Machete Kills (2013)

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Machete Kills (2013)

“Fuck world peace,” says Amber Heard, playing Machete’s government fixer who supplies the Latino legend with a new triple-bladed machete and sends him off to Mexico by orders of the US president (played by Charlie Sheen) to stop a madman from blowing up America with a nuke. This is less focused than before and gets bogged down with too many characters and plot-lines, while the set-up sees Rodriguez go over familiar territory riffing on the James Bond spy formula with gags that feel dated, its cheekiness and deranged villains resembling something closer to Austin Powers than anything too subversive. The …

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Machete (2010)

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Machete (2010)

A sublime slice of trashy, punky, post-modern exploitation cinema which shows director Robert Rodriguez in his element – exalting the dubious virtues of his favourite schlocky B-movies while simultaneously making a wry, almost satirical point about the rise of neo-fascism, political corruption, and the plight of minorities in America. He creates an everyday hero for the underclass living in the border towns between Mexico and the USA, and that hero goes by the name ‘Machete’ (Danny Trejo, in his first lead role) – the sort of hero who can beat a guy up while eating a taco. He’s a former …

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Sakra (2023)

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Sakra (2023)

How reassuring to know that, even at the age of 60, Donnie Yen is still churning out blood-spurting bonkers Chinese beat-em-ups like this movie, particularly at a time when he can glide easily between leading contemporary Hong Kong action projects (Enter the Fat Dragon, Raging Fire) and scene-stealing turns in huge Hollywood franchises (Rogue One, John Wick Chapter 4). Sakra sees Yen return to the director’s chair for the first time since 2004’s Black Rose Academy. A lot has changed in the last 20 years, and it shows. Yen’s confidence as a leading man is now just as apparent behind the camera, …

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King of Killers (2023)

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King of Killers (2023)

Underworld actor Kevin Grevioux brings his own comic book to life in this strange revenge/slasher/martial arts hybrid – sort of The Raid meets Battle Royale, if both films were made on a shoestring budget and were bad. Putting the creaky script, acting and visual effects to one side – this is low-budget filmmaking at its most apparent – writer-director Grevioux also fails to capture the urgency required of the genre, and as a result, much of the film feels leaden. However, most of the action holds promise, with an athletic cast put through their paces. Frank Grillo is no stranger …

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

Another Ninja Turtles origin story, Hollywood’s third attempt at reinventing the heroes in a half-shell story following the 1980s Golden Harvest co-productions and Michael Bay’s brash, testosterone-fuelled reboots in the 2010s (which seemingly reimagined the turtles on steroids). This version, from Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures (purveyors of usually smutty, stoner comedies like Sausage Party and the Bad Neighbours films), is the best yet at capturing the turtles’ hormonal teenage dilemmas and brotherly bond, pitched more as a coming-of-age story only with added nunchakus and giant neon mutants. Their sensei Splinter (excellently voiced by Jackie Chan) is …

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Road House (1989)

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Road House (1989)

In the great tradition of 1980s meat-headed, chauvinistic Hollywood beat-’em-ups, this is surely one of the best – an unapologetic slice of macho rebel-rousing that just about skirts the fine-line between being knowingly arch and totally obnoxious. Lithe dancer and martial artist Patrick Swayze – trained by Benny “The Jet” Urquidez – can’t hold a candle to the bulk of beefcakes like Schwarzenegger and Stallone (a trope constantly referred to in the movie with the recurring meta-gag, “I thought you would be bigger”), so as renowned nightclub bouncer James Dalton, he’s positioned more as a deep-thinker – a philosopher thug, …

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 100: Best of Actors

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 100: Best of Actors

Is Scott Adkins the natural successor to Jean-Claude Van Damme? Why did Andrew Koji almost quit acting only months before landing the lead role in the beloved kung fu series, Warrior? And can we expect a rematch between Indonesian action stars Joe Taslim and Iko Uwais?

The answers to these questions and many more are revealed in Best of Actors, one of three compilation shows released simultaneously to celebrate the 100th episode of this podcast, which started life back in 2016. Over three episodes, I share some of my favourite conversations recorded over the last eight years of the show.

On this …

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 99: Best of Stunts

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 99: Best of Stunts

The life of a stunt performer is both exhilarating and dangerous, spectacular yet physically and mentally demanding. Stunt performers put their lives on the line every day for our viewing pleasure, yet are seemingly ostracised from the film world, especially in Hollywood where there is still no Academy Award for their service to the industry.

Since this podcast was launched in 2016, I have had the pleasure of speaking to many of the leading voices in the stunt world, from stunt doubles and performers to fight trainers who work with huge movie stars to make them look awesome for the big …

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 98: Best of Directors

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KFMG Podcast S07 Episode 98: Best of Directors

With financing and shooting schedules shrinking, how hard is it to make a decent action movie on a low budget? How can you make your lead actor look like an action hero if they refuse to train? And is there scope in the martial arts genre for tackling more challenging topics, like homophobia and racism?

In Best of Directors – one of three compilation shows available now – I share some of my favourite conversations with directors who have appeared on the podcast since its inception in 2016. This includes: Hollywood stunt legend J.J. Perry, who made his directorial debut in …

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Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

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Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

Although Hong Kong action cinema might not be making waves the same way it did in the 1980s and 90s, there is still a rabble of filmmakers – people like Felix Chong, Herman Yau, Wilson Yip, and Soi Cheang – who continue to fly the flag for thrilling crime stories which are utterly unique to the territory. The latter, Soi Cheang (Mad Fate, Limbo, SPL II), continues his tradition of hardboiled, atmospheric, violent tales with this fight film – part triad revenge movie, part nostalgia fest, which recreates an iconic Hong Kong landmark, Kowloon’s infamous Walled City. In its lifetime, …

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