Seized (2020)

 Seized (2020)- * * *

Directed by: Issac Florentine

Starring: Scott Adkins, Matthew Garbacz and Mario Van Peeples 

In his former life, he was a Special Ops professional badass known only by the code name Nero (Adkins). But today, he is simply a well-meaning dad. Trying to raise a moody teen son named Taylor (Garbacz) who has angst and questions about the loss of his mother, "Nero" now works in Mexico as some sort of IT security consultant. But Nero's past comes back to haunt him in the form of Cartel head Mzamo (Van Peebles). Mzamo kidnaps Taylor, secrets him away in a room that apparently is too cold, and forces Nero to reawaken his old killer instincts and kill off Mzamo's rivals in the drug trade. Nero doesn't want to do it, of course, but he is forced to, now with Taylor's life hanging in the balance.

Given a series of increasingly difficult and dangerous assignments, Nero is coerced into wearing a bodycam so Mzamo and his goons can have a watch party as they sit around, drink muchos cervezas, and chant "Ner-o! Ner-o!" just like the Jerry Springer audience of yore. Soon, truths are revealed, conspiracies get to the top, and familial bonds may be rekindled. All thanks to the healing spirit of violence. Can Nero punch, kick, and shoot his way to the truth - and his son's love? SEIZE your remote control today!

Seized, the eighth collaboration between director Isaac Florentine and star Scott Adkins, is a fast-paced and entertaining action romp that delivers yet more goods to fans. The title Seized may put you in mind of Taken (2007), Abduction (2019, also with Adkins), Stolen (2012), Gone (2012), or perhaps a similar movie of this sort that we made up, Plucked. Some of which may include Liam Neeson, but all pretty much include a kidnapped young person that a man of action must retrieve. Hey, it was 2020 and that was the thing - as were very clear Trumpian references in some of the dialogue. Nero even works from home - very 2020.

But, plotwise, a very close parallel is Acceleration (2019). There, Natalie Burn had to drive around and do "action assignments" because Dolph was telling her to. Here, Scott Adkins must do the same because Mario Van Peebles was telling him to. We actually wouldn't recommend a double-bill of Acceleration and Seized because they're so darn similar. It would be like watching a three-hour version of the same thing.

Mario Van Peebles wears a pretty fantastic hat and his charismatic performance goes a long way, as it usually does. He's a solid foil for Adkins and they pit well against each other. In a big budget Hollywood movie, Dennis Hopper would have, could have, and should have played this role. But as Van Peebles fans we were certainly happy.

Adkins, of course, is no slouch, and in the nightclub scene we get a glimpse of what a John Wick sequel might look like if Adkins played Wick (as opposed to Killa). He's referred to as "The Best" - a classic cliche we all love - and watching him take down baddies is a joy. It was also nice to see him back in Mexico, but this time in a far better film than El Gringo (2012). He even gets his own Mel Gibson Ransom (1996) moment as he demands Mzamo give him back his son.

It's all over quite briskly at the 82-minute mark, as it should be. The audience is never even remotely close to being bored, and the photography is crisp and clear, with everything visible and vibrant.

For another Adkins/Florentine winner - we should all be thankful that they're working so well together still - be sure to check out Seized.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Zero Tolerance (2015)

 

Zero Tolerance (2015)- * *1\2

Directed by: Kaos

Starring: Kane Kosugi, Nina Paosut, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Dustin Nguygen, Scott Adkins, and Gary Daniels 

When a girl named Angel (Paosut) turns up dead, Bangkok cop Peter (Boonthanakit) travels to Ho Chi Minh city to track down her estranged father, Johnny (Nguyen). Together, the two men go back to Bangkok and proceed to search the seedier areas of the city in search of answers as to Angel's death. Along the way, characters such as Steven (Adkins), Sammy (Daniels), and Kane (Kosugi) come and go, but will the mystery of Angel's death be revealed?



Well, we had to see this movie for the cast alone. While Adkins and Daniels don't share any scenes together (and there's a good reason for that that we will get to in a moment), they are both here, as is Kane Kosugi, action stalwarts all. And while the film is reasonably professionally directed and shot (if some scenes are underlit as many modern films tend to be), it loses focus and direction a lot of the time. It also could have used a heck of a lot more action, but that makes sense, because...



If the presence of Scott Adkins in the film seems a bit out of joint, there's a very good reason for that. Apparently, Zero Tolerance started life as a film called Angels (2012), and you can still see this version if you want. It was a passion project for director Kaos, and more of a drama. Then some of the money people told him that this Angels movie, as good as it may be, would be a tough sell in the film marketplace. So footage with Adkins was integrated into the pre-existing Angels film, and a total re-edit was done, and in the end a completely new film was fashioned called Zero Tolerance.

Just exactly why this movie is called Zero Tolerance, we don't exactly know, especially because few movies can compete with the awesome Robert Patrick Zero Tolerance (1994). So, if you name your movie after a superior film, you're just asking to look worse by comparison. Nevertheless, there are some bright spots along the way, such as Peter's young tot of a son proclaiming, "the lead singer of our band sucks!", the classic warehouse deal gone wrong featuring some of the Adkins footage, and Gary Daniels's wild Hawaiian shirt. This seems especially at odds with the intense dramatic performance Daniels gives, which ranks highly as one of his best acting moments ever. Yes, we would have liked some classic Daniels fights, but at least he got to shine in the drama department.

Director Wych Kaosayananda, alternately known as Wych Kaos, or, in the case of his Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever (2002), simply just Kaos, has been working with fan favorite Mark Dacascos a lot lately, in such films as The Driver (2019) and, of course, One Night in Bangkok (2020), which also features Kane Kosugi. Despite the...interesting...history regarding Zero Tolerance's editing process, he manages to turn in something watchable. But that's all. It's not great and there are a lot of problems here. So, in the end, it's probably a one-time watch for Adkins and Daniels fans.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out a write-up by our buddies The Video Vacuum and  DTVC!

Eliminators (2016)

 

Eliminators (2016)- * * *

Directed by: James Nunn

Starring: Scott Adkins, Wade Barrett and Lily Stubbs

A man known only as Thomas (Adkins) is living somewhere in the suburbs of London with his young daughter Carly (Stubbs). Thomas works as a security guard and has a solid middle-class life. All that is interrupted, however, when a gang of none-too-bright toughs break into his house, assuming he has some hidden drugs stashed away somewhere. It turns out that the no-goodniks got the wrong address - in more ways than one. Thomas's combat skills come out and the baddies are done for.


The story makes the national media, Thomas is arrested, and Carly goes into state care. It's revealed that Thomas is a former US Fed who was put in the witness protection program. Now that the baddies know who he is, they send "Europe's most ruthless assassin" after Thomas, a sinister man named Bishop (is it Stu Bennett or Wade Barrett? No one really knows for sure). Now, with the police, the gangster baddies, and seemingly all of London against him, can Thomas use the skills he developed in his former life to get his current life back? He has to find Carly before it's too late, but will he?


Not to be confused with the Eliminators from 1986, this Eliminators sees fan favorite Scott Adkins reunite with director James Nunn after Green Street 3 (2013). Based on this track record of their work history together, it shows that Nunn knows what Adkins fans will like and expect, and he delivers that. Eliminators is well-acted, well-shot (if a bit dark at times), and the action scenes are high-quality stuff. Movie highlights include the two brawls between Adkins and Bennett/Barrett, and the fights and chases in London at night. Good usage is made of some UK locations.

As is typical for action films, the hero has both a daughter he has to save and a hidden past. Adkins makes both of those storylines work well. Plus, it's an improvement over Legacy of Lies (2020) and Abduction (2019), which aren't really at the top of the Adkins must-see list. While Adkins looks somewhat like Ben Affleck this time around, the three main characters - Adkins, Barrett, and the cop on their trail - all look very similar. They have similarly-shaped heads and similar hair. If Adkins had more beard stubble, they could almost be triplets.


The drama in between the action scenes provides the emotion for the film, and productions from the UK seem to excel at this sort of thing. Of course, this is contrasted by the wrestling moves of Barrett, which are quite evident in his fighting style. Director Nunn went on to direct more wrestlers in other WWE Studios productions such as The Marine 5: Battleground (2017) and The Marine 6: Close Quarters (2018). How many installments are there in The Marine series? No one may ever know...


In the end, while Eliminators becomes a bit more standard around the hour mark, we would still recommend it, especially to Adkins fans. While certainly not perfect, it delivers the goods in a lot of ways and provides some good, solid DTV entertainment for 95 minutes.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out a write-up from our buddy, DTVC!

Abduction (2019)

 

Abduction (2019)- * *1\2

Directed by: Ernie Barbarash 

Starring: Scott Adkins, Andy On, Aki Aleong and Truong Anh

A man named Quinn (Adkins) wakes up in a mysterious room with a bunch of other abducted people, including his young daughter. Everyone has these weird, spider-like devices on the backs of their necks. Quinn manages to escape his captors, and somehow crawls out of a fountain in Vietnam. Last time he checked, it was 1985, and the fact that it's now 2018 is very disturbing to him. Naturally, people think he's crazy and a doctor named Anna (Anh) tries to get to the root of his problem.


Of course, she doesn't believe his tale of missing time and alien ABDUCTION, but when Conner (On) appears with a similar story involving his wife, the three of them get wrapped up in an adventure involving body-snatching aliens who are genuinely interested in Feng Shui. The Expert who may be able to figure out what's going on is Dao (Aleong), but the fact that these extraterrestrials have Martial Arts skills and regenerating power are going to make them tough opponents. Will Quinn and Conner rescue their loved ones from the diabolical space-baddies?


Well, you gotta give Abduction this: at least it's something different. It's DTV Sci-Fi action but thankfully it's not a space slog. So we do give it props for that right off the bat. Our personal hero Scott Adkins is quite good in the film, in both the acting and Martial Arts departments. Without him and his magnetic presence, the movie would have suffered a lot. But it does bring the action, there's no doubt about that, and at regular intervals we get some pretty nifty fight scenes with a Sci-Fi twist.


Sure, the plot doesn't make the most amount of sense, but so what? Most movies that make sense are boring. At least Abduction had some interesting ideas contained within it. The baddies provided worthy fight-foils for Adkins and On, even though it must be said that On's character of Conner is not very likable. Elements of They Live (1988) and The Matrix (1999) are there underneath the surface, and it's all mostly a bunch of quasi-nonsensical fun. Adkins is on record as stating that the fight scene in They Live is his favorite of all time, so he was probably happy to be in something with similar overtones. On perhaps a related note, one of director Ernie Barbarash's first films was called They Wait (2007).


The problem is the usual one: why is this movie 100 minutes long? It should have been 85. Barbarash's movies with Van Damme - Assassination Games (2011), 6 Bullets (2012), and Pound of Flesh (2015) - and Michael Jai White - Falcon Rising (2014) - are all well over the recommended 90-minute mark. Here, Adkins reunites with Barbarash after Assassination Games, which was one of the film's better ideas.


While Abduction may not be most people's first choice for cinematic entertainment, you could do a heck of a lot worse, and for fans it's worth seeing at least once for the Adkins factor alone.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Legacy Of Lies (2020)

 

Legacy Of Lies (2020)- * *

Directed by: Adrian Bol 

Starring: Scott Adkins, Yuliia Sobol, and Honor Kneafsey

After an operation doesn't go as planned, Martin Baxter (Adkins) leaves MI6. Constantly on the run with his daughter Lisa (Kneafsey), he fears not just for her safety, but for his as well. After being approached by journalist Sacha (Sobol) while working as a bouncer in a Ukrainian nightclub, things go from bad to worse. The baddies are after "The Files", of course, and Lisa is kidnapped. Now trying to get to the bottom of the LEGACY OF LIES, Martin and Sacha must get to the truth and find out who is responsible for all the chaos. But can they do it in time?


Legacy of Lies, visually, looks quite good. It's shot and lit very well, with many scenes that capture the viewer's eye. But, over the course of 100 minutes, there are many slow and/or dull scenes, especially in the final third, when things should have ratcheted up. When action appears, it's good stuff, with Adkins doing what he does best, but there wasn't nearly enough of it. It's more of a spy drama, with the action thrown in almost as an afterthought. It's probably hard for foreign filmmakers to compete with TV shows like Homeland, but this is an earnest attempt to go down that same road. But fireworks were needed.

Like a lot of material from Eastern Europe, there is a certain bleakness on display. Let's just say that Legacy of Lies isn't exactly "LOL" material. Despite the film's self-seriousness, there are still some action movie staples included, such as a scene each of Punchfighting, Prerequisite Torture, and even a 'Fruit-Cart' car chase.


Honor Kneafsey was a standout as Lisa, and she definitely has a bright future as an actress. Same goes for Yuliia Sobol as Sacha, the Lisbeth Salander-like sidekick. It was also nice to see Matt Mitler of Bums (1993) and The Mutilator (1984) fame show up here as well. Of course, we remain staunch Adkins fans. He was probably happy to lean more on the acting side than the action side here, but Legacy of Lies should have been a more even mix of the two.


While not without its merits, especially on the technical side of the filmmaking, Legacy of Lies is unnecessarily dour and overlong. It needed more of a propulsive pace to satisfy what Adkins fans have come to expect.


Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Avengement (2019)

 

Avengement (2019)- * * *

Directed by: Jesse V. Johnson 

Starring: Scott Adkins, Craig Fairbrass, and Louis Mandylor 

When Cain Burgess (Adkins) escapes from prison, he wants to have a talk with his brother Lincoln Burgess (Fairbrass). It's pretty important. So he heads over to the hangout of Lincoln and his criminal crew, the Horse & Jockey pub in London. While there, Cain doesn't let anybody leave the premises until he unravels the whole tale of how he got to be in the position he's in. In a series of flashbacks, Cain explains his pain - and his transformation from low-level, basically harmless wannabe criminal into a hardened, angry, grizzled monster. 

It seems his prison stay was made far harder than it should have been due to the fact of a certain person putting a price on his head. So Cain had to train hard - and fight harder - just to stay alive while inside. Through the flashbacks, we learn that Detective O'Hara (Mandylor) is looking to put an end to Lincoln's crime ring. But Cain ends up having other ideas...ones that involve unrelenting, bloody AVENGEMENT.

From the Comeuppance Reviews dictionary: AVENGEMENT (avenj-mint) - the quality or state of Scott Adkins punching, kicking, shooting, or breaking your limbs until he gets justice.

Avengement is a film that concentrates much more on brutal violence than director and frequent Adkins collaborator Jesse V. Johnson's The Butcher (2009), or even the more recent Accident Man (2018). Here, Johnson and Adkins strip away the fat and deliver a nice, concise tale that moves swiftly along and delivers the sort of tough, strong entertainment we as viewers want to see.

We liked the unorthodox structure of the film, bouncing back and forth between the past and the present as the plot unfolds. We also liked that Adkins gets to show his range here - from a "normal" guy to a terrifying, barking dog that's been put through a very hard wringer of life. The prison beatdowns are fantastic, as is the final pub brawl. But some important later scenes show that Cain hasn't completely lost his humanity. During the prison scenes, his training is intercut with the fighting, instead of one following the other. That was pleasantly different.

There's a certain, very enjoyable London atmosphere to it all, and a lot of slang is used, so for American viewers, putting on the captions might be advised. Lincoln's gang all add a lot of color, and the whole thing makes Guy Ritchie movies look like Mister Rogers episodes. The score by Sean Murray includes some great synthy moments that reference the 80's, but are far from a slavish copy of them. We commend him for that, and all the behind-the-scenes people did a great job - it's shot well, lit well, etc. It all adds up to total entertainment, as strong and forceful as it is.

We hope Johnson and Adkins continue to collaborate in the future. They obviously work well together and if this is the upward trajectory that they're on, we can't wait to see what's coming next.

Avengement is highly recommended. And watch out for the after-credits sequence.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out write-ups from our buddies, DTVC and The Video Vacuum!

Accident Man (2018)

Accident Man (2018)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Jesse V. Johnson

Starring: Scott Adkins, Ray Stevenson, Brooke Jonston, Michael Jai White, Amy Johnston, Ashley Greene, Ray Park, Tim Man, and David Paymer

Mike Fallon (Adkins) is part of a firm of hitmen (and one hitwoman) who each have their own specialties when it comes to killing. Some are brutal, some are careful, but Mike's own unique brand of offing his clients comes in the form of making their demise look like an accident. He was brought up under the wing of Big Ray (Stevenson), his mentor and fellow hitman who now runs the local pub where all the hitpeople congregate.

When his beloved Beth (Brooke Johnston) becomes the target of assassination, Mike goes rogue to find out who ordered the hit. While it's bad that this course of revenge shatters his carefully-crafted life, the really bad part is that he is then the subject of a dreaded "Kill Brief" and all his former compatriots now come after him, and he has to fight his former friends and expert killers one by one. Will he finally get to the truth? Will it be a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top? What will become of the ACCIDENT MAN?

Not to be confused with the Yahoo Serious romp Mr. Accident (2000), Accident Man is an entertaining good time starring the ever-reliable Scott Adkins. He's joined this time around by a very solid cast of fan favorites such as Lady Bloodfight herself, Amy Johnston, as well as Ray Stevenson and Michael Jai White, among others. Adkins and White have not one, but two fights together and the action overall is well-executed. There's a strong sense of humor throughout and a lot of good energy propelling it all along.

It appears the story was based on a comic book, and that feel is definitely there. It's like a DTV Guy Ritchie movie, but better, and there appears to be a healthy dose of the John Wick series added to the mix for some extra flavor. 

But the whole thing is uniquely British and Adkins really seems in his element here. There are several references to their English identity, including pro-Brexit sentiment. Two songs by The Jam are on the soundtrack (can you guess which ones?) and Adkins does a very enjoyable voice-over narration of the tale. The soundtrack has some nice synthy moments that 80's fans will appreciate. 

Speaking of 80's classics, we have Michael Jai White screaming while shooting a machine gun and a classic barfight. The idea of a hitman club with its own unique characters, which then splinters and becomes a case of "best vs. the best" is an appealing one. It's done with style and you care about what's going on. It's all totally professional and should have gone to the theater here in the U.S. In days gone by it would have, but these days it doesn't have a chance at a theater release, sadly. But there's always Blu-Ray, DVD, and streaming services.

Scott Adkins and the gang have turned in another winner, and we absolutely recommend Accident Man.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Triple Threat (2019)

Triple Threat (2019)- * * *

Directed by: Jesse V. Johnson

Starring: Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, Celina Jade, Michael Jai White, and Scott Adkins

Xian (Jade) is a wealthy woman who uses her money to put forth an initiative to clean up the communities around her. You wouldn't think this would be such a bad thing, but it really upsets the local baddies. Part of her clean-up plan involves getting rid of the local gangsters. So the evil Collins (Adkins) and Devereaux (White), along with their legion of evildoers, set out to kidnap Xian, and it appears no one can stand in their way. 

That is, until our heroes Payu (Jaa), Jaka (Uwais), and Long Fei (Chen) show up on the scene. They end up protecting Xian and fighting the bad guys tooth and nail. Naturally, that leads to a lot of shooting and fighting. Who will survive the TRIPLE THREAT?

We know what you're thinking and the answer is no, Triple Threat is not the long-awaited biopic of Harvey Fierstein. We all know he can sing, dance, and act. Until such time as that potential blockbuster is unleashed on the public, however, we have the movie at hand today, which is an entertaining and worthwhile beat-em-up. Strangely, it doesn't quite reach the electrifying heights its superb cast would seem to indicate.

Putting fan favorites Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, and Tiger Chen all in one film together is pretty much the action fan's dream cast in 2019. While it's certainly not a case of Lone Tiger Effect (which, for those who are new to the site, is what we call it when a stellar cast is assembled but the movie itself is a dud), because the film is far too good for that, somehow it feels like some ingredients are missing. And we think we know what they are. 

But before we reveal what we think that might be, let's talk about what works in Triple Threat. First, and most obvious, is the Martial Arts fighting. It's stupendous and our superstar cast really 'brings it'. Perhaps they felt a bit of friendly competition with each other, but everyone brings their A game, and each has their own unique style. 

It was a treat to watch the Jaa-Adkins fight, and the Jaa-Iko-Adkins brawl was manna from action heaven. We appreciate all the work that goes into such scenes. Without listing each and every fight, let's just say that, even more so than the gun-shooting scenes, these combat sections are movie highlights. But that being said, the whole thing is quite violent and has a high kill count.

With that in mind, Triple Threat certainly aims to please, as it starts off as your classic jungle shoot-em-up, complete with exploding huts. Then it moves to a scene of Punchfighting. Then it settles into its urban action scenario. So it seems that fans are being very well served with a bunch of familiar settings they'd be used to from action movies past. Overall it's shot very well and feels professional. 

We also felt it was different to have not just Adkins as a baddie, but also Michael Jai White as one as well. Both men are primarily known as heroes, so it was unusual to have not just one of them playing against type, but two. We liked that as a change of pace. 

But, as promised, here's what we felt could have been improved. Not very surprisingly, it was the plot and characterizations. The former was minimal, and the latter was nil. As action fans, this is not new to us, and we're all very used to this, I'm sure. 

But what would have knocked Triple Threat out of the park as a complete and satisfying whole would have been a compelling plotline with characters you really get to know and care about. Not that you don't care about our heroes, but you know what we mean. A little more detail or perhaps a little bit of emotion would have gone a long way. 

But that's our only real gripe with Triple Threat. Otherwise, it's a top-notch example of modern-day action. We couldn't be happier that movies like this are still being made. We say keep 'em coming. So, while the absence of more formal plot and character elements may keep the audience from totally engaging, as an exercise in action violence, Triple Threat is recommended.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out write-ups from our buddies, DTVC and The Video Vacuum! 

Boyka: Undisputed IV (2016)

Boyka: Undisputed IV (2016)- * * *

Directed by: Todor Chapkanov

Starring: Scott Adkins, Teodora Duhovnikova, Alon Aboutboul, Vladimir Mihailov, and Martyn Ford

Boyka (Adkins) returns after a six-year absence in this fourth installment in the Undisputed series. At this point in his life, Boyka has found religion and he spends his time and money at the local church. However, he still lives to fight. This causes tension between not just Boyka and his friend, the Priest (Mihailov), but within himself as well. When Boyka’s agent informs him of a big tournament in Budapest that all his fans, and the media, are waiting for, Boyka senses this will be a big opportunity for himself, so he gets all hyped up. So much so that he accidentally kills his opponent in the ring in the qualifying match for the big show.

With his conscience weighing on him, he makes a dangerous and illegal journey from the Ukraine to Russia to meet his now-deceased opponent’s widow, Alma (Duhovnikova). He tries to tell her how sorry he is, and he attempts to give her his fight winnings, but it’s tough going for them both. The sad part is, Alma needs the money. She’s deeply in debt to local crime boss Zourab (Aboutboul) because she used his money to build a community center where all the children go. She can’t escape because then she’d be letting the children down. She’s slowly working off her debt to the unscrupulous baddie by waitressing at the club where, of course, there are fight tournaments. 

Boyka approaches Zourab and offers to fight in the tournaments to pay down Alma’s debt for her. All the while, the pressure is on because he has to get to Budapest for his big chance. But first he has to get past terrifying man-mountain Koshmar (Ford). Now that Boyka has found redemption with the Lord, will he find redemption with Alma?

With Undisputed IV, we have a bunch of winning elements that all come together. Firstly, and most importantly, we have the great Scott Adkins putting in a terrific performance as Boyka. There is perhaps no other actor working today that could have done what Adkins does here. He has a great Ukrainian accent, his fighting skills are in top form, and there’s plenty of emotion as well. It’s rare that one person can embody both the impressive physicality and the inner feelings Adkins does here. It’s extremely well done. Then we have the other actors backing him up, who also put in fine performances, we have the plot, which allows for not just bone-crunching action but also the aforementioned emotion, and of course the fights themselves, which are very well-executed.



As far as the fights go, we can see all the moves and there isn’t all that fast cutting that can be found in many DTV Punchfighters. With Adkins, that sort of stuff isn’t needed – and, in fact, hinders what you can really see him do – and thankfully the filmmakers realized that this time around. A rather strange and unnecessary zoom effect is used in fight scenes and dialogue scenes alike, but it apparently isn’t used to hide anything, instead it seems to be a stylistic choice. Besides not being needed, it marked this out as being a modern-day DTV vehicle, but it didn’t hurt our eyes or anything.



Naturally, the word “Boyka” is said countless times throughout the movie. We could be in triple digits here, but we weren’t counting. Characters say it constantly, and crowds chant it repeatedly. It might be the most oft-said word on screen since Brakus. Or perhaps Malone. But, all kidding aside, Undisputed IV is a movie about redemption, and about how even if you’ve done unfortunate things in your past, you can always redeem yourself in the eyes of God or your fellow man. It’s never too late. Even the name of Alma gives a clue – it means “soul” in at least two languages, and Boyka himself gives alms to his church. This gives the film a certain depth and dimension that sets it apart from others of its ilk and it’s not just a marathon session of meatheads punching each other.


However, if that’s what you want, that is here as well. It’s truly a movie of multiple facets. Could this be the best Boyka film yet? Please write in to give your opinion. But one thing is for sure: the character of Boyka – as expertly interpreted by Adkins – has become so beloved because he’s a fighter with a heart, soul, and conscience. You feel his inner conflict between peace and violence. Somehow this speaks to us as action fans. We don’t want to see anybody on-screen – or be ourselves – one-dimensional. He even has his name above the title this time, and that’s no coincidence.

So, for a movie with a lot of brutal fighting – but also some depth backing it up – Boyka: Undisputed IV fits the bill perfectly.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Savage Dog (2017)

Savage Dog (2017)- * * *

Directed by: Jesse Johnson

Starring: Scott Adkins, Keith David, Juju Chan, Marko Zaror, Charles Fathy, Cung Le, Aki Aleong, Matthew Marsden and Vladimir Kulich

Martin Tillman (Adkins) is an Irishman and expert fighter. His rise to the top of the fight game is severely hampered by the fact that it’s 1959 and he’s in an Indochinese forced-labor camp. So he survives the only way he can - by becoming the number-one champ in the brawls that are held within said camp. These fights are held outside, so all the locals can see them, and Tillman becomes extremely popular. So much so that when it comes time for him to be released, the cadre of baddies that run the camp – Rastignac (Zaror), Steiner (Kulich), Boon (Le), and Amarillo (Fathy) – don’t want him to leave. Of course, Tillman does indeed get out of there but he stays in Indochina to work at a bar run by his buddy Valentine (David) and his wife Isabelle (Chan). 

Naturally, trouble starts when the baddies don’t leave them alone. After something happens (we won’t say what; no spoilers here), Tillman is forced to go on a rampage of revenge against his former captors. As if all that wasn’t enough, he’s also being trailed by a British government agent named Harrison (Marsden) for his supposed former connections to the IRA. Luckily, Tillman was trained to fight locally by a Tribal Chieftain (Aleong). Will Tillman get revenge and show he’s a SAVAGE DOG for the last time?

Thank goodness for Scott Adkins. He really is keeping the flame of the golden age of action cinema alive and burning. If it wasn’t for him, where would we be today? We’d have to fall back on the films still being made by the prior generation of action stars that are still working. Not that that is such a bad thing, but, let’s face it, Adkins has the vitality that some of the older guys naturally are losing over time. It’s fun to watch Adkins because he’s likable and has killer Martial Arts abilities. That formula is necessary for a truly great action star, so it’s no wonder he works so much in the DTV industry. He’s one of the very few men of action out there still left, so of course filmmakers are going to use him if they want to make this type of movie. 

While Savage Dog is indeed a Punchfighter/Revenge Movie, we applaud the filmmakers for at least giving it a setting that is different – the fifties and the former Indochina. That was a nice change of pace. Adkins and David have a nice chemistry together, and the fights overall are executed very well. The whole second half of the movie is simply Tillman getting revenge. That’s what’s good about DTV as opposed to Hollywood – you know they aren’t going to wuss out and revenge will be appropriately violent and bloody.


Nowhere is that more true than here in Savage Dog. For whatever reason – maybe it’s to further separate itself from its competitors even more so than its chosen time and place – writer/director Johnson decided to go not just with the standard action violence, but gore as well. While we certainly weren’t offended by it, it just seemed a little unnecessary. Rather than have limbs and heads being graphically chopped up and mutilated, maybe they could have concentrated a little more on the final fights between Adkins and Le and/or Zaror. If they extended each fight by 30 seconds instead of gore-ing it up, that would have fit the bill just fine. But as it stands, it makes Savage Dog something of an oddity.

A movie that surely lives up to its name, Savage Dog is perfect for Adkins fans, and nicely narrated by David. We say check it out.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Hard Target 2 (2016)

Hard Target 2 (2016)- * * *

Directed by: Roel Reine

Starring: Scott Adkins, Rhona Mitra, Temuera Morrison, Ann Truong, and Robert Knepper

Wes Baylor (Adkins) is on a career trajectory that could be the case for anyone: He was a Las Vegas-based MMA fighter, he accidentally kills his buddy in the ring during a fight, he feels bad, he starts drinking and hits the skids, he begins Punchfighting in Bangkok, and an unscrupulous baddie tricks him into hunting him for sport. Could happen to anybody. Of course, said baddie, Jonah Aldrich (Knepper) has a hunting party with him in the Burmese jungle that also enjoy hunting the greatest prey of all…MINK! Oh wait, no. MAN! These hunting compatriots include a gaggle of stereotypes such as the Weak Link, the Millennial Video Game Designer, the Tough Chick, A Spanish Bullfighter, an Australian Outback (?)-style hunter, and the dad trying to toughen up said Weak Link. 

Aldrich has his second-in-command, Madden (Morrison) as the tough guy of the group. Aldrich is paying off the Burmese authorities with suitcases full of cash, but there’s also a cache of rubies at stake. When the initially down-and-out Baylor (whose MMA nickname was “The Jailor”, which is actually spelled correctly) finds an innocent country girl named Tha (Truong) in the jungle, he finally finds he has something to fight for, and he unleashes his power on the Aldrich group. Will Baylor be a HARD TARGET 2 Aldrich?

While Hard Target 2 is not a bad movie, it doesn’t live up to the potential that a Hard Target sequel starring the great Scott Adkins promises. It’s certainly better than previous Adkins vehicles such as El Gringo (2012), but even seeing this movie for the first time feels like watching a repeat. If we may compare it to a superior Adkins film, Green Street 3 (2013), that one was like admiring a brilliant piano player, while Hard Target 2 is like watching a player piano. It hits all the right notes on cue, but that’s about it. 

It has absolutely beautiful Thai locations, and thankfully the production values are high, but exactly how many Most Dangerous Game/Surviving the Game movies need to be made at this point? Should we be happy that the DTV industry is still making these or not? It depends on your tolerance for a lack of a creative or original plot, or if you just really like the whole “hunting humans in the jungle” thing. There have to be fans out there of it…but how many to justify yet another one?

It all starts right away with a nice bang (complete with some funny yelling), and the whole outing has plenty of action. That being said, the 104-minute running time could have been chopped down a bit. The always-enjoyable Adkins has some great fighting moves on display, but we missed his natural British accent. How come the Burmese country girl had one but he wasn’t allowed to have one? (We think we may have detected a few instances where it slipped through, however).

There are several references to the earlier Hard Target film, from the use of slow motion, to the casting of Robert Knepper as the baddie, probably because he physically resembles Lance Henriksen. Not that Knepper isn’t great in his own right, but the resemblance does give this sequel a sort of continuity to the earlier film.

Director Reine’s filmography is pretty rife with sequels to other people’s movies (or his own), but he’s notable (?) for directing the Connecticut-shot Seagal vehicle Pistol Whipped (2008) – also starring Lance Henriksen. Fun facts aside, Hard Target 2 is another in a long line of movies of this sort that include everything from Death Ring (1992) to Soldiers of Fortune (2012), and countless other examples. 

The action is there, Adkins is there, the production values are there – just a tad bit of originality would have gone a long way, because it’s not there. Linking this with the earlier Hard Target in viewers’ minds may have been shrewd, but another title might have been a better move. But that’s unlikely to have happened, because the sign on the door here is apparently, “no originality, no problem”.

Still, we should be happy this came out in the U.S. It seems like something that would be exclusively made for foreign markets. If you’re willing to forgive the almost impressive lack of originality here and just concentrate on the Adkins action, Hard Target 2 is certainly worth seeing.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett 

Close Range (2015)

Close Range (2015)- * * *

Directed by: Issac Florentine

Starring: Scott Adkins, Caitlin Keats, Madison Lawlor, and Nick Chinlund

When Colt MacReady (Adkins) rescues his niece Hailey (Lawlor) from imprisonment by an evil drug cartel, and kills a bunch of her captors in the process, the remaining baddies cross the Mexican border into America to come find him and get revenge. The cartel also wants back a flash drive that Colt has, so they lay siege to the house of Colt’s sister Angela (Keats). Colt goes all out, and falls back on his skills as a former soldier to keep them alive throughout the ordeal. They won’t be getting help from any of the local authorities, since Sheriff Jasper Calloway (Chinlund) is corrupt and in bed with the bad guys. Will Colt single-handedly save his family from the murderous cartel? Find out today…

Thank goodness for Isaac Florentine and Scott Adkins. They are two of the last pillars holding up the concept of DTV action movies. Where would we be without them? Close Range is an entertaining and streamlined outing and another feather in their already well-plumed caps. While wags may complain that the plot is thin and the dialogue lacking, we would put it in a different light: nothing is overly complex and there is plenty of room for the main attraction, which are the action scenes. So many times there are overly-complex dramatic motivations and fat when there doesn’t need to be any. Close Range dispenses with most of this and gives the fans what they want: thrilling and well-choreographed fight and action scenes.

The whole movie opens with a bang and there’s plenty more where that came from. Fan favorite Adkins more than makes up for the lackluster El Gringo (2012), with this follow-up south-of-the-border tale. Shootouts, car chases, and fights ensue, but as we always say, we’re more fans of Martial Arts skill than gunplay, and of course there’s plenty of that too. In this post-The Raid (2011) and The Raid 2 (2014) world, not to mention Ong-Bak (2003) or The Protector (2005), fight scenes have become more “open”, and Florentine has taken this cue. Even the fact that the majority of the action takes place in one house is reminiscent of The Raid, as is the fact that the baddies get harder to beat as MacReady goes along. These are all good developments, by the way. Hopefully Florentine and/or Adkins will take these themes and run with them in the future.

It’s all very well-lit and we loved the fact that you could see everything clearly. The Adkins fight scenes are the undoubted highlight here, and they don’t disappoint. In the 70’s, bad guys looked for “the ledger”, in the 80’s/90’s they looked for “the disc” and now in the present they look for “the flash drive”. In this way, Close Range is very much in the tradition of B-action movies of yore, and the Sergio Leone touches only serve to reinforce the pleasantly retro vibe.

For unpretentious, audience-pleasing fun, look no further than Close Range.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Green Street 3 (2013)

Green Street 3 (2013)- * * *1\2

Directed by: James Nunn

Starring: Scott Adkins, Jack Doolan, Joey Ansah, Kacey Barnfield, and Spencer Wilding

Searching for answers about his brother’s murder, Danny (Adkins) returns to Green Street and his old Firm (apparently a collection of soccer hooligans who support a certain team) after some time away.  If it’s one thing the GSE, or Green Street Elite, like to do, it’s brawl. But the brawling went too far, and Danny is mad. He’s also disappointed that the once-triumphant GSE has decayed and is no longer on top. So he takes second in command, Gilly (Doolan), and whips him and the Firm into shape with a comprehensive training regimen. Meanwhile, Danny and DCI Jones (Ansah) are at odds with how to deal with murder and hooliganism in the Firm (s). In order to get close to the truth, Danny has to now fight in brutal, no-holds-barred group Punchfighting free-for-alls with various other UK Firms. He also finds time for love with beautiful barmistress Molly (Barnfield). The inevitable final battle eventually takes place with arch-baddie Mason (Wilding), and there are some twists and turns along the way to justice…but will Danny get there in one piece?  Find out today!

We loved Green Street 3, and we’re happy that the franchise was re-purposed from an Elijah Wood drama to a Scott Adkins Punchfighter in two easy steps. Notice they took out the word “Hooligans” from the title. Kind of like how Rambo III (1988) should be First Blood III, but who’s counting? Anyway, GS3 is everything this kind of movie should be, and perhaps just a bit more. It relies on tried and true 80’s traditions to come out with a completely winning formula. Hey, why mess with perfection? The filmmakers had the wisdom to realize this when so many others don’t. That’s just one reason why GS3 delivers the goods in spades.

Notably, GS3 would totally work as a drama if all the fighting was taken out. It has that gray-skies, “kitchen sink”-style drama the British are so good at - what we call Brit Grit - it just so happens that they added Punchfighting and brawling to the mix, to excellent effect. Fan favorite Scott Adkins is in his element and in top form, and the rest of the cast is top-notch as well. The cinematography is effective and non-junky looking, thankfully. Awesomely, the score by Paul Arnold and Andrew Barnabas is synth-drenched and you can’t help but recall the golden 80’s. The movie even ends on a freeze-frame. As if that wasn’t enough, one Leavon Archer contributes two Totally 80’s-style songs, “Pushing Back” and “Trouble”, further reinforcing the coolness.

And there ought to be 80’s-style songs, as there are - get ready for this - SIX training montages. We haven’t seen this many training montages since Rocky IV (1985). We love a good training montage, and we give the movie a lot of credit for having the guts to do this and not caring what anybody thinks. If the music wasn’t good and we weren't invested in the story and Scott Adkins wasn’t involved, it might not have worked, but it totally does. We wanted to get in shape like Gilly and the gang and we were cheering. Also, they PRACTICE their head-butting technique on the heavy bag. And Gilly goes into Punchfighting brawls wearing a sweater and a collared shirt. Only in the UK, we guess.

So wipe away your depression, grab a few pints, and enter the Punch-brawling (yet another new term?) world of Green Street 3. You’ll be glad you did. 

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett