for excrement) out of several. They all thought he had been killed long ago. They all gonna be proven wrong quite soonly.
So that gives us seven good guys (in the gender-neutral sense of the word), plus the daughter and her boyfriend vs. Roth, with all the action occurring in and around Mitchell’s isolated homestead, interlaced with a few flashbacks. What unfolds is a mixed bag of plot, character development and action that adds up to a so-so package. Roth is quite adept at playing smugly creepy, evil characters, conveying menace levels beyond his slight stature, in the vein of actors like Steve Buscemi, Joe Pantoliano or Jackie Earle Haley. Here, he does a lot of damage in relatively little screen time or dialog. And we eventually learn why he’s been dogging Mitchell for years with such determination.
It’s hard to stretch out that small cast and setup for 87 minutes. Unfortunately, Andrew O’Keefe’s script does that by having its characters make a number of annoyingly illogical moves, especially for seasoned soldiers. Those watching for bloodlust will get rewarded by a number of shots with serious doses of splatter. Mitchell, Wolfe and Roth are all worth watching, even in a vehicle that doesn’t give any of them their best chance to shine.
So, with suitably modulated expectations, this little flick may be enjoyable enough for fans of shoot-em-ups and the principals.
SEVEN SNIPERS streams on Well Go USA Entertainment starting Friday, June 5, 2026.
Revenge is the theme of director/writer Aleshea Harris’ IS GOD IS but there is a lot more going on here than payback and violence, although there is certainly that, in this film that has been called a vengeance action/thriller that has been described as a combination of Afropunk and Spaghetti Western, along with a dose of dark humor and a bit of epic quest, with some deeper questions to ponder.
Aleshea Harris makes her directorial debut with this film, which she adapted from her award-winning play, which deals with the trauma and abuse endured by Black women. It is told as a mythic quest by twin sisters, a tale rooted firmly both in the present and in ancient Greek theater and myths. The written version of the play resembles poetry, with different fonts and text that is sometimes upside down, and there is visual poetry here too, along with the violence.
Black twin sisters Anaia (Mallori Johnson) and Racine (Kara Young) were burned and scarred in childhood, when their father set fire to their mother. Raised in foster homes, where they learned to depend only on each other, the now 21-year-old twins are close but very different. They dress similar and have the same long blonde braided hair, but they are not identical and they differ in personality and temperament too. Racine is the bold one, the twin who takes action, fiercely defending her sister as well as herself against any slight or attack. Anaia is the quiet one, who keeps her head down and tries to blend into the background, but she is also the one who thinks and considers before deciding on an action, instead of just jumping in as Racine does.
The twins share a tiny, shabby apartment in the “Northeast,” where they have created their own insular life while getting by working low-wage service industry jobs. They are shocked when they get a letter from the mother they thought was dead, Ruby (), who is asking them to come to her because she has a request before she dies. Leaving their jobs and the Northeast, they drive their beat-up 1985 car to what they call the “Dirty South,” to meet the woman who claims to be their mother.
They find Ruby (Vivica A. Fox) in bed, covered in scars and attended by female helpers, as if she is a queen, even though she is living in a shack. Her request is simple but horrifying: she wants her long-lost daughters to find and kill their father, the man who burned they all.
Racine agrees readily but Anaia balks at this request, coming from a woman they hardly know and asking them to do something at great risk to themselves. What are the consequence for the two of them to commit this act of violence? Why did their mother wait until now to contact them? Eventually, Anaia agrees when Racine assures her she will do all the violence, and Anaia will take no part, but must come along because Racine can’t do it without her.
The first thing is to find their long-vanished daddy.
Thus the sisters set out on a quest that takes them through a South that is both very real yet mythic. It is both classic myth, ancient Greek theater, and classic Spaghetti Western, mixed with drive-in movie fare. They embark on their quest for vengeance, both grounded in the real and stylized, a quest filled with movie reference, theatrical ones, and some surprising, even darkly comic ones. The people they encounter change the twins, particularly Anaia. The story is firmly grounded in the contemporary, as well as myth – of the South, of tales of vengeance, of quests, of the experiences of Black women and the long history of what Black women have endured.
Harris shows a natural gift as a film director, handling horror and action scenes masterfully, and the quieter scenes of conversations between the girls, where they contemplate what they are doing, with the right, gentle touch.
The story begins a horrifying one, a flashback of the girls’ shared trauma, in black and white and narrated by their mother. In this chilling sequence, we see their mother’s unease before their abusive father, barred by court order, breaks in, sets their mother on fire and the girls catch fire as well, while their father casually strolls away. Scenes of childhood bullying and others of the girls innocently playing before the horrific event also recur throughout the film.
The meaning of the title is unclear, although it put me in mind of that old blues song “Is you is or is you ain’t my baby.” It is both a question and a statement, made in Black vernacular. The twins call their mother “God,” because, as Racine puts it, “she made us,” and at one point, Anaia tells someone “We’re on a mission from God.” The Blues Brothers reference is both a touch of dark humor and one of several movie references this stylized revenge epic. The twins themselves have a mythic quality, being opposites of a sort but completely tied, even complementary, to each other. They aren’t the only twins in the story, but the others who are less loving versions of this dichotomy.
The acting is superb, with both charismatic fireball Kara Young and quiet Mallori Johnson turning in strong performances. The supporting cast is excellent, including Vivica A. Fox and Janelle Monae, as with a startling performance by Sterling K. Brown, as you have never seen him before.
Besides the top-notch acting and strong direction, the film features fine photography, with wide-open vista, iconic images, and locations and sets that are spot on perfect. Nothing stage-y about this big screen adaptation.
This is a film with something to say and gives thinking audiences plenty to ponder, but director/writer Harris wraps it in an action/horror/adventure package so that audiences who just want that ride can just do that. Be warned that the violence is plentiful and gripping, but the psychological depth is there too, with plenty going on beneath the surface between the twins. There is much to intrigue the thinking viewer.
IS GOD IS opens in theaters on Friday, May 15, 2026.
THE BUTCHER’S BLADE is a martial arts flick from China that is set in ancient times – before guns. That makes the numerous fight scenes heavy on swordplay (No surprise. Blade is right there in the title), with a few novelty weapons for variety. The plot centers on Buyi (Fengchao Liu), an honest, but timid constable, who’s been cowed from using his considerable skills in the face of rampant oppression and corruption among the rich and powerful – including officials of the law above his rank. Why arrest those who will quickly buy their way out of consequences, and resume their evil deeds without skipping a beat?
When he’s framed for a major theft by his sleazy bosses and about to be executed, his former mentor intervenes and sends him and his old colleague, Li Zhen (Fufu Yuan), off to catch the real thieves and recover the large cache of silver they’d swiped. That would be the only way to prove his innocence to those higher in the ranks.
The plot is something of a bummer, as corruption is so pervasive at all levels of the culture. Local landowners gouge and physically abuse the poor, while co-opted authorities are paid to turn a blind eye. Buyi’s integrity has kept him at the lowest level of the constabulary, and just about as lonely as Jesse White’s Maytag repairman in those old TV commercials. By declining all the opportunities for graft, he’s made himself something of a pariah, and definitely not the honchos’ idea of a “team player”. This frame-up and reunion with Zhen give him the chance to grow a pair, and start nailing the bad guys, some of whom had bullied him before; others who were part of the frame-up. The two work their way up the food chain of responsibility for the robbery. But all the good guys may not be as good as they seem, giving the plot more twists.
All of that is fairly par for these courses. One watches such films mainly for the fight scenes, which are plentiful and expertly choreographed. One-on-ones and hero vs. hordes are generously presented throughout. The clashes are mostly gritty and realistic in scale, with only moderate amounts of wire work. No soaring to the rooftops; just longer hang-times in many of the moves. There are several displays of stunning acrobatics, and even a showy bit of parkour in one chase.
Those looking for plot and character development can do better elsewhere. Genre fans who groove on the action will be highly satisfied with the amount and quality of what they’ll find here. And stick around for the credits, which are accompanied by numerous clips of the fight choreography and practices.
THE BUTCHER’S BLADE, mostly in Mandarin with English subtitles, debuts on digital formats as of May 12, 2026 from Well Go USA.
Hugh Jackman stars as a shepherd whose sheep love hearing him read them murder mystery stories, in the warm, witty live action/CGI animated mystery/action/comedy THE SHEEP DETECTIVES. When the shepherd, George Hardy, dies under mysterious circumstances, the sheep are on the case, of course, to find out whodunit, using the techniques they learned from those murder mysteries.
The delightful CGI sheep talk among themselves when people aren’t around. When people are there, all the humans hear is bleating – because, of course, sheep speak “sheep.” On the other hand, the sheep understand what humans are saying, or at least the words if not always the meaning.
The sheep are not animated in the traditional sense but CGI. Usually, one expects a movie with talking animals to be animated or annoyingly cute. This film is neither. THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is a delightful film, with a more serious and emotionally complexity bent which making it interesting for adults as well as kids. But just to be clear, , as there is plenty of humor, action and a mystery to solve.
While kids can appreciate and enjoy the story, it is too intense for very young children, with some scary moments and discussions of death and grief that might not be right for the youngest.
Besides reading to his flock every night, kind-hearted George (Hugh Jackman) only raises them for their wool, not for meat, which most other sheep operations around him do. George is a bit of a hermit, and lives alone in a trailer out with his flock and likes it that way. He loves all his sheep and takes very good care of them. He has fended off several attempts by the local butcher or other sheep owners to buy his flock for slaughter, but George cares more about his sheep than he cares about making money.
George’s flock are a bit of a motley lot, with a ram (Bryan Cranston) who likes wander and is a bit of a mystery himself, another wise old ram Mopple (voiced by Chris O’Dowd) who is a kind of repository of memories the others have forgotten, and an ewe who is a kind of leader, Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus). There is also a particularly fluffy sheep who likes to have some attention, as well as a couple of lambs full of questions and a pair of young ram brothers full of energy (but little sense). There is another youngster, a “winter lamb,” who is rejected by the flock, as a lamb born too early in the season often is, but who is cared for by George.
When the sheep find George dead, lying in the field, they are shocked and unsure what to do next. Then it occurs to them that they have to solve the mystery of who killed him, and the murder mystery books George read to them might be their guide. Lead sheep Lily (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), with old Mopple’s (Chris O’Dowd) help, steps up to lead the investigation. That task involves doing things she has never done and going places she has never been, with some assistance from that wandering ram, Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) who is more worldly than the flock knew.
Meanwhile, the people in the nearby village launch their own investigation, led by the village’s sole policeman (Nicholas Braun ). A few newcomers come into the mix, a young journalist (Nicholas Galitzine) from a neighboring town, and a visitor from America (Molly Gordon) who had been writing to George from across the pond, along with her solicitor (Emma Thompson). Other villagers include a grouchy innkeeper (Hong Chau), the village priest (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), another sheep farmer interested in buying George’s flock (Tosin Cole), and his pal, the butcher (Conleth Hill).
There is more than a dash of Agatha Christie in this story set in a little English village and surrounding lovely countryside where the sheep turn detective, based on the novel “Three Bags Full.” The mystery is charming and funny but the humor is more silly than whimsical, like in BABE. Directed by Kyle Balda, the script is from Craig Mazin, who, surprisingly, was the writer behind “The Last of Us” and “Chernobyl.” THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is a family film with a serious side, and a message for kids and grown-ups, about dealing with death, overcoming fear, trying something new, and the importance of remembering. The subject matter is a bit too serious, and occasionally scary, for very young kiddies, but a good fit for older kids.
The voice cast is impressive, including not just Chris O’Dowd and Julia Louis-Dreyfus but Bryan Cranston, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Regina Hall and others. The cast in the live action portion includes stars too, with Emma Thompson particularly good as the sharp and sharp-tongued lawyer. Hugh Jackman disappears fairly early in the story, too soon perhaps for some fans, but we do get a bit more Jackman in flashbacks.
The story moves back and forth between the sheep trying to solve the mystery and the sole policeman in the village, who is trying to working things out, with a little help from some others, and the sheep. The characters in town provide plenty of red herrings and sometimes are more hindrance than help, including the ambitious young journalist from a nearby larger town, hoping to find a scope to make his name. The young woman from America, who has been exchanging letters with George, as well as her solicitor, are another mystery to solve.
Besides the mystery and some thrills and actions, there is plenty of humor and gags, often in a kind of slapstick mode. Turning detective also challenges the sheep, takes them out of their comfortable routine, and forces them to reconsider some of their assumptions and beliefs.
THE SHEEP DETECTIVES is pure delight, an intelligent, well-made family film that is both funny and has something meaningful to say, something very rare indeed now.
THE SHEEP DETECTIVES opens nationally in theaters on Friday, May 8, 2026.
Director Gore Verbinski (PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN) teams up with the great Sam Rockwell for a sci-fi action/comedy with something to say, where a man from the future, who is trying to save humanity from an all-powerful Artificial Intelligence creation, travels back in time to try to stop it at a critical moment. He’s already done this 116 times, but why not try a 117th.
On a dark night in L.A., one man enters a diner full of people, while holding a detonator button and wearing a strange outfit covered in wires and tactical gear. He says he’s not there to rob the place but he does have a bomb, so they better sit still and listen up. Then he tells them he is from the future and he’s there to recruit people to help him save humanity from an coming A.I. apocalypse, something he has already tried unsuccessfully 116 times before.
In a world-weary, slightly sarcastic tone, he tells his captive audience about his mission to save the world. Most people in the diner assume he’s a crazy homeless person but this joker is deadly serious, although you’d never guess that from his crazy get-up. Others barely look up from their cell phones – until he snatches their phones and tosses them away. He strides about the room, jumping on tables, calling out people by name to convince them this is real, and gradually, they start to listen to this character who seems to know things about the people there, who they are, what they are about to do next. He tells them that somewhere in this group of 47 people in this diner is a magic combination to save the world. Then he asks for volunteers to help him in his quest.
This is crazy, funny opening scene kicks things off in goofy, high-energy high-gear, as an unrecognizable Sam Rockwell, his face obscured by full beard, smeared dirt and a ski cap pulled low, brilliantly delivers his speech, about cell phone addiction leading to societal collapse and AI domination, while in constant kinetic motion. Rockwell goose-steps across tables, snatches handfuls of fries off plates, and slips into booths with lightning speed, to call them by name and share personal details about them – and pausing to yell at the waitress just before she picks up the phone to call the police.
Rockwell’s wild guy from the future does get a few volunteers (plus a few hands also go up from diners he refuses to take, due to poor performance on past runs). But he needs a few more, so he “drafts” some into coming along, based on either good past results or just because he hasn’t tried that combination before. One of the people who does volunteer is a young woman in a bedraggled princess costume, named Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson). At first, he refuses to take her, but then he relents – because he’s never pick her before. She might be the magic addition to this combination that makes his mission work this time.
The crew he assembles also includes a couple who are teachers, Mark (Michael Pena) and Janet (Zazie Beetz), and a grieving mom named Susan (Juno Temple), and blustery guy named Scott (Asim Chaudhry) plus a few more. Their mission is to install a bit of software that was developed in the future, which installs controls on an A.I. creation built by a 9-year-old boy (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt), before it can achieve singularity and surpass human intelligence. They have to reach the home of that boy before that happens, and time is short. The man from the future wears a timer counting down the minutes and knows where the boy is, and it isn’t even far, but that doesn’t mean it is easy to get there. Many have died trying over those 116 attempts.
This is director/producer Gore Verbinski’s comeback film after nearly a decade away from film making. GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE (a phrase that is supposedly something virtual-reality gamers in this film say to each other) was independently made, maybe because no studio would touch a film that has A.I. as the villain. Nonetheless, Verbinski turns in an high-energy, entertaining film, with a good cast, while he and scriptwriter Matthew Robinson have their say about dangers of cell phone addiction and A.I. generally.
The ticking clock helps drive this energetic, entertaining gonzo comedy/adventure/action tale. which delivers with action and physical comedy but also delves into dark comedy (sometimes very dark, even unsettling), satire and social commentary, particularly in some flashbacks sequences. As the quest unfolds, we get flashbacks to some characters’ personal stories, specifically Haley Lu Richardson’s Ingrid, Michael Pena’s and Zazie Beetz’s and Juno Temple’s mom, as well as Sam Rockwell’s character’s tale. In flashbacks, we learn more about their alternate or near-future world, where school shootings are so common that schools come equipped safe rooms, disconnected teens are constantly on their phones or threatening if not, people are cloned in secret but come back with ads, and virtual reality goggles are so good, that people sign up to live in that alternate reality full time, permanently. All the flashbacks give us insight on how screwed up their world already is and, in the case of Rockwell’s character, part of how it got there.
Verbinski picked the perfect actor for the lead role but we know it is Sam Rockwell giving this speech largely because his name is in the credits. His face is well hidden, although why isn’t clear. His costume, however, is a perfect comic mishmash of electronics, wires, tactical gear and topped by a clear raincoat, making him look like a homeless person in a homemade time-traveler/bomber outfit.
As the story progresses, the lead shifts a bit toward Haley Lu Richardson’s Ingrid, as it hurtles towards it’s wild end with not just practical effects but also vibrant, even eye-popping visual effects.
I love the concept for this satiric dark comedy film, and it is a lot of fun, as well as having something to say, and Sam Rockwell is the perfect choice for the lead. While not everything is perfect, GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE still is an entertaining quirky, fun and involving film, with something important to say. The film deserves credit for being a unique concept on a timely topic, instead of a timid retread, and it deserves credit for its snappy pace, good storytelling, its band of misfits characters, its determined use of practical effects and nicely-done visual effects. Sam Rockwell deserves credit for a winning and determined high-energy performance under all that makeup and forty pounds of costume. We should reward all that by seeing this film, in a theater, and if you do, you will be rewarded with an entertaining and thought-provoking experience.
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE opens in theaters on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.
Director James Cameron is back with a third installment of his AVATAR franchise, which continues to deliver astounding visual effects and world-creation at the highest level. In the first film, a human expedition looking for resources to extract is sent to world called Pandora, a place with an un-breathable atmosphere and inhabited by tall, blue, technologically less-advanced people, dispatches a Marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), in the form of an avatar that looks like the forest-living Na’vi people, to learn more about them. But after falling in love with a Na’vi warrior woman, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), Jake switches sides and leads a rebellion against the humans. The second film takes place some 15 years later, as Jake, wife Neytiri and their kids hide out from the human among some beach-dwelling peoples, pursued by Jake’s nemesis and fellow Marine, Quaritch (Stephen Lang). This third one, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, takes place shortly after that second film.
The main reason to see AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, are the spectacular visual effects and it’s breathtaking world-building. The 3D visual effects are immersive and beautiful, with one breathtaking vista after another. AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH continues to astonish with innovative visual effects that combine motion-capture and digital effects, like the first film, and now including 3D like the second one, but the effects are even more fully integrated, allowing one to entirely be enveloped by its imaginary world. The impressive effects even continue in the scenes with regular non-CGI or motion-capture actor, creating a seamlessly believable world.
Since the outstanding visual effects are the major reason to see this film, the best way to do that is in a theater, on a big screen with 3D capability. If you watch it on a small screen at home or on a phone, you will be missing out most of the reason to see it at all.
The reason why that matters so much is, despite all that visual effect artistry and technical dazzle, the characters and story do not reach that same high level, remaining familiar figures from a classic hero’s tale, with the addition of a historical tale of a colonial or corporate power moving in on a less-technological indigenous one. These indigenous people are aided greatly by that fellow who switched sides, which sets up a David and Goliath / underdog tale.
Action is plentiful and looks great but the story adds more and more characters without expanding on the ones already there. The main characters remain underdeveloped, being either noble good guys or evil bad ones. The story focuses on battles and those breathtaking new vistas but that can hold audience interest forever.
The effects are 3D but the characters remain 2D. It is not the fault of the cast, but the writer. The characters are written to be simple: Worthington’s Jake is noble and brave, Saldana’s Neytiri is emotional and protective, Stephen Lang as Jake’s enemy is relentless, while Giovanni Ribisi’s corporate boss is greedy and heartless. If the story is familiar, the audience has to care about the people in the story to maintain interest, and that means making them more real, more rounded and full-developed.
This story introduces new peoples on Pandora, with peaceful trading peoples who travel through the air in ships attached to blip-like floating creatures. There is another, less peaceful group too, the raiders/pirates known as the Ash People, who prey on the traders and others less warlike folk.
Quaritch, now also using an avatar body, sets out to make contact the war-like Ash People, with the aim of forming an alliance. He hits it off with the Ash People’s fierce, fearless, blood-thirsty queen Varang (a splendid Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin), and a deal is struck.
Meanwhile, Jake struggles with getting the Na’vi and water-based Metkayina Clan to consider using human weapons that he retrieved from the water after the last battle, rather than just bows and arrows. Jake and Neytiri, in addition to their own kids, have adopted two more: Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), the Na’vi child of the avatar of the scientist played by Sigourney Weaver in the first AVATAR, and a human boy nicknamed Spider (Jack Champion), the biological son of Jake’s enemy Quaritch, who needs a special mask to breath the air, a mask that has to be continually replenished to keep him alive.
Stephen Lang’s Quaritch and Oona Chaplin’s Ash queen are by far the most interesting in this one, but if left undeveloped, will just join the crowd of cookie-cutter characters. The story is packed with action and battles and so full of twists (and new characters) that there isn’t much time to do much with this growing cast of characters anyway. But failing to develop the characters beyond the two-dimensional means that maintaining interest in the familiar tropes of this tale will become increasingly challenging.
Reportedly, director/writer James Cameron has two more of these visual effects extravaganzas in the planning stage but unless he starts creating depth to this characters to sustain this hero tale, he is likely to see waning audience interest, something already underway. It can’t just be pretty pictures.
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH opens in theaters on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
A scene from SPEED TRAIN. Courtesy of Level 33 Entertainment
It’s been just over 30 years since Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves found themselves trapped in a bus that couldn’t go slower than 55 without going BOOM! in the original SPEED. Since then, there have been a ton of movies based on comparable perils in every sort of public transportation vehicle, with the possible exception of pedicabs and rickshaws (no one could cover EVERY action movie from Asia). The title of SPEED TRAIN tells you most of what to expect.
In a high-tech near future, featuring rapid rail transit and brain implants that can enhance all sorts of learning and functions, we meet a bunch of people in a mostly talky first half hour. One car on this train’s maiden voyage (Do trains have voyages? If not, insert your own alternative noun.) contains shackled violent prisoners being shipped to the death chamber. The rest are occupied by the usual assortment of random civilians, with focus on a pair of cheerleading coaches and their two captains heading for a big competition.
Unbeknownst to all is that Loklin (Louis Mandylor) designed much of that tech, but got shafted on the many millions he should have received. He’s set up a high-priced pay-to-play game, in which rich jerks can remotely control the body of a designated prisoner, who is let loose to fight or kill anyone in their path. He’s also taken command of the train, speeding it up to Doomsday velocity as it crosses the country.
The degree of harm the thugs and their masters do is surprisingly limited by unexpected fighting skills among the regular passengers – especially the cheer coach who is ex-military (Scout Taylor-Compton) and an Interpol agent with family problems. The players aren’t all that interesting, but the action is first-rate. Plenty of hand-to-hand mayhem and bloodshed. Louis Mandylor is a hard sell as a Lex Luthor-level genius, but he does well showing the deranged evil side of his character.
A side note you may also find interesting. I grew curious after seeing Louis in a lot of films lately. He’s a year younger than his brother, Costas. Both have around 170 screen credits, and 17 or 18 awards and nominations for their work. Costas has more total screen time, since one of his credits was for 88 episodes of the fine TV series “Picket Fences.” Louis’ resume includes more off-screen activity, with 13 gigs as director and 16 as a producer. Their family gatherings must a hoot of (I hope) friendly competition.
The performances are competent. Production values are laudable, with appealing sets and graphics keeping the confined setting from feeling claustrophobic. The script falls short on developing personalities for empathy, and has a few plot holes, but delivers on brisk pace and well-staged action once that phase begins. For mindless escapism, it’s a reasonable time investment.
SPEED TRAIN opens in select theaters and streaming on demand on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.
A scene from SAMURAI FURY. Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
The year is 1461 (for the movie, SAMURAI FURY, not us, though many think we’re regressing globally). Japan is in a state of chaos. The country is ravaged by plague, with 82,000 deaths, and counting; the peasants who haven’t succumbed are starving and besieged by different groups of debt collectors, using the most despicable tactics; a slew of ronin (samurai with no master to serve) are roaming the country without purpose; the Shogun ain’t doin’ diddly-squat to help anyone or stem the violence from the monks and warlords. In the midst of this, one ronin, Hasuda Hyoe (Ôizumi Yô) emerges as a good guy, who might just make a difference. That may require butting heads with his longtime friend Honekawa Doken (Shin’ichi Tsutsumi), who is in charge of forces defending the ruling class.
Hyoe picks up a spirited apprentice he calls “Frog” (Yuya Eendo) among the cringing masses and sends him off to an old sensei for a year of training. Then he gradually assembles a rag-tag army of other ronin and willing villagers to storm the capital in Kyoto. Their main goal is to destroy all the loan papers the monks holding them have been wielding to brutalize debtors and their families during this time of extreme hardship. His plans are intricate, building slowly to what will, ideally, become the Big Day.
Standard stuff, so far, as this sort of theme is quite common in East Asian martial arts and action period fare. Since it’s set in an era before guns, swords, spears, staffs and arrows are the non-anatomical weapons of the day, with occasional explosions. That calls for top-notch stunt choreography, and the film delivers superbly on that front, with relatively little wire work, thereby maximizing its grittiness.
Genre fans have seen the de rigeur training sequences in the majority of these films. Frog’s regimen for mastering the pole (the weapon, not the stripper support) is unique, and much more interesting than most, both visually and in content. The climactic battle sequences are huge in scale, bloody in execution and fascinatingly intricate. Kudos to writer/director Yu Irie for elevating the level of writing and action above the norm, and for crafting so many elaborate sets for the long course of events. Frog’s character arc is particularly satisfying, as well as the frenemy situation that unfolds between Hyoe and Doken.
The 135-minute running time is just fine for the material presented. It seemed shorter, which is among the highest compliments I ever give.
SAMURAI FURY, in Japanese with English subtitles, is available from WellGo USA in digital format beginning Oct. 7, and in 4K and Blu-ray formats starting Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.
A scene from THE VILLAGERS. Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
I’ve enjoyed a slew of Ma Dong-seok’s contributions to Korean action flicks. The rotund, open-faced actor usually plays sidekicks and minor parties – often adding some comic relief. Most of his 14 awards and nominations, to date, have been for supporting actor gigs. But in THE VILLAGERS, he’s the action star.
His character, Yeok Gi-cheol, is a former MMA champion who had aged into coaching. His integrity gets him banished when he confronts the sport’s honchos about their corruption. Fortunately – or so it first seems – an admirer gets him a job in the village giving rise to the film’s name, teaching phys ed and serving as assistant dean at a high school.
The latter title merely sticks him with the thankless task of collecting overdue tuition from the students and their families. Because he looks like an overweight, middle-aged simpleton, he gets less respect than Rodney Dangerfield. The main drama comes from the ignored efforts of a student, Yoo-jin (Kim Sae-ron) to get the school and cops to investigate the disappearance of her best friend. Despite being only 15, the missing girl had been working at a night club that catered to very adult tastes, raising many possible crime-free explanations about her fate. Yoo-jin insists that her pal was not the sort of unhappy teen who runs away that the authorities want to presume. Deaf ears on lazy cops’ heads abound.
Since all her efforts have been rebuffed by every adult in the picture, Yoo-jin is skeptical about Gi-cheol’s attempts to help her. It becomes apparent to us long before them that there’s something big going on, with cops, politicos and school honchos in on whatever it is. His default setting is that of being baffled by how little anyone in any position of responsibility cares what happened to her – especially the cops’ reluctance to even open a file for investigation.
This sort of little guy(s) vs. systemic corruption is a common theme in films from all around the world. Bollywood cranks out tons of these with high-octane, one-man-army vigor. Usually, the action quotient is higher than in this one, which plays out more like a slowly unfolding procedural. Gi-cheol could and should be delivering more beat-downs than he does, spreading his frustrations to the viewers.
The conspiracy is a spider web that takes a long time to penetrate. But the two stars keep it interesting, even as daylight starts peeking through the fog of criminal enterprise and cover-up later than viewers might prefer. Even so, the climax makes the journey worthwhile.
There’s a sad note in all of this. Kim Sae-ron was a charming, talented actress with a dozen awards and nominations on her resume, including one of my favorite Korean imports, THE MAN FROM NOWHERE. But she committed suicide a few years after this film’s release when she was only 24. A real loss for all.
THE VILLAGERS, in Korean with English subtitles, is available streaming in digital format from WellGo USA starting Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025.
Hulking Marko Zaror stars in the action flick AFFINITY as an ex-SEAL living low in Thailand, riddled with PTSD, and kicking himself over an old mission failure. He rescues a woman (Jane Mirro) on the run from something bad. She calls herself Athena but has no memory of her life before that moment. He becomes her protector and lover. But only briefly, before she’s snatched and in need of another rescue. The more we learn about her, the less sense the plot makes.
Zaror is a legit stunt man and martial artist. As an actor, he’s like Arnold Vosloo with less emotional range. Or Dave Bautista without his capacity for humor. But his thespian side seems relatively good compared to the rest of his non-combat skill set, since he shares credit for the lamentable story idea and screenplay. As solid as his fight scenes are, the talky parts between them are quite unconvincing and under-stimulating. You can’t wring much romantic juice from a wounded warrior and a blank slate of a paramour. That makes the whole rescue quest go south on the empathy scale. The obviously low budget doesn’t help either.
The evils to be conquered include designer drugs, crimes large and small, and a demented scientist driven by a Pygmalion obsession. So Zaror delivers beat-downs to many who richly deserve it, making the fight scenes gritty and gratifying. Some semblance of protagonist energy comes from Zaror’s cohorts, played by Louis Mandylor and Brooke Ence, but not enough to boost the production into an emotionally-engaging experience.
The inevitable climactic battle is the film’s best feature, and almost worth what you have to sit through to get there. Basically, watch this for the fights. Fast-forward through the rest.
AFFINITY is available via digital streaming from Well Go USA starting Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.
