Month: December 2018

Released: July 1998

Director: Martin Campbell

Rated PG-13

Run Time: 136 Minutes

Distributor: Sony Pictures/TriStar Entertainment

Genre: Action/Adventure

Cast:
Antonia Banderas: Alejandro Murietta
Anthony Hopkins: Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro
Stuart Wilson: Don Rafael Montero
Catherine Zeta-Jones: Elena
Matt Letscher: Captain Harrison Love

Between 1990 and 2001, action movies saw a very significant change in direction in terms of the use of visual effects and overall quality.  James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day is largely to blame for the real adoption of CGI into movies.  To be fair, T2 was a phenomenal action film that revolutionized visual effects.  Even today, that film stands out as one of the best action movies ever made.  That being said, you could definitely see a change in how action movies looked over the course of that decade.  1996 saw the release of the science-fiction blockbuster Independence Day which was one of the last movies of its kind to use not only CGI, but practical and miniatures, often at the same time.  But after that, CGI became more and more prominent in action films to the point where movies using practical effects were starting to get pushed to the back-burner.  Thankfully, director Martin Campbell and producer Steven Spielberg teamed up to deliver a new epic film based on a very old character, Zorro.  In 1998, The Mask of Zorro was released to theaters and strong reviews.

The Mask of Zorro begins in 1821 as Spain’s rule of Mexico came to an end.  Don Rafael Montero, is set to execute three random peasants when local hero Zorro comes to the rescue.  After riding into the sunset, Zorro a.k.a Don Diego de la Vega, rides home to his wife and child only to be confronted by Montero.  With his wife dead and his daughter captured, de la Vega is imprisoned vowing revenge.  20 years later, notorious local bandits, Joaquin and Alejandro Murietta are set upon by Mexican soldiers led by American army captain, Harrison Love.  Witnessing his brother’s death, Alejandro vows revenge against the American captain.  After escaping his prison, de la Vega runs into Alejandro.  Together, they set out to confront and exact revenge on Don Rafael and Captain Love.  The overall story is a simple, yet elegant yarn about not just revenge and redemption, but also passing the torch.  It’s a story that’s right of the old serials and black and white films of the 20’s and 30’s.  It’s been updated to incorporate modern elements of film-making and production.  Well, modern as of 1998.  It’s an incredibly tight and well-written tale that has the perfect balance of action, comedy, romance and tension.  Not a lot of action films take the time to get those elements right.  Sure, action, comedy, and tension are par for the course for movies of this type, but throwing in romance could have easily thrown everything out of whack.  Thankfully, it doesn’t.  The story in The Mask of Zorro remains one of my all-time favorites.

A lot of what makes this film work comes down to several elements, specifically writing.  It’s a very well-written film, but the writing would mean very little if the acting wasn’t as good.  Thankfully, we have a top-tier cast that’s more than up for the challenge in this film.  Antonio Banderas steals the show as Alejandro, who later becomes Zorro.  Over the course of the film, we see the character go from a scruffy bandit to a skilled swordsman.  Antonio brings a lot of charisma and vulnerability to a role that could have easily gone over the top.  Anthony Hopkins is incredibly elegant and well-spoken as the aging Diego de la Vega.  He goes from being Zorro to being a kind of trainer to show Alejandro the ropes of being a swordsman, and by extension, Zorro.  Catherine Zeta-Jones as Elena, Diego’s daughter, is not only beautiful, but she can also hold her own with the boys.  She’s incredibly lovely as Elena.  Stuart Wilson and Matt Letscher play the villains, Rafael Montero and Captain Love respectively.  Unlike a lot of villains in movies like this, these guys are not over-the-top cartoon caricatures.  They feel like real people with real motivations.  Wilson’s Montero is a schemer and fairly ruthless, but he does have an element of humanity that makes a bit more relatable.  Captain Love is a straight-up scum-bag, though.  This character is more of a mercenary and he’s willing to go to any lengths to achieve his goals.  None of this would matter if the chemistry between the actors wasn’t there, and it really is.  Antonio’s character’s relationship with de la Vega and Elena are some of the strongest in the movie.  Antonio’s chemistry with Ms. Jones is very apparent in the dance scene as well as the sword fight they have together.  You can tell that the sparks are flying and it’s absolutely wonderful.  Like-wise, Alejandro’s relationship with Captain love is as antagonistic as de la Vega’s is with Montero.  In some ways, it’s kind of a mirror.  But the way these characters are handled throughout the film is amazing and it works very, very well.

The Mask of Zorro is a film that has everything for everybody.  You want drama?  Check.  Romance? Check.  Comedy and action?  Definitely check.  While some of these elements are reminiscent of something like say, The Princess Bride, Zorro does things its own way.  Zorro is a character that is almost 100 years old, so bringing him into a modern film-making world presents a bit of a challenge, especially in the action department.  The sword-fights in this film are some of the finest that I’ve seen, thanks to the efforts of legendary stunt sword-master, Bob Anderson.  Bob Anderson has worked as a sword-master and stuntman in films like The Empire Strikes Back as well as the Highlander TV series.  He was the go-to guy for sword fights in movies up until his death in 2012.  Because of Mr. Anderson’s work, the sword fights in Zorro have a distinctive feel as opposed to other kinds of action films that involve fencing.  Most of the actors in the film have had to go through some pretty rigorous training to make sure their fight scenes are feel authentic.  This also goes for the stunts.  This movie has some of the most amazing stunt work.  Most of it is also done practically and mostly without the use of wires.  There’s also very little in the way of CGI, with the exception of some background shots, but even then, CGI is kept to a very bare minimum.  Honestly, I couldn’t even tell that there was CGI in the movie, if there was any.  Some of the set-pieces are absolutely astonishing.  The final battle at the mine is one of the most entertaining and intense sequences I’ve ever seen.  Some of the action sequences are peppered with humor.  One such scene involves Alejandro trying to steal a black horse from a group of soldiers.  It’s not only exciting, but it’s incredibly funny with some pretty silly gags, such as Alejandro getting out from under a pile of soldiers, while they’re still trying to kill him.  It’s just wild.

The set and period piece designs are absolutely incredibly.  I love the design of Zorro’s outfit.  Also, the outfits for the dons and the soldiers obviously have to be period-specific, considering when this film takes place.  It just feels like you’re peering through a window into early-to-mid-1800’s California.  Are there any negatives about the film that I should bring up?  Honestly, I didn’t really notice anything that took me out of the film.  In fact, there’s really nothing that the film gets wrong, and that’s rare for a film of this size and scale.  Everything works like clock-work.  From the acting and romantic angles to the action sequences, everything about this film is outstanding.  Special mention has to be made for the score by the late James Horner.  The music in The Mask of Zorro is among my favorite soundtracks.  The Mask of Zorro is about as perfect a film as you can get, in my opinion.  It has everything for everyone.  You can use it for a date movie or you can take your family to see it.  It’s that good.  I suppose that if there was anything negative about the film is that the sequel, The Legend of Zorro, kind of sucks.  Apparently, there’s a new film in the works, but details are pretty sketchy at this point, and I don’t want to assume or speculate on it.  Aside from all that, is The Mask of Zorro worth checking out, even 20 years later?  Oh, yeah.  It holds up incredibly well and I see it becoming a true classic over the next couple of decades.  It’s that good.

My Final Recommendation:  This is an absolute must-own.  I can say that without any kind of snark.  10/10.

More often than not, the strength of a film relies on the strength of its performers.  You can have the best story, best effects and the best action, but if you don’t have the performances to anchor those aspects, the film will still fail.  On the flip side, you can have the worst film in the world in all aspects, but if the acting is stellar than the film will still be at the very least watchable.  There’s definitely a balancing act when it comes to film-making.  You have to balance acting with the writing and other production values.  Acting is pretty critical in many regards, especially in certain genres like drama and horror, but we tend to let the acting slide in action movies.  You’re not necessarily there to see an Oscar-worthy performance.  No, you’re there to see stuff blow up and that’s fine, but acting is still required in order to get the audience to go along with the ride.  For this list, I’m going to go over what I consider to be the best performances from both male and female actors.  I’m a firm believer in equality, so I’m not going to separate the two.  Understand that some of these films are not necessarily going to be the best movies ever made.  So let’s get into some of the best acting in 2018.

Toni Collette – Hereditary

Hereditary, if you recall from my post about 2018’s horror films, is one of the best in the genre.  It’s a slow-burn film, to be sure, but that allows the film to really get under your skin.  None of that would matter if the acting wasn’t strong.  While Alex Wolff and Gabriel Byrne are fantastic in this film, it’s Toni Collette that truly anchors the film.  This is her show and she gives one of the strongest performances of her entire career.  The character is very well-written, but Toni is the real emotional force behind the film.  I haven’t seen a performance like this in a horror film in years.  On one hand, you’re kind of not necessarily liking the character at first, but over the course of the film, especially when tragedy strikes in the second of the film.  It’s a very heart-wrenching performance and Toni just really hammers it home.  Hereditary is an amazing film, but it’s worth watching for Toni’s performance alone.

Lance Henriksen – Gone Are The Days

Lance Henriksen is an absolute legend in the acting community.  Whether he’s voicing people in video games or playing villains in movies like Hard Target, Lance really ups the ante in whatever project he’s working on.  He’s never really gotten the recognition that he deserves with mainstream movies, but he’s definitely made his mark over the past 40 or so years.  Most people would recognize him as the android Bishop from Aliens or the villain from Hard Target, but some of his best work is in stuff where there’s not a whole lot of action.  His role as Taylon Flynn in Gone Are The Days, is one of his strongest performances that I’ve seen in years.  He plays an aging outlaw that finds out that his estranged daughter is whoring herself out just to make ends meet, so he goes to the town where she’s at so he can try and make things right before he dies.  The film is anchored by strong performances across the board including Tom Berenger, but it’s Henriksen that gives the film its emotional core.  Lance’s age actually allows him to settle into the role and gives the character a level of humanity that you would not expect from a character like that.

Emily Blunt and John Krasinski – A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place is another really strong horror film that came out this year and for good reason.  This movie is awesome.  Conceptually, the film shouldn’t really work, especially when you’re dealing with monsters that are hyper-sensitive to sound, so a pin dropping on the floor could get you killed.  Yet, because of John Krasinski, the film is firing on all cylinders.  It’s intense from beginning to end, and it actually feels more like a family drama.  Here’s the thing, though, most of the dialogue is done using sign language, as any sound will attract alien monsters that have decimated humanity.  The performances here are extraordinary.  John Krasinskiy, who comes from a fairly comedic background, is really good as Lee, the head of the family, as he tries to protect them and find a way to fight back against the creatures outside.  Emily Blunt is just as fantastic as Lee’s wife, Evelyn.  A lot can be said in a performance that doesn’t use any spoken dialogue and A Quiet Place is a perfect example of that.

Dave Bautista – Final Score

While most wrestlers-turned-actors are not successful in the transition, you have a few that are absolutely fantastic.  Dwayne Johnson is one of them and Dave Bautista is the other.  Most people would recognize Bautista as Drax from the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War films.  This guy has a very surprising amount of range.  He’s obviously got the physique and size to be a bad-ass action star, but his performance in Final Score is easily one of his best performances.  His character is a former special forces soldier who is in London to look out for his niece.  He brings a real father-figure type to the character, but when asses need to be kicked, he can switch that on and off like it’s nobody’s business.  I’m absolutely amazed at how good of an actor that Bautista has become over the years.  While Final Score is definitely a Die Hard/Sudden Death rip-off of sorts, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Alicia Vikander – Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider has long been one of my favorite video games, especially the recent reboot trilogy.  It was only a matter of time before a movie based on the 2013 video game reboot was made.  I have to say that this year’s Tomb Raider film is probably one of the best video game-based movies in years, but that’s not really saying a whole lot.  That being said, the new film is a blast.  I have to say that Alicia Vikander is a much better choice for Lara Croft than Angelina Jolie was over a decade ago.  Not only is Alicia a stunning woman, she’s got the acting chops to match, and she brings it in Tomb Raider.  She handles a lot of the physical stuff herself, and her performance.  She allows the character to come across as a real human being with actual flaws and not some cartoon caricature.  The character makes mistakes and Ms. Vikander rolls with it, sometimes literally.  It’s clear to me that effort was really made to make Tomb Raider a pretty decent experience, if not an exceptional one.

Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen – Apostle

When I first laid my eyes on Apostle about a week or so ago, I was floored by how intense and how brutal the film was.  It didn’t shy away from a whole lot.  When it comes to movies dealing with cults, I’m not really the biggest fan, mostly because they aren’t done very well.  Apostle is.  As with any good movie, what really drives Apostle is the performance of its two main leads, Dan Stevens, who plays a guy who is looking for his sister that was kidnapped for ransom by a cult.  Michael Sheen plays Malcolm, the charismatic, yet, ruthless leader of said cult.  Both characters’ motivations we can understand.  Thomas, Dan Steven’s character, is looking for a missing relative, something that most people can understand, but at the same time, Malcolm doesn’t want to be ruled by government interference in his beliefs.  Again, that is completely understandable.  Thomas, though, has a very nihilistic view on religion, due to his experiences as a former religious person.  The performances of both actors are just absolutely incredible.  Michael Sheen is charismatic and pretty likable at times, while Dan comes across as an unlikable vagrant, but you see how similar these two characters really are.  It’s a great movie, definitely check it out.

Jamie Lee Curtis – Halloween 2018

It’s really surprising to find out how many horror movies are on this list, considering that I’ve already done my best horror movies of 2018.  Here’s the thing, the performances in a lot of the horror movies this year are leagues above almost anything you will see in nearly any other genre.  The genre is not really known for the acting aspect, yet, some of the best movies this year are horror movies.  The 2018 Halloween film starring Jamie Lee Curtis isn’t exactly a ground-breaking film.  Far from it.  In fact, it kind of plays it safe when it comes to the slasher formula.  That was actually a good thing, though.  While the film is definitely a traditional slasher film in every aspect of the term, what isn’t traditional is Jamie Lee Curtis’s performance.  Curtis plays Laurie Strode, who has been waiting and preparing for 4o years to kill Michael Myers, and that obsession has driven her away from her family.  Her attempts at reconnecting with her family is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, especially when her own daughter rebuffs her attempts.  The only one that’s actively trying to salvage the relationship is Laurie’s granddaughter.  The family dynamic is one of the best parts of the film and Jamie Lee Curtis is really at her best here.

I don’t care if you’re a man, woman or child in a movie, if you put in a great performance, you will get recognized for it at some point.  These are some of my favorite performances that I’ve seen this year, and I highly recommend you check these films out, even if it is just for those performances.  The Best of 2018 continues, and I hope that you folks will stick around when I do my Lifetime Achievement* award towards the end of the year.

*not affiliated with the AFI(American Film Institute)’s Lifetime Achievement Award

In story-telling, the ending can be considered to be one of the most important, if not the most important aspect of the story.  It caps off everything that the characters had gone through, and brought closure and tying up certain loose ends a very complete entity.  When Iron Man came out back in 2008, the whispers of an Avengers film started coming around, even though the plan for one was already thought up by Marvel.  After Iron Man’s success, followed by Captain America and Thor, it came time for the main event: The Avengers.  Released in 2012 to a massive box-office success, The Avengers wasn’t just a blockbuster, it was an event.  Featuring some of the most well-known heroes in the Marvel universe in one movie, the bar was raised for comic-book movies.  Thus began Phase 2 of what would become the MCU or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  We began seeing sequels to each of the main character films that have been released thus far, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy, all leading up to Avengers: Age of Ultron.  While not the critical success that the first film was, Ultron helped usher in Phase 3 of the MCU, and this is where things start coming together for the coming showdown with the Avengers’ greatest villain yet, Thanos.  Avengers: Infinity War was the culmination of 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe building to this point.  Not only did Infinity War NOT disappoint in any way, it also raised the bar again with much higher stakes by the time the film ended.  Everything that we, as fans, have seen is all coming down to what may be the final Avengers film, at least as far as the current team goes: Endgame.

In Infinity War, Thanos was traveling through the universe to collect the 6 mystical and powerful Infinity Stones so he could “bring balance” by destroying half of all life in the universe.  Despite a very heroic attempt by Thor, Captain America, Black Panther, Bruce Banner, Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos would ultimately succeed in destroying half of the universe with a single snap from his Infinity Gauntlet.  We saw the effects of the snap as we witness Black Panther, Winter Soldier, Falcon, Peter Quill, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange disintegrate into dust, leaving Iron Man stranded on alien planet and the Avengers as well the planet completely decimated.  People had often complained that Marvel was unwilling to kill some its main characters over the past 10 years.  Well…..that’s exactly what they did here.  Now, to be fair, like in the comic book story of Infinity War, a good number of these deaths are likely to be reversed, mostly because some of these characters still have movies coming out, so killing them isn’t really an option.  Some of the characters appear to be truly dead: Loki, Gamora, and Heimdall among others.  The ending of Infinity War left things on a very down note, and with the stakes never having been higher than they are now, we will be given Avengers: Endgame in April which will conclude the MCU’s version of the Infinity War.  The Infinity Stones are still going to be in play, particularly the Time and Reality Stones.  But what is also going to up the ante is the inclusion of a new superhero, Captain Marvel, who will be getting her own film in March, but she will figure heavily into Endgame’s outcome.  The trailer that Marvel released just recently gives you an idea of where things stand in the MCU, but it doesn’t really give anything away, which is what a teaser trailer should do.  In the months leading up to Avengers: Endgame, there’s going to be a lot of speculation as to who will survive and who won’t and how some of these deaths will be reversed.  Make no mistake about it, the MCU will be very, VERY different after Endgame.  With Chris Evan’s and Robert Downey, Jr.’s contracts expected to expire, one has to wonder what will happen to these characters.  Will they die or will they ride off into the sunset.  Honestly, I expect one of them to die, specifically Captain America.

While I could go on for hours speculating what will happen in Avengers: Endgame, I’m far more curious as to what other people have to say about this.  I have to be honest:  I’m a huge fan of the MCU movies, even though some are not as good as others.  Like many other fans, I’ve invested ten years into these stories and I can’t wait to see how it all comes to an end in its current form.  The Avengers will most likely continue into the future, as well as the rest of the MCU, but form will it take and will future movies continue to be interconnected with each other?  Only time will tell.  Honestly, I can’t say I’ve been more excited for a story arc to be concluded.  Not because it’s been going on for ten years, but because of where the previous films have brought us.  I want to see how this ends and if it will surpass Infinity War in terms of scale and scope.  Infinity War set the bar really high, and I hope that Endgame will be more than up to the challenge.

Some people think that 2018 was not the best year for movies.  For certain genres that may be true, but when it comes to horror and action films, 2018 came down on us like the hammer of Thor.  The action films released this year are some of the best I’ve seen in years.  Whether they are direct to video, Netflix, or theatrical, action movies have been a major staple of cinema since the beginning of the medium.  Over the past decade or so, we’ve seen different kinds of action films that we really haven’t seen before.  Movies like The Raid have made a huge impression on a lot of people with the level of violence and brutality.  For this post, I’m also going to be including comic book-based movies, because there really wasn’t enough coming out this year that warrants their own post.  Overall, 2018 has been a fantastic year for action addicts such as myself.  So…with that in mind, let’s blow shit up with The Best Action Movies of 2018.

Mission Impossible: Fallout

While the plot device of the new Mission Impossible uses the tried-and-true nuclear weapon cliche, it’s the rest of the film surrounding it that is exceptional.  Say what you will about Tom Cruise, but this guy puts in 150 percent in every role that he does, especially when it comes to action movies.  The Mission Impossible films have always been pretty solid action flicks with number 2 being the weakest of the bunch, but Fallout is easily the best of the bunch, especially when it comes to the action.  Tom Cruise does all of his own stunts and then some.  He goes all out here.  In the first 30 minutes, we see Cruise actually perform a HALO jump, which is a High Altitude Low Open jump.  This thing is usually reserved for the military’s special forces, because of the training involved.  It’s nuts.  But Cruise keeps one-upping himself to the point where he’s actually flying a helicopter in one of the craziest vehicle chases I’ve ever seen in a movie.  The stuff that happens on the ground is equally fantastic.  This movie is a huge roller-coaster ride from beginning to end.

Avengers: Infinity War

There are big blockbuster movies and then there are event movies.  The first Avengers in 2012 was an event movie.  The second film?  Not so much.  But neither of those films compares to the grand and epic scale of Infinity War.  People have often complained about Marvel’s movies playing it too safe and not upping the stakes in terms of who lives and who dies.  Well, Infinity War not only raises the stakes, but it also takes the risk of ending the film the way it does.  This is the Empire Strikes Back of the Avengers films.  It is easily the darkest film the MCU has seen in years.  The Avengers finally go up against a villain that is not only extremely intelligent and powerful, but could take on the entire team and win.  The entire MCU after the first Avengers film has been building to this point, and it does not disappoint.  The trailers don’t do it justice.  This is by far one of the most epic and action-packed mainstream movies I’ve seen in years.  This means that Avengers 4 is going to have to up the ante quite a bit in order to match Infinity War.

The Night Comes For Us

Netflix has really come through as a platform that can produce its own content.  The Night Comes For Us is easily one of the most violent and brutal action movies released this year.  In certain corners of the interwebs, this film could also count as a horror movie because of its extreme violence.  It’s a solid story about a former Triad enforcer who refuses to kill a child, and ends up on the run from his former employers.  It’s a simple redemption story, but one that works in a film like this.  Joe Taslim and Iko Uwais worked together on The Raid, but to see them fighting each other in this film is one for the record books.  Uwais usually plays the good guy, but he’s fantastic as a villain.  This movie doesn’t shy away from the gore.  There’s more gore in this film than you would find in a bog-standard slasher film, which makes The Night Comes For Us one of the most over-the-top action films that I’ve seen in years.  That’s not just hyperbole.  If you like your action movies brutal and unrelenting, The Night Comes For Us is fantastic.

Accident Man

When it comes to DTV action movies, Scott Adkins is pretty much the go to guy.  This guy has made an absolute name for himself over the past decade, being involved with not only DTV films, but some really big theatrical films like Doctor Strange.  So…yeah, he gets around.  Accident Man is one of two action films released in 2018 starring Scott Adkins, with the other being The Debt Collector.  Accident Man is actually a movie based a comic book that Mr. Adkins is a huge fan of, so this was a passion project for him.  The film is about an assassin whose specialty is making his kills look like accidents.  When he finds out that a former flame of his was murdered, possibly by one of his own, he goes on a rampage.  The action sequences in this film are incredible.  One fight has him taking on Michael Jai White AND Ray Park at the same time.  Not only is it intense, but it also has a sense of humor, and that’s what really separates this film from a lot of others.  It gets pretty funny at times, and a lot of that comes from Scott himself, whose character is a motormouth.  It’s funny, it’s intense and it’s a lot of fun.

Buybust

Watching action movies from other countries gives you an insight into how they approach action film-making.  Buybust is a film from the Philippines that takes place during the country’s war on drugs.  It follows a police officer, whose previous team was slaughtered because of corrupt officers, and she’s recruited into a new team that’s been assigned to take out a notorious drug lord.  This is one of the most ruthless action movies I’ve seen this year, but it also shines a light on the actual problems that were instigated by this war on drugs and how it affects everybody involved.  The police team is surrounded not only by the drug gang, but also civilians who have had enough of both the police and the gangs.  It makes for an incredibly intense film that when the action starts, it doesn’t let up.

Black Panther

When the character of Black Panther showed up in last year’s Captain America: Civil War, people were very excited for the prospect of a stand-alone film.  Black Panther is one of the best films that Marvel has ever put out.  While the film is definitely spectacular in terms of its visuals, it’s a far more character-oriented film than we are used to seeing from Marvel.  Not only do we have a fantastic hero in the Black Panther, played to perfection by Chadwick Boseman, but the film also has a villain that is sympathetic and that you can understand where he’s coming from.  What makes this film really standout, is not just how visually interesting it is, but also in terms of set and costume design.  These are some of the most unique costumes I’ve ever seen, and they are all based on designs from various African tribes.  It also helps that while the film acknowledges the events of the other films, it keeps the focus on a much smaller scale.

The Debt Collector

This is the second Scott Adkins film on the list, and it’s just as good as Accident Man.  Director Jesse V. Johnson not only gets a great performance out of Scott, but he pairs him up with Louis Mandylor, who is pretty damn good in his own right.  The chemistry that these two have is simply fantastic.  There’s quite a bit of hilarious back-and-forth between the characters, but there’s also a pretty strong emotional element that I wasn’t expecting from this movie.  The action is far more grounded and realistic than what we are used to seeing from Scott, but he puts everything into it, including getting thrown through walls.  For a DTV action movie, The Debt Collector has a lot going for it: Solid writing, fantastic acting, decent story, and decent action.  Jesse V. Johnson knows how to take a low-budget action flick and make it look like a million bucks, that’s a pretty unique talent, so yeah, I do recommend The Debt Collector.

There are a number of other action movies released this year that missed the list, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad, it just means they didn’t do enough to really wow me the way these ones did.  So, these are what I consider to be the Best Action Films of 2018.  Looking at what’s coming up in 2019, I’m legitimately excited for what next year is going to bring us.