Director: Dante Lam Notable Cast: Daniel Wu, Nick Cheung, Christie Chen, Andy On, Liu Kai-chi, Dominic Lam
Dante Lam has never been myfavorite of the modern Hong Kong directors that has found international
appeal for various reasons. The lacking US releases of his last two films seemed to indicate
that perhaps there wasn’t quite enough strength and/or appeal to them so I didn't really hunt them out. I kept my opinion open though
and when I discovered That Demon Within
was available to watch on Amazon Prime (even though it has yet to get a full US
release on home video), I was on it in an instant. As the closing credits roll
though, it’s easy to understand why the thriller garnered mixed reviews and no
one seems to be clamoring for a wider release. The film is one that sports a
spectacular and edgy concept, but lacks the flow and structure to sell its tale
of paranoia, revenge, and moral stance. It’s a film that could have been one of
Lam’s best in concept, but falls considerably short.
When a small time police officer (Daniel Wu) attempts to do
the right thing by donating blood to a severely injured man, he unknowingly
keeps a criminal mastermind (Nick Cheung) alive. When this “Demon King” escapes
police custody, our young hero will do anything to take down the man he saved
and the criminal organization he runs. Even if it means crossing the line.
It's just gun talk.
From reading the synopsis, it would seem fairly obvious that
That Demon Within would be an average Hong Kong action thriller and one perfectly suited for the stylistic
mainstream abilities of Dante Lam. However, the film never feels content with
playing the story as straightforward as it might have and instead injects a
massive amount of atmosphere and plenty of psychological horror elements into
the mix. As it would happen, the lead character has something of a troubled
past and when he donates blood into a man that has been terrorizing Hong Kong,
he snaps. Violent tendencies arise and his personality begins to splinter. This
kind of character study allows Daniel Wu to get in a strong performance,
including a spectacular scene where he breaks down in a hospital, but the film doesn’t quite know how to blend the
thriller plot with the character study that this film wants to be. The
structure and flow are haphazard thanks to the artistic approach that Lam and
company take, inserting blips of flashbacks and back story to the lead
character’s past throughout in various ways, and it simply doesn’t maneuver the
genres like it might have. There are these bright moments of inspiration
throughout the film, including the previously mentioned hospital scene or the
final standoff in the apartment before the big finale, but it's surrounded in a
film that simply lacks the focus to pull it off.
Dante Lam isn’t a director that’s really suited for this
kind of film either. His stylish action set pieces, think Michael Bay inspired,
don’t quite fit either and come off a cheesy in the film. There are a ton of
reoccurring symbolic elements to be found, including tons of fire and the
demon masks that the villains wear, but those get lost in a plethora
of characters and plot progressions for the film. Since it is still a thriller, That
Demon Within is obligated to give us a twisty tale where Daniel Wu’s character
has to play off the gang members against each other and there is, of course, police
corruption involved. So as the film is trying to stuff these portions into the plot, it loses its focus on the character study and all of the artistic pieces
fall flat. Let’s not forget that because it’s a thriller it also has to have a
few action set pieces and while those work for the most part, the finale car
wreck would have been prime material if it wasn’t for the questionable CGI, it
again pulls away from the core of what would have made this film tick: the
character arc.
Demons with shotguns.
That Demon Within represents what coulda, shoulda, woulda
been Dante Lam’s best film to date. Unfortunately, it so desperately wants to
balance the artistic and dark psychological aspects with a traditional Hong
Kong thriller that it never finds the path to navigate it all and eventually
collapses under its own weight. For some it’s still going to resonate with its
strong atmosphere and performances, but for others, like myself, it’s just
going to feel like a lot of half baked ideas.
Notable Cast: Geert Van Rampelberg, Ina Geerts, Johan Van Assche, Laura Verlinden, Dominique Van Malder, Roel Swanenberg
There is a kind of film that exists which impresses with its
thoughtful writing, crisp execution, and impactful themes, but remains a film
that’s hard to call enjoyable. This is exactly where The Treatment falls as a film. It’s a gripping, intense, and often
hard to handle thriller that touches on some very disturbing subject matter
within its plot. It’s one of those films that as the final credits rolled, I
kept replaying the events of the film in my head over and over as it had such a
lingering effect on me. It also speaks volumes to the strong execution that
this film utilizes to tell its dire tale…one that’s certain to be remembered as
a strong contender for best thriller of the year.
Nick (Rampelberg) is a great detective and one whose
dedication to sealing the deal is powered by the disappearance of his brother
at a very young age. When a family is discovered beaten and starved with their little
boy missing, he will stop at nothing to bring the perpetrator to justice…even
when the strings he pulls begin to unravel a massive and decade long series of
events that might even link to his own past.
I’m specifically
keeping many of the details about the plot vague here as The Treatment truly is a film to experience. Director Hans Herbots
navigates the subtle narrative and extreme visual elements of the film with
such artful ease that often I was consumed by the way the film was playing
out and I forgot that I was even watching a film. Whether it’s the numerous phenomenal
performances from an astounding cast (early on in the film we see the mother of
the family that was held captive and her brief screen time was brilliant to
watch, and these kinds of minor yet stand-out performances litter the entire film) and an
almost relentless pacing that prevents the audience from relaxing, The Treatment is not a film for the weak
of heart. If you took what Prisoners
did and fold in even a more intense and horrifying plot then you are just
starting to understand what this film delivers. It’s a film that is executed in
the highest of caliber and it makes every bit pay off.
I've had nightmares that started off this way.
Let this review be a warning as much as it is a praise of
the film. The Treatment is the kind
of cinema that’s going to leave a mark on its audience. The execution is astonishing,
from the acting to the cinematography, and the way that Herbots handles the
thoughtful and consistently writhing plot truly complements the deep atmosphere
and horrific circumstances that are being unraveled onscreen. This is not the kind of thriller than one
watches “for fun,” but one that one watches to truly experience a story…no matter
how dark and deep the hole it digs. I can’t say that I enjoyed my time with The Treatment, but the film gets a
resounding recommendation for me as one of the most intense film experiences
you will have this year.
Director: Chang Cheh Notable Cast: David Chiang, Ti Lung, Ku Feng, Bolo Yeung, Lily Li, Lau Kar Wing
As a Chang Cheh fan, I’ve become accustomed to his style of
direction and the various nuances of his films. One is apt to find fairly gory
violence, lots of bigger than life characters, and a penchant to kill off
anyone he thinks will make the greatest impact on the plot. However, I was not
prepared for the roller coaster ride of plot twists, character shifts, and
deaths that The Heroic Ones had in
store. Right away, the film guns it for an epic war-time approach, but it’s the
endless twists and turns of the plot that make this movie exhausting…in all of the
best ways.
Notable Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, JK Simmons, Byung-hun Lee, and a cameo by Matt Smith
Terminator Genisys
is a reboot stuck in a conundrum. Just from the overwhelming fan reaction that
said “we don’t want new, we want more of the same!” that erupted after Terminator Salvation attempted to take
the franchise in a new direction, the makers of Genisys almost had to comply. But how do you make a new trilogy and
still give the audience the rehashed elements that they so desperately cried
for? This is how you do it. You take the greatest hit elements of the first
two films, blend them in with new technology by changing Skynet from a defense program to an app, and hope to God that something
sticks. Unfortunately, with Genisys
almost none of it works. Standing in the shadow just another recently released sequel/reboot
called Jurassic World, it’s almost
dire just how terrible this film is – one that is certain to enrage fans of the
franchise.
John Connor (Clarke) and Kyle Reese (Courtney) are on the
brink of winning the war against Skynet in 2027, but just like Connor predicted, Skynet sent back a Terminator to 1984. He’s left with no choice: he must send back Reese
to make sure history continues the way it’s supposed to. When Reese arrives
though, SarahConnor (the other Clarke) is
not the waitress who needs a protector. She already has a reprogrammed
Terminator (Schwarzenegger) for that, and another killer T-1000 (Lee) is waiting for
him. This time it's different.
The wheels on the bus go off a bridge, off a bridge, off a bridge...
There's a few moments in Genisys
where Kyle Reese, played with a super limited range by Jai Courtney, asks if
there is an off switch to keep our resident protector unit from trying to
explain the plot as it begins to get more complicated. I'm not sure if this was
intentional because the plot was already SO GODDAMN COMPLICATED or an indicator
to the audience to not think about the film because it DOESN'T MAKE ANY GODDAMN
SENSE. If you were a fan of the original film or the sequel, which generally
made sense from a loose time travel standpoint, then you’re going to feel like
you’ve been left in the past with how this film treats its plot. Some
questions are obviously answered, like why Arnold ages (“Old, but not obsolete.”)
but then the simple fact that Sarah and Kyle DON’T have sex in 1984 to even
create John Connor who later becomes the villain (not a spoiler, it's in the damn trailer) makes the rest of the film moot from a logistical standpoint. There will not be a John
Connor, at least not like the one we see as the villain for the rest of the
movie. But like Kyle indicates, don’t try and think about the relentless plot
progressions or massive soul devouring plot holes that arise…you won’t come
back from that kind of mindfuck.
To make matters worse, the film focuses so much on the plot
and moving it along that it often sacrifices two ingredients that might have
saved the film: characters and action. The first Terminator film was a film
whose tone and characters saved it from a low budget B-grade fate and the
attempts at homage to that film in Genisys are met with resounding failure. It’s
a bad day at the movies when the Terminator has better screen presence then the
rest of the cast. Most of the secondary cast is left out to dry with hum drum
pieces (J.K. Simmons and Byung-hun Lee are massive talents wasted here in throwaway
roles) and the film has to be carried by Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney.
Neither are seemingly strong enough to overcome the scripts mighty, mighty
flaws and their characters come off as flat and unfitting. Both are decent actors
in the right roles, so one knows it has to be the film more than them. Even a
lot of the humor that they attempt to deliver stumbles out of the gate. There
were moments that could have worked, like the arrest sequence that is utterly
ruined by the Cops theme, but over
and over again it just fails.
That leaves us with the action, the one thing that could
have saved the entire film from swirling down the drain. Hell, if it wasn’t for
some strong action set pieces the third film Rise of the Machines would have been downright abysmal, so it can
work—just not here. It’s obvious that Genisys
tries desperately to inject plenty of the “classic” Terminator action beats that fans would crave. Chase sequences
featuring a liquid metal man, plenty of robots smashing each other through
walls, a big vehicle chase destruction set, and even the factory setting for
the finale. What happens though is that despite these attempts at creating memorable
action, almost none of it sticks. If it wasn’t for the semi-fun Arnold versus
Arnold fight in the opening that’s way too brief, Genisys
wouldn’t have anything that feels fresh. This redundancy is partnered with an
unusual lack of tension too. Never once did I find myself fearing for their safety
and the lack of ‘life or death consequences’ made much of the action yawn
inducing instead of edge of your seat material. Genisys gets a B for effort in this category, but it’s far too little
and far too late to save this film.
You've got to hand it to him, he keeps this film afloat.
As a longtime fan, it saddens me that the franchise would
see a new low with this reboot for the franchise. Terminator Genisys is simply too much nonsensical plot, not enough
character work, and too redundant in its homage to the original films to be a
worthy successor for this series. There is so many more specific complaints I
have about the film (particularly in the plot holes), but it’s not worth the
time to dive into those when there are better films to use my time to bring
attention to. For fans, Genisys is
going to be a huge disappointment and for new fans, I hope they rediscover the
brilliance of the first two films instead of latching onto what this film has
to offer.
Director: Chang ChehNotable Cast: Lo Meng, Phillip Kwok, Ku Kuan Chung, Jason Pai Piao, Chiang Sheng, Kuo Chui, Sun Chien, Yang Hsuing, Yu Tai Ping, Tony Tam Jan Dung, Lau Shi Kwong, Wang Li
If there is anything you can guarantee about watching a
Venom Mob movie, it’s that the charisma of the film is going to be top level
stuff. While a lot of their films can be hit or miss overall, even the quality
within a single film can be hit or miss. Two
Champions of Shaolin failed to run with its thematic thread about sins of
the father and Invincible Shaolin
spent so long on the training sequences that it forgot about the two parallel
storylines to flesh out. Luckily, there is always that charisma they can fall
back on. Shaolin Rescuers, the topic
of this review, is of that same vein. At times this film wants to be
ridiculously epic and with a heart of gold, but too often it’s too epic for its
own good and spreads itself thin. The film is still ridiculously charming and
this makes it a fun martial arts film, but far from great.
