EvilPhoEniX

Xavier Gens (Frontier(s), The Divide, Gangs of London) directs an action flick in the vein of Gareth Evans and Tim Tjahjant, and I can say that it's a pretty good sibling to The Raid and The Night Comes for Us, and although it doesn't reach their qualities, it's a superior work by European standards. The protagonist is an Arab model who has been released from prison, only to be immediately followed by the wrong people and left with no choice but to go as far away as possible – to Thailand. He wants to live peacefully, start a family and find a nice job, but soon he gets involved with Thai drug dealers and has to dust off his fists and kicks. The story is nothing groundbreaking, but nobody hopes for that either, what's important is that the main character is a likeable guy you can root for, the pacing is awesome, and there is an uncomfortable atmosphere in the air from the opening. The film grabbed me by the balls immediately and entertained me even during the non-action passages, which is pretty damn important. The action is good, the cinematography is fine, the fights are properly rough and uncompromising, properly R-rated (they use knives and machetes and I always have a soft spot for that). There's a sense of toughness and physicality, so I enjoyed it like old times. What is a bit of a minus is that there is no proper fighter among the villains to match the main character. All of them are more like pawns to be defeated than regular opponents, so we are deprived of a final fight with the main rival, as usual in similar movies, which is a bit of a pity. Apart from that, I don't see any significant issues, it's a fine flick that will please fans of brutal action. 8/10.

Jung Woo-sung is one of my favorites, so I was curious about his debut. He probably wanted to emulate his colleague Lee Jung-jae, who debuted with Hunt, where they faced each other, but his colleague won. It's not a bad film, there are some good moments, but the it has no real zest and the action is not one of the highlights. The protagonist is released after from prison after ten years, learns that he has a daughter and doesn't want to go back to his previous life as a gangster, he wants to live peacefully, but a jealous henchman from his former boss hires a pair of hit-men to take him out. I didn't like one of the assassins very much, he's a loudmouth dork who has some skill but his behaviour is too over-the-top, and I'm a bit disappointed that the whole film is mainly just about the duel between the main character and those two, it would be much more interesting if the protagonist went up against the whole criminal organisation, there were some interesting cronies. There is one decent fight in the finale and a good car chase in a tunnel, even so I can't shake the feeling that the potential was much higher. 6/10.

A fun guilty pleasure where Zack Snyder bit off more than he could chew, but I have no problem with it. We didn't get a proper sci-fi flick this year. Creator was a dull bore and this, though ripping off a lot of other movies, was more likeable than the whole Star Wars thing, which I hate. Part of it may be the fact that I have a soft spot for movies where a team is being put together (The Magnificent Seven vibes!), I've loved Sofia Boutella since Kingsman, and Charlie Hunnam is a good too. The ruthless bad guy Ed Skrein of Nazi ilk kept me entertained and the rest of the characters are pretty okay. Too bad the character development and interaction between them is nil (it’s definitely missing some banter), but I can forgive that. The atmosphere and visuals have a "Warhammer" feel to them, which I applaud, and the action isn't bad. The barn fight is very good (I can imagine some decent gore if the film had been R-rated). Too bad Snyder didn't release an R-rated version immediately, the final impression could have been better. The finale is a bit meh, even though there is one minor twist, it doesn't quite pull it off. All in all I have no problem with the movie, I wasn't bored , the world was interesting, but I'd rather see an Army of the Dead sequel than this. Too bad they didn't add more monster-spiders here, it was excellent. 6/10.

Ocean’s Eleven at sea and South Korea! Director Ryoo Seung-wan is one of Korea's elite; Veteran, The Berlin File and The Battleship Island are all very popular and well-loved films, so every new work of his is always highly anticipated. Smugglers is such a nice light-hearted heist flick that explores smuggling from a different angle. The story follows a group of women who are excellent divers and make a living collecting shells, but their work is becoming scarce due to the increasing number of factories, and so they take to the path of crime – smuggling, catching crates of gold from the sea and things like that. The women are likeable, there are some nice underwater shots, the film has a fun pace and it has that feel-good vibe. The craftsmanship, of course, is excellent. Things speed up in the last forty and my enthusiasm started to increase. The amazing action sequence in the hallway with axes and knives is a real treat. Great cinematography and choreography, properly uncompromising action, well I felt the vibe of the gritty action thrillers made a few years back. There were some nice twists and turns and then a breathtaking finale with divers, knives and sharks! I really enjoyed that, as I had never seen such a chase underwater, where the ladies intelligently disposed of the scum and there were some nicely made sharks. Definitely one of the more interesting films from South Korea this year. 75%

A fun and suspenseful Korean thriller set in the Middle East from the director of Kingdom, A Hard Day and Tunnel. A Korean diplomat is kidnapped somewhere in Lebanon and another diplomat is tasked to go there and deliver a package of money for ransom, but the problem is that other people, from the police to local rebels, are after the suitcase of money and the journey is definitely not going to be easy. The craftsmanship very good – the Koreans simply don't make cheap B-movies – technically and in terms of acting everything is fine, plus the director already has experience and mostly with thrillers, so he manages to create tension here as well. Surprisingly, the film moves forward very quickly, there is always something going on and the main character is constantly on his toes as someone is always on his tail. It's not outright action, but rather suspenseful and entertaining, there are shootouts too, but rather one-sided. There are a few twists and turns, and those who like the Muslim-terrorist setting will enjoy the atmosphere of a hostile Lebanon, decimated by war and dominated by local gangs. Speaking for myself, I have to say I enjoyed it. A little different than what we're used to from South Korea. 7/10.

Very nice, almost magical. I've never cared much for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Johnny Depp's overacting is rather annoying. This one is more natural without American bullshit, and I can't remember when I've seen a nicer fairy tale crossed with a musical. The production design is charming, and Timothée Chalamet is a good casting choice (he sings nice too). The viewer eats up his whole adventure, the songs are nicely melodic and fit the plot, the idea of a chocolate Cartel is great, there is some humour here and there (Keegan-Michael Key as a policeman is absolutely wonderful and Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Grant are also good). It's got a very feel-good vibe this close to Christmas, and even the creators of Money Heist wouldn't be ashamed of the final heist. I was moved to tears. 8/10.

The talented Emerald Fennel strikes again and it's a blast. A decadent, provocative, twisted, slightly perverted piece of spectacle that mixes drama with thriller and with a slight nod to art. The film won me over, entertained me and in the end shocked me perfectly. Fennel has chosen a trio of the most talented young actors of today. Jacob Elordi has been great since Euphoria, Archie Madekwe has had a decent run after See and Gran Turismo, and Barry Keoghan, well he's a proven quality actor who even has one of the most prominent roles here as a weirdo, and he is really good. We follow a strange, lonely boy with no friends who goes to Oxford where befriends the coolest guy, a rich aristocrat who invites him to spend the summer holidays at his mansion with his eccentric family. All the characters are interesting. Rosamund Pike is also perfect. The dialogues (the explanation of the moth is sheer screenwriting perfection!), the mood is really weird, the drama turns into an uncomfortable thriller out of nowhere and that's only because of the pulsating music and chilling dialogues, this is what the director does well. The vampire play and the grave scene are quite unusual. But the final impression is made even better by the final half hour, which features two shocking twists that make this film memorable. It's been a long time since a twist has knocked me out like this. And to top it off, there’s a naked dancing Keoghan like the future Joker. Yes, this was good, but you have to be prepared for it. 8/10.

An enjoyable Korean Thriller that will not blow you away, but won’t offend you, either. The story focuses on a girl who buys a washing machine through an online second hand shop, only to come across a scammer, whom she humiliates in an online review. Of course, he doesn't like it and decides to make her life hell. As well as being a scammer, he is also a hacker and a serial killer who lures his victims through the online marketplace. Definitely a bit of a different perspective, the psychological terror works well, the protagonist gets a pretty decent beating, the tension is nicely built up in places, and the craftsmanship is also very fine. However, it's a bit disappointing that it's so ordinary for my taste. The body-count is low, the violence is scarce and we don't get any major twists either, which are the deciding factors for a higher rating for me. But those who can stomach these thrillers with a madman at their heels will certainly not go wrong. 6/10.

 John Woo's best era of movies is behind him and Silent Night doesn't completely offend, but if you're a fan of A-list action flicks, this has no chance to succeed. Plus, the idea of a silent hero didn't work for me. I felt hardly any sympathy towards the protagonist, we don't find out his character and there are no wisecracks, so I see this as a minus. Moreover, nothing happens for the first fifty minutes. The protagonist loses his son and is badly injured, and for more than half the film he copes and practices before deciding to take revenge. The second half is pretty good, it's R-rated, with occasionally nice slow motion, visually it’s fine (the two intense fights are great), but the shootouts are bland as the opponents charge like dummies, and the final showdown is nothing special either. Joel Kinnaman with his weird expression didn't suit me at all for the first time. All in all, a watchable but forgettable action B-movie. 55%

A passable thriller from Spain that will not blow away those who are used to Oriol Paul's masterpieces, but it will not offend either. A young couple decide to swap homes for a week with an elderly couple they met on the internet. Their house has all the luxuries and a large plot of land, but they soon discover that something is not quite right in this exchange. The twist isn't bad, though it's nothing new, and it comes soon, though. The film is slow paced, lacking any memorable scenes (it's not even very suspenseful). I expected more from it. The Spaniards are nice at spicing up the amosphere and suspense and pulling off unpleasant twists, but they don’t quite do it here. It's okay to watch, though, if you like Spanish filmmaking, you won't be disappointed, but don't expect miracles. 55%