'Blade of Fury'
Pei Xing ... aka the Jackal (Ashton Chen) is a drunken bounty hunter, who, at the outset of Pengfei Qin's "Blade of Fury," tracks down bandits he believes have stolen imperial jewels. Instead, he discovers they've taken a courtesan who recently gave birth to the prime minister's child, who is heir to the throne. She put her baby in hiding and everyone, from the prime minister's enforcer, Lord Guo (Pema Jyad), to a band of Xing's former comrades, are after him.
"Blade of Fury" is a classical swordplay movie, relying on a steady camera and assured compositions to capture acrobatic clashes, like the opening showdown between Xing and the bandits. Later, when Xing's pursuit to protect the child becomes personal, the filmmaking turns to wide framing and hand-held movement so audiences can marvel at the elaborate fight choreography that makes Qin's sturdy film so enthralling. (Stream it on Hi-Yah!)
'Lone Samurai'
Split into two parts, Josh C. Waller's "Lone Samurai" concerns Riku (Shogen), a 13th-century samurai who washes up on a seemingly deserted island's beach after a clash with Kublai Khan's army. In the film's meditative first chapter, Riku, who's consumed by visions of his family, prepares to die by suicide. But by the second chapter, when he's taken prisoner by the island's cannibals, he turns to killing.
While "Lone Samurai" could be accused of leaning on tropes, like the bloodthirsty savage, the film isn't so simplistic. Though Riku sees the islanders as brutes, they believe he's a demon. This is also a film that loves expansive vistas. During a climactic battle between Riku and this Indigenous tribe on a beach -- the always balletic Yayan Ruhian also appears to fight as a witch -- vicious violence becomes spellbindingly poetic via slow motion movement and natural lighting soaked in golden hour splendor. (Rent or buy on most major platforms.)
'The Tank'
A bit like "Apocalypse Now" meets "Fury," Dennis Gansel's hellish World War II period piece "The Tank" goes full throttle through desolation, horror and death. Set in 1943, the film follows a German panzer tank crew led by Lieutenant Philip Gerkens (David Schütter), who are tasked with navigating the Eastern Front to retrieve the lost Officer Paul von Hardenburg (Tilman Strauss).
The draw to Gansel's film is its mixture of these soldiers' camaraderie against adverse sights and their internal moral conflicts. For the former, this five-person crew must face down minefields, dive underwater in their tank and square off against their Soviet counterparts in a captivating heavy metal chess match. During their arduous mission, they must consider whether they are simply following orders or playing an active hand in German atrocities. It all culminates with a nightmarish reveal that makes the long journey worth the wait. (Stream it on Amazon Prime Video.)
'A Time for Bravery'
Argentine director Ariel Winograd's action comedy "A Time for Bravery," set in Mexico City, is a delightful romp with a fun premise that recalls "Lethal Weapon." Like most buddy cop movies, this one pairs two unlikely partners when Silverstein (Luis Gerardo Méndez), a psychiatrist needing to complete community service, is teamed with Detective Diaz (Memo Villegas), whose wife dumped him, leaving him emotionally broken. It's up to Silverstein to help Diaz, in order for the cop to investigate a case involving two missing men and stolen uranium.
Much of this comedy's enjoyment arises from Silverstein and Diaz's growing friendship, which involves smoking weed, visiting the gun range and teaching Silverstein how to box. The pair must also contend with a corrupt police force and dirty federal officials led by Solares (Christian Tappan). An engrossing raid on a nuclear facility provides some slapstick entertainment by positioning the pencil-neck Silverstein as an unwitting action hero who, much like this film, is compelled by empathy and friendship. (Stream it on Netflix.)
'Thieves Highway'
This rough-and-tumble revenge story takes its cues from classic Westerns by following the gruff Frank Bennett (Aaron Eckhart), an Oklahoma livestock officer working to find violent cattle rustlers. His pursuit leads him and his friend Bill (Lochlyn Munro) to the middle of nowhere to confront Jones (Devon Sawa) and his murderous crew. Bill dies in the process, leaving Frank stranded and vulnerable against a bloodthirsty Jones.
While the director Jesse V. Johnson's rugged picture doesn't necessarily break the mold, it does offer memorable characters and dependable action. As Frank works to outmaneuver Jones, he finds another enemy in Peggy (Lucy Martin), a vengeful diner server, and locates a friend in the gravel-voice wanderer, Aksel (The D.O.C.). Rural shootouts on open roads are edited with brutality in mind; the camera rarely shies away from gore, but a bloody finale in a diner takes viewers back to the O.K. Corral. Here, Eckhart, who's become an action mainstay, stands tall against some lowdown scoundrels in need of frontier justice. (Rent or buy on most major platforms.)
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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"Blade of Fury" is a classical swordplay movie, relying on a steady camera and assured compositions to capture acrobatic clashes, like the opening showdown between Xing and the bandits. Later, when Xing's pursuit to protect the child becomes personal, the filmmaking turns to wide framing and hand-held movement so audiences can marvel at the elaborate fight choreography that makes Qin's sturdy film so enthralling. (Stream it on Hi-Yah!)
'Lone Samurai'
Split into two parts, Josh C. Waller's "Lone Samurai" concerns Riku (Shogen), a 13th-century samurai who washes up on a seemingly deserted island's beach after a clash with Kublai Khan's army. In the film's meditative first chapter, Riku, who's consumed by visions of his family, prepares to die by suicide. But by the second chapter, when he's taken prisoner by the island's cannibals, he turns to killing.
While "Lone Samurai" could be accused of leaning on tropes, like the bloodthirsty savage, the film isn't so simplistic. Though Riku sees the islanders as brutes, they believe he's a demon. This is also a film that loves expansive vistas. During a climactic battle between Riku and this Indigenous tribe on a beach -- the always balletic Yayan Ruhian also appears to fight as a witch -- vicious violence becomes spellbindingly poetic via slow motion movement and natural lighting soaked in golden hour splendor. (Rent or buy on most major platforms.)
'The Tank'
A bit like "Apocalypse Now" meets "Fury," Dennis Gansel's hellish World War II period piece "The Tank" goes full throttle through desolation, horror and death. Set in 1943, the film follows a German panzer tank crew led by Lieutenant Philip Gerkens (David Schütter), who are tasked with navigating the Eastern Front to retrieve the lost Officer Paul von Hardenburg (Tilman Strauss).
The draw to Gansel's film is its mixture of these soldiers' camaraderie against adverse sights and their internal moral conflicts. For the former, this five-person crew must face down minefields, dive underwater in their tank and square off against their Soviet counterparts in a captivating heavy metal chess match. During their arduous mission, they must consider whether they are simply following orders or playing an active hand in German atrocities. It all culminates with a nightmarish reveal that makes the long journey worth the wait. (Stream it on Amazon Prime Video.)
'A Time for Bravery'
Argentine director Ariel Winograd's action comedy "A Time for Bravery," set in Mexico City, is a delightful romp with a fun premise that recalls "Lethal Weapon." Like most buddy cop movies, this one pairs two unlikely partners when Silverstein (Luis Gerardo Méndez), a psychiatrist needing to complete community service, is teamed with Detective Diaz (Memo Villegas), whose wife dumped him, leaving him emotionally broken. It's up to Silverstein to help Diaz, in order for the cop to investigate a case involving two missing men and stolen uranium.
Much of this comedy's enjoyment arises from Silverstein and Diaz's growing friendship, which involves smoking weed, visiting the gun range and teaching Silverstein how to box. The pair must also contend with a corrupt police force and dirty federal officials led by Solares (Christian Tappan). An engrossing raid on a nuclear facility provides some slapstick entertainment by positioning the pencil-neck Silverstein as an unwitting action hero who, much like this film, is compelled by empathy and friendship. (Stream it on Netflix.)
'Thieves Highway'
This rough-and-tumble revenge story takes its cues from classic Westerns by following the gruff Frank Bennett (Aaron Eckhart), an Oklahoma livestock officer working to find violent cattle rustlers. His pursuit leads him and his friend Bill (Lochlyn Munro) to the middle of nowhere to confront Jones (Devon Sawa) and his murderous crew. Bill dies in the process, leaving Frank stranded and vulnerable against a bloodthirsty Jones.
While the director Jesse V. Johnson's rugged picture doesn't necessarily break the mold, it does offer memorable characters and dependable action. As Frank works to outmaneuver Jones, he finds another enemy in Peggy (Lucy Martin), a vengeful diner server, and locates a friend in the gravel-voice wanderer, Aksel (The D.O.C.). Rural shootouts on open roads are edited with brutality in mind; the camera rarely shies away from gore, but a bloody finale in a diner takes viewers back to the O.K. Corral. Here, Eckhart, who's become an action mainstay, stands tall against some lowdown scoundrels in need of frontier justice. (Rent or buy on most major platforms.)
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
