Category: Reviews

It’s often been said that in the world of comics and superhero films that a hero is only as good as his villain.  There have been many great villains over the decades, especially in film.  Darth Vader, Count Dracula, Magneto, Khan Noonien Singh(Star Trek), and various others have become iconic in their own distinct way.  When it comes to super-villains in comics, though, the variety of bad guys is extraordinary, regardless of whether you’re reading DC, Marvel or Dark Horse comics.  Superman’s got his own Rogues Gallery, as does the X-Men and The Avengers.  But it’s Batman’s line-up of villains that is most extraordinary.  Batman is a damaged individual and his villains often represent a fractured part of his psyche.  But the one villain that really drives Batman’s need for justice, and the one villain that seems to escape it the most, is the Joker.  The Joker is basically Batman’s polar opposite.  Batman represents law and order, while the Joker thrives on chaos and anarchy.  From a psychological standpoint, the Joker is a very interesting character, both in terms of his complexity and motivations.  The Joker is not interested in world domination or even money and power.  For him, his purpose is to sow chaos and discord in Gotham City, basically making it a very hostile place for the average person.  The only person managing to keep the city from falling into complete chaos is Batman.  I love all the other villains that Batman has, but it’s the Joker that defines Batman.  He may not be able to take on the Dark Knight physically, as Batman as superior fighter, but the Joker’s demented intelligence manages to keep him a few steps ahead of the Caped Crusader.  The Joker is also the only villain that I know of that has never truly been beaten by Batman.  For this post, I’m going to go over some of my favorite moments featuring Gotham’s Crown Prince of Crime.  There have been many actors to portray the character, and each version is unique, for better or worse(I’m looking at you Suicide Squad).  Now, I’m going to discuss the more serious incarnations of the Joker, so Cesar Romero’s version is going to stay off this list, because that version is just too damned goofy to take seriously, with all due respect to Mr. Romero.  So, with that said, let’s dig into what makes the Joker such an awesome villain!

“You can call me….Joker.” – Tim Burton’s Batman(1989)

You know I had to bring Jack Nicholson’s performance into this.  This particular scene is a strong showcase for Jack Nicholson’s unhinged performance.  This scene showcases two things:  First off, it reintroduces the character of Jack Napier as the Joker and it sets up the kind of crime lord that the Joker is going to be for the rest of the film.  Jack Nicholson simply nailed it here.  The make-up and prosthetics used to create the look of this particular joker are incredible and somewhat disturbing as the character now suffers from a permanent smile.  Watching the character just go off the rails shooting the mob boss and laughing while he does it sends shivers down your spine.  This isn’t a character you want to mess with.

Mark Hamill’s Joker -Batman: The Animated Series

Of all the actors that portrayed the Joker over the years, Mark Hamill has done it the longest.  I’d always thought of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, but I never really recognized him doing the voice of the Joker in the animated series.  It’s just as well, he just disappears into the role and that laugh.  I don’t think there’s a more iconic villainous cackle.  Hamill’s portrayal of the Joker is equal parts hilarious and straight-up disturbing.  Batman: The Animated Series, even though it was touted as a kids’ show, went to some really dark places and the Joker ended up being a large part of that.

The Interrogation – The Dark Knight

Many people would argue that Heath Ledger’s interpretation of the Joker is the most iconic and best realized.  I would say that it’s different, as Jack Nicholson’s version is almost as iconic.  What makes Heath Ledger’s version so unique, is how the late actor just disappeared into the role.  You can’t even recognize the actor, either his voice or his face.  He BECAME the Joker.  I’ll be bringing up more of Ledger’s character later on, but this scene is one of the most intense in the entire film.  The Joker reveals some very uncomfortable truths about Gotham’s society and justice system.  The Joker needs Batman to exist so he can basically manipulate Batman to help create chaos.  That’s my interpretation of the scene, but you can’t help but feel that Batman is being outmaneuvered in nearly every single way throughout the movie.  That is the insane brilliance of Heath Ledger’s Joker.  What also is striking about this film(pun intended)is that Heath Ledger dives so far into the performance that he has Christian Bale actually punch him full force in the face….twice.  If that’s not method acting, I don’t know what is.

Mob Boss Scene – Tim Burton’s Batman(1989)

Full marks have to be give to Jack Nicholson for his bat-shit crazy performance in this film.  This scene is one of two mob boss scenes I’m including on this list, but this one is definitely deranged.  The Joker, having killed Carl Grissom, assumes command of the entire crime syndicate.  The Joker wants the other mob bosses to create as much panic and chaos throughout the city as possible, but when one of them refuses, The Joker shakes his hand and electrocutes him using his hand buzzer.  To show how demented this character truly is, he talks to the mob boss’s charred corpse.  This is definitely not a kid friendly scene as it is pretty gruesome and darkly funny at the same time.

“How about a magic trick?” – The Dark Knight

While the first mob boss scene that I showed above was kind of deranged, this particular moment shows you how much of a threat that the Joker poses.  Not just to Gotham’s police force or Batman, but also to the mob.  This guy comes prepared with a magic trick, but is more than willing to blow himself up and the other mobsters to make a point.  This character fears NOTHING and that is part of what makes him so damned interesting.  His motivations are constantly erratic, changing from moment to moment, until you realize that all he wants to see is the world burn.  As Alfred says to Bruce Wayne, this is not a character that can be bargained or negotiated with and that makes him absolutely terrifying.

“I’m an agent of chaos” – The Dark Knight

This is another fantastic scene with the Joker that, again, reveals some pretty horrific truths about how everyone’s got a plan for certain situations, but when you have someone as unpredictable as the Joker show up, those plans get thrown out the window, because nobody knows what to do with somebody like the Joker.  He says he’s not a guy with a plan, but I suspect that’s entirely true.  But it also reveals a little something about this version of the Joker.  He may have been a veteran or an ex-cop at some point, which would explain how and why he’s able to throw Gotham’s police force and mob bosses for a complete loop.  He understands how things work and he knows how to cause damage.  This makes him more of terrorist than a typical criminal.  Yet, everything he says and does has a twisted kind of logic to it that makes sense in a disturbing kind of way.

The Killing Joke – Joker Makes Batman Laugh

The Killing Joke is one of the most important stories ever released by DC Comics, for a number of reasons.  It’s dark, it also explains some of Joker’s origins to a certain extent, but it also puts one of Batman’s allies in extreme jeopardy.  I’ll admit that I had issues with the animated adaptation of the story, particularly the first 20 minutes or so.  But when the real story begins, it’s awesome.  The original graphic novel wasn’t even a hundred pages long, but it was a very influential story that inspired Tim Burton’s Batman as well as Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.  This final scene, like the graphic novel, is left open to interpretation.  Batman doesn’t want to kill the Joker and wants to help him, but the Joker refuses.  He tells a joke instead that gets Batman to laugh, and then the screen goes black.  It’s a surprisingly thoughtful and human moment between hero and villain.  Mark Hamill, as always, nails it as the Joker.

“Everything Burns.” – The Dark Knight

If it wasn’t clear before, it should be now as to what Heath Ledger’s Joker wants to do.  He doesn’t care about money or power.  All he wants is absolute chaos.  It doesn’t sound like a fairly convincing motivation, does it?  But that’s the point.  The character up until this point has been very unpredictable, brutal, and yet, strangely methodical about knowing when and where to cause damage.  He wants to drive everybody in the city over the edge, and he’s clearly capable of doing it.  That makes for one of the most terrifying villains in pop culture.  I have to say that Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker is one of a kind and people were not expecting it to be.

Joker – Trailer

This upcoming film is one of the reasons why I did this list.  Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, is set to be released on October 4th.  Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill individual who, through harsh situations and brutal attacks on him, becomes the villainous Joker.  The early word on the film is that Phoenix may get nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in this film.  A lot of critics who have already seen early cuts of the film have praised the film for being twisted, dark, and tragic.  I’m honestly looking forward to seeing this film myself when it comes out.  It’s the first live-action DC comics film to be rated R and not be based on any previous story or origin of the Joker.  Joaquin Phoenix is one of the most celebrated actors in the industry today and I can’t wait to see how he does in this film.  It looks fantastic.  So, I will be reviewing once I’ve had the opportunity to see it, so you expect to see a review of the film on or a little after the 4th of October.

When people think of comic book villains, the Joker usually comes to mind, and for a good reason.  He’s one of the most brilliantly diabolical and twisted villains that Batman has ever come across, and there really hasn’t been an actor that has done a bad job of portraying him.  I don’t blame Jared Leto for what happened with his version of the character.  That fault lies with David Ayer and the other producers of Suicide Squad.  Between Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Mark Hamill, and hopefully Joaquin Phoenix, the character of the Joker won’t be going away anytime soon.  Remember: Let’s put a smile on that face.

Released: April 1985

Director: Richard Donner

Run Time: 121 Minutes

Rated PG-13

Distributor: 20th Century Fox/Warner Bros.

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Cast:
Rutger Hauer: Navarre
Michelle Pfeiffer: Isabeau
Matthew Broderick: Gaston
Leo McKern: Imperius
John Wood: Bishop

The 80’s was a very special time in terms of film, especially in film quality.  The world saw some of the biggest movies ever released during this decade: Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Willow, The Terminator, Conan The Barbarian, Aliens, Rambo, and a slew of many other movies.  A lot of these films ended up being very successful and launched the careers of various film-makers like James Cameron.  There were also a number of films that were NOT as successful, especially in the fantasy genre.  Legend, which was directed by Ridley Scott after he did Blade Runner, was not particularly well-received at home or abroad.  In fact, the film that Europe got was a very different cut than what we got here in the States.  I didn’t think it was a bad movie.  Far from it, it was fantastic.  Krull was another fantasy film that fell by the way-side, although to be fair, Krull had the misfortune of being released at nearly the same time as Return of the Jedi.  Guess which movie people went to see?  Again, it was not a terrible film and had some really solid execution and fantasy sequences.  There is another fantasy film that was released during this decade that I think a lot of people have kind of glossed over, and it’s a shame as it is a really damn good movie: Ladyhawke

Ladyhawke tells the story of two star-crossed lovers cursed by an evil and jealous bishop.  Former captain Navarre is human by day, but becomes a black wolf by night.  His lover, Isabeau, is human by night, but a hawk by day.  Neither one remembers the moments they spent in animal form.  The film opens as a young thief, Gaston escapes from a notorious prison.  As he outruns the bishop’s guards, he bumps into Navarre, who has returned to exact his revenge on the bishop that cursed him and his lover.  When it comes to fantasy narratives, Ladyhawke is one of the most traditional in terms of its structure and characterizations.  That’s not really a bad thing, because this is the kind of fantasy film where you just sit back and enjoy the ride.  It’s not overly dark in tone.  In fact, this is one of the most optimistic fantasy films that I’ve ever seen.  It’s a nice break from the doom-and-gloom of such tales as Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings.  When I said that the film has a very familiar structure, I mean that the film follows the basic plot of a noble warrior who returns from exile to seek retribution for the wrong that was done to him and the one he loves.  Along the way, he meets a lovable roguish character and a broken down old man seeking redemption.  Ladyhawke is a classic tale in every sense of the word and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The performances in Ladyhawke are really strong across the board.  The highlights of the film are Rutger Hauer as Navarre and Michelle Pfeiffer as Isabeau.  Despite the fact that these two don’t really share the screen a whole lot, there is some really strong chemistry between the two characters that feels real.  Michelle was(and still is) a stunning woman with striking blue eyes.  For the ladies out there, Rutger Hauer was also a very striking actor during the mid-80s, also with blue eyes.  You have these two characters that are pining for each other, but can’t be with each other.  Hauer and Pfeiffer are able to make that kind of melancholy all the more tragic.  Rutger Hauer was always one of the most underrated actors of his generation.  His performance as Roy Batty in Blade Runner was nothing short of iconic.  It’s a shame he never really got the break that he deserved in the States.  Michelle Pfeiffer on the other hand, would go on to have a solid career, with her most notable role being Catwoman in Batman Returns.  Leo McKern plays the former priest, Imperius, who was inadvertently responsible for Navarre and Isabeau being cursed.  He’s absolutely fantastic as a character that’s been beaten down by life.  John Wood plays the evil bishop who was jealous of the two lovers, and I have to say that he does a pretty good job at being an arrogant and overly self-righteous church leader that sold his soul to the devil.  The one actor that stands out in this film, and not in a good way, is Matthew Broderick as Gaston.  I don’t blame Broderick, as his performance was pretty solid, but he was not really the right person to play the character.  That and the film gave him top billing despite that the fact that the film was focused on Rutger Hauer’s and Michelle Pfeiffer’s characters.  It’s not as bad a casting decision as say….Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but Broderick sticks out like a sore thumb.

This film is absolutely beautiful, not just in terms of its story and characters, but also in how it’s shot.  The film was shot on location in Italy, but the wide shots of the surrounding landscapes and mountain ranges are jaw-dropping.  The costume designs are elaborate and colorful.  Special effects are pretty minimal here, as the transformations are nothing more than camera-tricks, with occasional contact lenses in an actor’s eyes.  There are also some action sequences that are pretty decent, but the best action sequence is the final sword battle at the end of the film between Navarre and the bishop’s captain of the guard.  It’s pretty good, with some pretty solid choreography.  Everything is filmed so you can actually see what’s going on.  Movies aren’t really made this way a whole lot anymore.  A lot of film-makers rely on close-ups and shaky-cam techniques to sell the action.  The one thing that I can say that really does the film a HUGE disservice is the music.  This is the kind of film that demands a serious composer like James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith or John Williams.  Instead, they got Andrew Powell and Alan Parsons of the Alan Parsons Project.  The rock and roll aspect of the film, feels really out of place in a film like this, while the orchestral stuff sounds really damn good.  It’s distracting as both kinds of music seem to be fighting each other instead of complimenting one another.  This was an issue that was present in the North American release of Legend that used Tangerine Dream, but at least the music there seemed to actually compliment the visual aesthetic of that particular film.  Here, it’s very bizarre outside of the opening and closing credits.  That’s a rather large mark against Ladyhawke.

Ladyhawke has become a bit of a cult classic over the years.  Despite the fact that the film performed poorly at the box office, it was still fairly well received by audiences around the world.  The film even got nominated for some Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Effects and Sound Effects Editing.  While the film is definitely not perfect, especially with the goofy soundtrack and a miscast Matthew Broderick, Ladyhawke still manages to be a very compelling, romantic, and exciting fantasy adventure that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.  If you were ever a fan of Rutger Hauer and/or Michelle Pfeiffer, Ladyhawke is well worth your time.  Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted and a traditional yet compelling story to boot, Ladyhawke is one of the most underrated fantasy films of all time.  It’s timeless in nearly every way.

My Final Recommendation: Don’t shoot hawks, they might be people in animal form.  8.5/10

Released: May 2018(Greece)

Director: Ezra Tsegaye

Not Rated

Run Time: 85 Minutes

Distributor: Botchco Films

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Cast:
Nicolas Artajo: Daniel Jebsen
Nicolas Szent: Ben Jebsen
Barbara Prakopenka: Sasha Blue
Dieter Landuris: Prediger
Thomas Schmuckert: Lederkalle

When it comes to horror films, one of my favorite subjects is the supernatural.  You know: Demons, possession, Satanic rituals, witches, all that jazz.  I don’t consider myself a believer in such things, but there is something inherently compelling about what lies beyond the mortal world.  Is there a Heaven?  Is there a Hell?  Nobody knows, but I still find the subject to be very interesting.  So, when a film comes out that deals with the supernatural and the end of the world, I tend to pay attention a little bit.  There have been a lot of great supernatural films over the decades: Warlock, The Exorcist, The Evil Dead, The Witch, and Hellraiser just to name a few.  The part of the supernatural genre that seems to get the short end of the stick these days is demonic possession.  It’s a terrifying idea that you lose all control when an evil force takes over your body.  It’s spooky, when done right.  I’ve seen a lot of movies, however, that weren’t done right.  There’s a movie that came out of Germany about a year ago that’s trying to rejuvenate interest in the sub-genre: Skin Creepers.  Does it succeed?  Let’s find out.

Skin Creepers follows two bumbling film-makers as they attempt to make their own pornographic film.  Failing at nearly every turn, Dan and Ben Jebsen turn to a local pimp to hire out some prostitutes to act in their….”film.”  Meanwhile, they retain the services of an American actress, Sasha Blue.  When they bring her to a hotel, she becomes possessed by a demon.  Apparently, the room she was staying in, had a history with failed exorcisms.  After witnessing Sasha Blue attack one of the prostitutes, they drag her back to the hotel and tie her up whilst trying to figure out what to do next.  Meanwhile, the pimp is not happy with what’s been going on, and decides to take matters into his own hands.  On paper, the story isn’t actually half-bad.  In fact, aspects of the story are pretty amusing.  A demon-possessed porn star?  Why not.  A bizarre priest with a holy chicken bone?  Count me in.  However, the execution of the story is problematic.  First of all, the tone of the film is all over the place.  Schizophrenic, if you will.  Sometimes, it’s trying to be a comedy and other times it’s trying to be horror film, but the two tones are constantly clashing with each other that makes for a very inconsistent experience.  I’m not going to lie:  I’m not a big fan of comedy.  I don’t mind comedic elements, but when a film tries to be a comedy, it often fails for me, because it tends to be forced, and that’s part of my problem with Skin Creepers.  The horror elements, however, are actually pretty good, but I’ll talk about those a bit later.  For the most part, the film kind of knows what it is and it goes with it, I just think the tone needed to be a little bit more on point and more consistent.  Also, there’s a whole lot of back and forth between 1976 and present day.  It feels pretty jarring at times, and it often doesn’t quite work.

This film is from Germany, so I can forgive certain issues with translation with some of the writing and dialogue.  However, I can’t really get behind some of the writing because it often doesn’t feel natural, at least not to me.  Then again, that also might be an issue with the translation.  So, the writing doesn’t quite work for me.  The same thing can be said of the acting.  I just wasn’t buying the two leads as wannabe film-makers.  There doesn’t seem to be any chemistry between the actors.  I’m not necessarily blaming Artajo and Szent, but they didn’t really work for me.  Barbara Prakopenka plays Sasha Blue, the demon-possessed porn star.  I’ve gotta give it this gal for going all in with the whole spoiled/possessed porn star angle.  She was clearly willing to do a lot of her own stunts, some of which look very uncomfortable, so I have to give credit where it’s due.  She was fantastic.  Dieter Landuris plays Prediger, a disgraced priest.  This guy’s great.  He does lend a bit of humor to the film, but the character does feel genuine, so that was pretty good.  Thomas Schmuckert plays Lederkalle, the pimp who let the Jebsen brothers hire his girls for their film.  The character is definitely a sleazebag, but Schmuckert does a pretty good job with it.  For the most part, the acting is pretty good for a film with this small of a budget.

While I can’t say that I’m impressed with the comedic elements of the film, what definitely DOES work are the horror elements.  It does get pretty spooky at times.  While some of the CG effects are kind of sketchy, they aren’t really that bad for a film like this and they seem fairly appropriate.  The practical effects, though, are very impressive.  The gore and the blood are all practical.  Some of the make-up effects are out of this world.  The possessed Sasha Blue is really creepy with those blood-red eyes.  The whole head-exploding thing is actually pretty cool, even though I’m not entire sure that being possessed would cause your head to explode?  Strange, but I can go with it.  The last 20 or so minutes of the film are straight horror madness and I loved it.  It’s bizarre, gruesome, and just totally bonkers.

Don’t go in to Skin Creepers expecting The Exorcist.  It’s nowhere near the same league.  However, if you approach this film with a certain mindset, i.e. looking for some goofy supernatural fun, you’re probably going to walk away from this one pretty satisfied.  In all honesty, though, I can’t give the film my full recommendation because of some of the issues that I mentioned.  I’m not necessarily blaming the film-makers for some of these issues.  They weren’t working with a whole lot, and I’m actually rather impressed with what they’ve managed to accomplish here.  It’s just that the competing tones and disjointed story-telling get in the way a little bit.  That being said, there are worse way to spend 90 minutes.

My Final Recommendation:  Whenever you exorcise demons, make sure you bring your Holy Chicken Bone. 6.5/10

You can check out the film at the following locations:

Amazon Prime USA

Tubi TV(USA,Canada,Australia; watch for free with advertising breaks)

Amazon Prime UK and Ireland

Vimeo USA, Canada, Australia, UK and Ireland(rent and buy)

Released: 2018

Director: Mathieu Weschler

Run Time: 85 Minutes

Rated R

Distributor: SP Releasing, LLC.

Genre: Action

Cast:
Steven Seagal: Axe
Louis Fan Siu Wong: Chen Man
Rudy Youngblood: Infidel
Kat Ingkarat: Yinying
Sergey Badyuk: Hollywood
Ting Sue: Tara
Kang Yu: Qmom
Cha-Lee Yoon: Black Claw Ma

You want to know what I hate about Netflix, Amazon Prime,  Hulu, and all those other digital platforms for movies?  Exclusives.  What I mean about exclusives is the fact that certain movies are only available on certain platforms.  Movies like Maria, Apostle, and The Night Comes For Us are only available digitally on Netflix.  Will they ever show up on DVD/Blu-Ray?  That’s entirely up to Netflix, but my guess is no.  Amazon has films like the Suspiria remake and You Were Never Really Here.  The difference between Amazon and Netflix, however, is that Amazon does allow their content to be released on physical media.  Hulu doesn’t have a lot to offer in terms of original movies, but they do have their original series.  But we have been seeing new digital platforms starting to show up like DC Universe with Disney+ on the way as well as CBS Access and other stuff like that.  There was another platform called 365 Flix which was going to be a springboard for new indie action flicks, but there’s nothing on the website right now.  The problem I have with all these platforms is that there are too many, which means certain films and shows are not going to get the attention that they deserve.  Recently, Attrition found its way on to Blu-Ray and DVD after being an exclusive to 365 Flix for over a year.  I think this film being an exclusive to a particular platform did more damage than it should have.  My review today is for Steven Seagal’s Attrition.

Attrition stars Steven Seagal as Axe, a former special forces operative who left behind his violent past to help people in the Far East.  While providing medical services to the local village, a man appears and asks Axe to help find his daughter, Tara, who was kidnapped by a local gangster, Qmom.  The word on the streets is that Tara has special mystical powers to heal and that may be why she was taken.  Convinced to return to a life of violence, Axe recruits his former team to track the young woman down and bring her home.  Mystical mumbo-jumbo aside, Attrition has a fairly simple story that is really to follow.  It’s nothing ground-breaking and it’s certainly nothing that we haven’t seen before, but I found myself enjoying it regardless.  The writing and dialogue are pretty strange, though, but considering it’s Steven Seagal, I shouldn’t be surprised.  Seagal has had a strange way of weaving in either environmental messages or message dealing with spirituality.  In the case of Attrition, the message is about the importance of Kung-Fu.  Truthfully, Steven Seagal is the last person on Earth to be preaching to us about Kung-Fu, considering that he’s a 7th dan black belt in Aikido….which is Japanese.  That being said, these musing aren’t terribly intrusive and the film goes with the flow.

I was bound to start talking about Steven Seagal at some point on this site, so why not start with Attrition?  Steven Seagal is a controversial public figure considering his political leanings and ideological inconsistencies over the years, none of which I will be going into here….ever.  I have my opinions on Seagal as a person, but that’s as far as I’ll go.  It’s no secret that most people don’t care for Steven Seagal as an actor, and to be honest with you, he really isn’t much of one.  He’s had some performances that were decent enough over the years, but mostly it’s just Steven Seagal playing Steven Seagal.  In that aspect, he’s pretty good.  He’s not the worst actor I’ve ever seen.  He gets the job done, and his performance as Axe really is no different than any of the other roles that he’s taken over the course of his career.  While Seagal is the lead character, the guy you should be paying attention to is Louis Fan Siu Wong, who plays Axe’s Kung-Fu brother, Chen.  I’ve been a fan of Louis Fan’s for quite some time now.  He’s an accomplished martial arts actor in his own right and has worked with some of the biggest names in the genre: Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, and Jackie Chan.  Kang Yu plays the main villain, and he does a pretty good job.  The character of Qmom is definitely a scumbag, but he’s a scumbag that’s also a martial arts master.  Ting Sue plays Tara, the young woman that was kidnapped.  She’s not bad, even though, she’s only in the film for about a total of ten minutes, but I like the character as she is not impressed with Qmom or his men and she says as much.  The rest of the acting is pretty much by-the-book.  Not terrible, but nothing that really stands out, either.

Considering that Attrition is a Steven Seagal flick, I would’ve expected the action to be pretty incoherent as Seagal uses body doubles.  He’s used doubles in a lot of action sequences in many of his movies over the years and it is painfully obvious, considering the man is very out of shape.  That being said, the action in this film is surprisingly pretty decent.  Nothing mind-blowing, but there isn’t anything that strikes me as awful, either.  Steven Seagal does get to flex his martial arts abilities here a little bit, as he’s clearly studied some Kung-Fu for this film at least.  His action sequences tend to be pretty one-sided, but that doesn’t mean they’re awful.  You can actually see what’s going on, as the camera doesn’t shake nearly as much as it has in previous films.  Louis Fan steals the show as his fight sequences are really freaking good.  I didn’t realize that he was that fast.  Now, some of the action sequences were sped up a little bit to compensate for Seagal’s lack of speed, but that wasn’t necessary for Louis Fan.  He’s that damn good.  The final action sequence at the club is pretty good.  There’s some pretty good fight sequences and gun fights to satisfy fans for a little bit.  It only lasts about 10 minutes or so, but it’s still pretty impressive for a Steven Seagal flick.

There are a number of issues with the film that bring it down a bit, but it’s mostly due to the fact that the film is a low-budget flick, so some of it I can give a pass to, but some of it I can’t.  First of all, despite the film’s run-time of 85 minutes, it takes a while for it to get going.  The pacing isn’t as good as it needs to be.  The film’s violence is also kind of bizarre.  The fight choreography is pretty good, but when it comes to actual blood-shed, there’s a lot of CGI blood.  POOR CGI blood.  It’s painfully obvious at times, which is really strange, because there are other shots where they actually use squibs and actual corn syrup for blood.  So, the inconsistency can be very distracting at times.  Also, Axe is one of the most cliched characters in the book, but Steven Seagal is mostly played characters like this for decades.  He’s rarely changed things up, except when he played the villain in Machete.  However, some of the cinematography is really stunning to look at.  Some of the shots during the final club battle and slow motion shots are surprising beautiful.  There was a lot more effort put into this film than I was expecting from a new Steven Seagal movie.  Yeah, the movie’s not perfect and at times it feels like your typical Steven Seagal film, but the action, cinematography and relatively decent performances elevate what could’ve been another disaster for Seagal to something that’s actually worth taking a look at.  Steven Seagal and surprises……now there’s two words that you would never expect to hear me say in the same sentence.  Yeah, I liked Attrition.  I like it a lot and I wasn’t expecting to.  So kudos to Steven Seagal and company for making a film that I’m glad I bought blindly.

My Final Recommendation: 8/10.  What can I say?  This one surprised the hell out of me in a good way.  Check it out.