Triple Threat (2019)

Director: Jesse V. Johnson

Notable Cast: Tony Jaa, Scott Adkins, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, Michael Jai White, Celina Jade, Michael Bisping, Jeeja Yanin, Ron Smoorenburg, Monica Mok

Hype can be a challenging thing for a film. As soon as Triple Threat was announced, the hype was already at maximum. Between the impressive ensemble cast, the director, and the general tone that immediately came with it, Triple Threat was immediately an action fan dream – particularly from the martial arts variety. Even with all of that riding along for the journey, including how long the film was taking to get a release in the US, Triple Threat is a massive action cinema treat. It looks hype in the eye, says “talk, talk, talk” and then knocks its lights out. The fact remains, even with some smaller issues that arise here and there, that Triple Threat delivers on its promises. It has bigger than life characters, a wildly efficient plot, and enough action to shake the foundations of cinema. It’s a film that certainly gears what it does towards its distinctive audience, for better or worse, but for someone like myself I could not have had a better time watching the film.

Wolf Warrior II (2017)

Director: Wu Jing

Notable Cast: Wu Jing, Celina Jade, Frank Grillo, Hans Zhang, Yu Nan

Wu Jing’s vanity project, funded by what seems to be the military recruitment fund of China, was 2015’s military action flick Wolf Warrior. That film, ultimately, was a mixed effort. Thin in its writing and big in its ambitions for action, it seemed to be a throwback to 80s style action with a modern military action slant that was much more enjoyable than it was ‘good.’ Even with that in mind, Wolf Warrior II was something of a surprise. As is the intent with most action vehicles, this film intends to be bigger, badder, bolder, and beefier than its predecessor and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t succeed in almost every regard. It’s still not a film that I would call great by any classical film critique standard, but Wolf Warrior II is so much energetic fun that it’s hard not to be swept up in its unstoppable current as an addictive action tour de force.