UPDATE: If anybody clicked on a link to this review only to find a blank page, let me fill you in on what happened. When I initially posted the review, I was unaware that there was an embargo in place. As a result, I was asked to temporarily remove the review until the embargo was lifted. Because I value the trust that people have placed in me to review these films properly, I went ahead and removed the review. I was recently informed that the embargo was lifted, so please enjoy the review! It has not been altered in any way.
Released: September 2018
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Not Rated
Run Time: 109 Minutes
Genre: Action/Comedy
Cast:
Alexander Nevsky: Maxim Kadurin
Danny Trejo: Sanchez
Tom Arnold: Barnes
Kelly Hu: Kate
Mark Dacasco: Tony Lin
William Baldwin: Man in Shadows
Matthias Hues: Ian
Eric Roberts: Secretary of State Robert Jacobs
Comedy is a very hard thing to review. One person’s sense of humor is not going to be the same as someone else’s. Sometimes, the humor lands and sometimes it falls flat. In my opinion, comedy in movies only works if the chemistry between actors feels natural. Timing is also crucial. Trying to land a joke in a situation that wasn’t meant to be funny can be very awkward. Same thing if a scene is supposed to be funny but fails. There’s a balance that has to be observed. It’s even more so when you combine genres like action comedies or horror comedies. If you don’t get it just right, the whole experience can crumble. I’ve seen a lot of great action comedies, but I’ve also seen my fair share of really bad ones too. So, where does Maximum Impact land? Let’s find out.
After a failed attempt at taking down criminal kingpin Sanchez, Russian agents Maxim and Andrei are assigned by their superiors to work with the American Secret Service to protect a meeting between Secretary Robert Jacobs and a Russian politician. Meanwhile, failed actor-turned-criminal Tony Lin is in town to try and find a way to sabotage the relationship between Russia and the United States. After finding out that Jacobs’ granddaughter stowed away on his flight, Lin and his crew plan to kidnap her to blackmail Jacobs. For movies like Maximum Impact, the story doesn’t necessarily have to be all that original, but it has to be easy to follow, and for this film, it is. There really isn’t a moment where the film slows down too much. What really makes this story and film work are the people involved.
I don’t know how they managed to get a cast of this caliber, because you’ve got some really big names attached to this project. For old-school action fans, we’ve got Matthias Hues who plays Ian, Lin’s second-in-command. Tom Arnold is here(yes, THAT one)and he’s actually playing it fairly straight. Alexander Nevsky, from Showdown In Manila takes the lead as Maxim. I’ve gotta say, the more I watch this guy, the more of a fan I become. He’s a big guy, but he’s definitely got a sense of humor and he also really good chemistry with his fellow actors. Danny Trejo, man. What can I say about Danny Trejo that hasn’t been said before? This guy’s been all over the place, and he’s loving every minute of it. Kelly Hu from X2: X-Men United and The Scorpion King is so much fun to watch. It’s not necessarily because she’s gorgeous, she is, but she’s also a legitimate bad-ass as the Secret Service agent Kate. William Baldwin makes an appearance as Lin’s mysterious “ally.” I will fully admit that I’m not the biggest fan of the Baldwin brothers, except for Alec. Unfortunately, William, despite his efforts, doesn’t really have a whole lot to offer here. The one actor that I never really expected to find here was Eric Roberts. When given the right material, Mr. Roberts can hang with the best of them, but even if he’s not given the best material, he does the best he can, and that’s not a bad thing. Mark Dacascos is one of my favorite actors for a number of reasons. One: He’s an excellent martial artist and does most of his own stunts. Two: He’s actually a really good actor. While he’s known for playing mostly good guys, he’s definitely played the rotten apple on more than one occasion and he’s really good at it. In Maximum Impact, he’s clearly making fun of himself at times, because he plays a former actor. You can tell that the character is definitely vain, because he has that make-up and mirror that you see behind the scenes in movies. Overall, it’s a really strong cast and they work very well together.
The comedy aspect of the film is tightly woven into everything that you see happening on the screen, including the action. If it wasn’t for the humor, the action would have felt a bit stale. We do get a couple of decent fight scenes, though. Alexander Nevsky has really improved when it comes to on-screen fighting. He’s intimidating and he can be big bruiser when he needs to be. He takes on Matthias Hues at one point and while it is quick, it’s still pretty decent. I do wish the camera was pulled back a bit so we could see more of the action, but it’s still better than that shaky-cam bullshit that some modern action film-makers just can’t seem to abandon. Kelly Hu gets to kick some ass periodically, which is awesome considering that the actress holds a black belt in Karate. While Mark doesn’t have a lot of action scenes, the ones he’s in are pretty solid. He’s fight with Alexander Nevsky’s character is one of the highlights of the film. Some of the effects aren’t the greatest, but considering the film’s very low-budget nature, they’re forgivable.
While I think the film is really fun, it definitely has its issues. One of the gripes I have with the film is a pretty significant one. It’s the whole subplot involving the secretary’s granddaughter. While the subplot itself isn’t the issue, the character is. She’s extremely irritating, coming off as a spoiled valley-girl cliche. Add on top of that, the horrendous ADR voice-over for the character. Good God, the character’s voice over is terrible. You can tell that it isn’t her voice. Now, I’m not opposed to some ADR(automatic dialogue replacement), but the voice they chose clearly doesn’t match the character. Whenever the film changes its focus to her, the film grinds to a halt. Thankfully, everything else seems to work pretty well. Some of the car chases are pretty good and most of the humor is pretty spot-on. Overall, I would say that Maximum Impact is a lot of fun and it is pretty funny, but there are some issues that kind of bring it down a bit. Is it still worth watching? Hell, yes, it is! Especially if you’re a fan of the cast members that I mentioned.
My Final Recommendation: Shaolin Cop! 8/10