Tag: Yayan Ruhian

LONE SAMURAI – Review

Of the several hundred Asian martial arts films I’ve seen, LONE SAMURAI may be the oddest. Even when the Samurai of the title is ethnically unlikely – such leads ranged from Richard Chamberlain to Tom Cruise, among others – one expects the script to lean heavily into swordplay and other action. This one spends most of its time in moody silences before cranking things up to a long, rousing fightfest.

It’s set in 13th Century Japan. Kublai Khan had just been rebuffed in his second naval assault on the country, by a combination of defending warriors and a typhoon that wrecked much of both fleets. We learn that from the opening narration. Our nameless titular samurai (Shogen Ito) washes ashore on some remote island, presumably the only survivor of his vessel’s complement. He sees a few natives, but makes no attempt to engage, possibly because they aren’t really there. He decides to commit ritual suicide – first on the beach, then after schlepping logs and ropes to the top of a mountain to erect a torii – gateway to the afterlife. Just before he plunges his sword into his abdomen for the act of seppuku, he’s kayoed and snatched by a tribe of primitive folk who turn out to be sadistic cannibals. They take him to their own nearby island. The locals like playing with their food, maiming the menu and killing them slowly… but far from softly. Pain on the platter presumably puts pleasure on the palate.

There’s little dialog in the first 90 minutes. We learn mostly from flashbacks that our guy yearns to return to his wife and sons, but despairs of ever doing so.  He’s taken to a cave with other future snacks and entrees, some of whom have already had body parts removed – presumably for appetizers.  As they’re preparing to start dismantling the star’s anatomy, he manages to kill a couple of guards, escape, and grab a dugout to return to the first place he landed. Thus, he dares them to come and get him.

And that’s when the good times roll for fans of on-screen mayhem. A whole scheisseload of loinclcoth-clad, handmade weapon-wielding dudes frantically row their fleet of canoes in pursuit. Our samurai lays in wait as 50, or so, man-munchers comb the jungle for him.  He picks off a bunch of them, one by one. Then the horde assembles back on the beach.

That’s when the one-man army thing really takes over. It’s all swords, spears, clubs and hatchets, with a few arrows in the mix. There’s a generous amount of splatter with some beheadings, though the cannibal catering sequence is generally more gruesome than the later killings.

Writer/director Josh C. Walter made good use of his Indonesia locations. And why not? The country has over 17,000 to choose from. But his script lingered too long on moody silences and time alone with Shogen before getting to the adrenalin stuff. That part is decently staged, with a handful of unique methods of offing his foes.

So, if one has the patience for the dry slog with periodic wistful musings, there is a payoff. Whether one concludes it was worth the time could go either way.  

From Well Go USA Entertainment, LONE SAMURAI debuts on Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ & DVD March 17.

1 1/2 Stars Out Of 4

https://wellgousa.com/films/lone-samurai

LONE SAMURAI has a runtime of approximately 95 minutes and is rated R for strong bloody violence and gore.

Watch Frank Grillo In New Trailer For BEYOND SKYLINE

The new trailer is here for BEYOND SKYLINE, Liam O’Donnell’s sci-fi sequel to SKYLINE.

Starring Frank Grillo, Bojana Novakovic, Jonny Weston, Yayan Ruhian, and Iko Uwais, the film opens in theaters, alongside that other little sci-fi film, on December 15.

Frank Grillo has starred in the highly successful PURGE franchise, THE GREY, as Brock Rumlow / Crossbones in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and in the upcoming Netflix movie WHEELMAN, to be released on October 20, 2017.

In BEYOND SKYLINE, when the population of Los Angeles is vacuumed off the face of the earth, Detective Mark Corley (Grillo) storms his way onto an alien ship to rescue his estranged son. But after crashing the ship in Southeast Asia, he must forge an alliance with a band of survivors to discover the key to saving his son and taking back the planet once and for all.

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THE RAID: REDEMPTION – The Review

Once more, an incredible film emerges from an once unlikely corner of the world, to many a place virtually unknown to Americans. This time, its Indonesia and the film is THE RAID: REDEMPTION. Do you think you know action? No, not Schwarzenegger and Stallone, but true badass, butt-kicking, jaw-dropping action that sticks to your ribs like so many seen brutally busted? If so, then this is one film you had better not miss… or else!

THE RAID: REDEMPTION — from here out referred to simply as THE RAID — is written and directed by Gareth Evans. You may be wondering why or how a film from Indonesia is made by a guy who certainly doesn’t sound Indonesian, but really… who cares?!?! [From what I gather, Evans is Welsh-born and a cinephile uniquely obsessed with Eastern culture. I’m down with that.] Evans clearly has a firm grasp on the culture, the setting and the hardships of the Indonesian people. The film takes place in a crumbling, urban setting, primarily a towering housing complex/fortress controlled by the local drug and crime boss who rules with a heavy hand, blatantly providing safe haven for all the worst type of subhuman beings — for a price — mocking the authorities who fear to enter his domain, as many have tried and failed.

Reluctant but loyal to his duty and eager to do his part in ending the reign of criminal terror, this is where our hero Rama (Iko Uwais) enters the story. Rama is a young, but lethal soldier for justice, a husband and soon-to-be father with a glimmer of giving his unborn child a better future twinkling in his eye. This will ultimately be what drives Rama through the pain as he takes on the highrise from hell. What Evans does that I appreciate is to introduce our hero in a way we’re not normally accustomed to seeing, a montage cutting between shots of Rama training in solitude and shots of Rama praying in solitude as well. He’s a complete man, father and husband, at peace and clear-headed… making him dangerously focused and powerful.

THE RAID spends a little time up front introducing the characters on both sides, a little time setting up the premise for what is about to take place on screen, then quickly throws the audience right into the police raid which rapidly unravels into chaos and bloodshed, a vertical monsoon of bullets followed by a barrage of unbelievable feet and fists that will have you on the edge of your seat. The fight choreography in THE RAID is superb, and without the (apparent) use of wires, this is a feature film showcasing a whole new cast of awe-inspiring martial artists. At first, hot lead is everywhere, followed by cold steel and hardened fists when the bullets run out. This is when the fun really begins and the pain takes hold.

The story, while simple and direct, has a team of SWAT-like police infiltrating the corrupted high rise with the implied intent of ridding it of the criminal cockroaches plaguing their city. What eventually reveals itself is a twist at the end, one I will not divulge, but will elude to it being a fairly formulaic but effective plot tool which takes a backseat to the great portion and focus of the film, which is the magnificent fight choreography, conceived by Yayan Ruhian (remember this name) and Iko Uwais himself. Truly amazing stuff on display here guys, and gals. THE RAID features more moments of phantom pain amidst the audience than I can recall in so many years. I found myself on multiple occasions reacting with an “Oooh, ow!” or flinching or briefly turning away, then morbidly looking back for more. Busted heads, broken backs, faces, ribs, necks, limbs… it’s all demolished on both sides of this epic conflict with fantastic, painful realism. I do love Jackie Chan, but these guys make his real-life stunts and fight choreography look tame in comparison.

Remember that guy whose name I said to remember? In addition to co-choreographing THE RAID, Yayan Ruhian also plays Mad Dog, the crime boss’ enforcer, opposite his right hand man, who has a secret of his own to be discovered when you see this film. Mad Dog is the little psycho killer who could, and seemingly NEVER FREAKING DIES! This short, long-haired little mutt’s bite is way, way way worse than his relatively quiet bark. It’s rare that I find myself actually rooting in a way for the bad guy, but Mad Dog in a monster in a small package. He does more damage to this crew of tactical enforcers of good than Godzilla has down to Tokyo. Pain is his middle name and he prefers fists and feet to guns, as he explains before utterly annihilating Rama’s #2 guy Jaka (Joe Taslim), but not without a lengthy and spectacular fight to the death.

THE RAID only has one, relatively minor flaw, hence receiving 4.5 rather than 5 stars. The film is light on depth of plot and back-story, but not so much that it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the film. Hey, sometimes you just want to be entertained by extraordinary, excessive violence, right? Otherwise, why would mixed martial arts be so popular? Speaking of which, imagine the best MMA fighters being thrown together into a massive multi-level royal rumble a la Donkey Kong and you still wouldn’t have the level of awesomeness available to you in THE RAID: REDEMPTION. ‘Nuff said!

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

THE RAID: REDEMPTION opens today, April 13th, in Saint Louis at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre.