Stars Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Ron Perlman, Michael Jai White, Celina Jade with Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Peter Weller Directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham Here’s an interesting bit of trivia- Dolph Lundgren wrote the script back in 2006-2007 with an intention to direct the movie himself. Since then, he’s re-written it (with some help) for Tony Jaa and passed on directing to “Beautiful Boxer” director, Ekachai Uekrongtham, to focus on production duties and getting the film made. Also, I can’t think of any director who’s managed to frame Lundgren’s massive build properly except Craig Baxley in “Dark Angel” as Lundgren still moves in a hunched position and lumbers about in normal scenes. When it comes to the action set-pieces, however, the man still delivers. The awesome fight scene, however, belongs to the showdown between Tony Jaa and Michael Jai White. White holds numerous black belts in different martial-arts styles. Knowing his off-screen prowess, it’s a face-off I was wholly expecting to take place on screen. That alone is worth the price of admission. Lundgren’s no slouch in the martial arts field but he steps aside for his co-stars in this case, and it pays off very well. He plays a New Jersey cop, Nick Cassidy, who takes down Ron Perlman’s Russian mobster, Viktor Dragovich’s skin trade business. When Dragovich strikes back against Cassidy and flees the country to Thailand, Cassidy sets out for revenge and ultimately has to work with Jaa’s local cop who was working the Asian angle of Dragovich’s operation. The direction is well executed with a particular focus on the action set-pieces being beautifully shot and frames, especially for the hand-to-hand fights and the chase scenes. The story’s framework works well with an awareness paid to the titular trade and the victims involved, even if they’re not entirely the focus. Therein lies some complaint, but when you have three martial-artists in the cast, I doubt the story is what’s on the mind of the viewer. That ultimately falls on Lundgren who is able to wrangle the story, if semi-successfully, while knowing what to deliver to his fan-base. In a way, this serves Tony Jaa better for an English movie appearance than Furious Seven, particularly where his on-display skills are concerned. Don’t go in expecting an A-grade gem, as this is squarely residing in testosterone-laden macho B-movie action territory. Chances are, while we have this as a cinematic release, it’s more likely a DTV release in the major Western markets, and you take it as it is- kick-ass entertainment. Rating: **1/2 / 5
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