Diablo
This review contains spoilers
- It came out of nowhere because I'm not familiar with Adkins. I know he's gotten some respect in the action genre, but looking back at my ratings, he never registered with me in anything I've seen him in. I don't think I've seen anything where he's the lead. On top of that, a million really generic action movies are released every year, and nothing about the poster screams that this will be one that stands above the others. Very generic.
And to be honest, as much as I'll never get tired of the simple premise of a tough guy having to either save someone he loves or get revenge for someone he loved, it IS so pervasive that many terrible movies also utilize it.
But action movies only really need to accomplish having inspired action sequences, and this is some cool martial arts action. It helps that this has some heart and good pacing. It's also believable because Adkins is a legitimate martial artist, and I don't know much about Marko Zaror (though he looks familiar and I've apparently seen him in movies I really like), but he is believable too. Regardless, fun action sequences between him and Adkins and when he's just killing other people.
Which brings me to one of the things that puts this above many other action movies. Zaror's villain is cool. Genuinely menacing and sadistic, with a gimmick that isn't so over the top that it doesn't fit. The reason for his knife hand is also a good character point. It's fun watching him.
The final act was tense. The rest of the movie was flippant and gruesome enough with human life that I wasn't sure if they'd actually make the girl cut off her hand. I mean, given it's a movie and not a horror one, if I had to put money on it I would have picked that she wouldn't, but the fact that it made me wonder is a credit to its storytelling.
I don't think this is the most amazing movie of all-time. But hell, I think it deserves an 80. Maybe I'm coming off a high because I seem to enjoy it more than many others, but this surpassed any expectations I had.
And to be honest, as much as I'll never get tired of the simple premise of a tough guy having to either save someone he loves or get revenge for someone he loved, it IS so pervasive that many terrible movies also utilize it.
But action movies only really need to accomplish having inspired action sequences, and this is some cool martial arts action. It helps that this has some heart and good pacing. It's also believable because Adkins is a legitimate martial artist, and I don't know much about Marko Zaror (though he looks familiar and I've apparently seen him in movies I really like), but he is believable too. Regardless, fun action sequences between him and Adkins and when he's just killing other people.
Which brings me to one of the things that puts this above many other action movies. Zaror's villain is cool. Genuinely menacing and sadistic, with a gimmick that isn't so over the top that it doesn't fit. The reason for his knife hand is also a good character point. It's fun watching him.
The final act was tense. The rest of the movie was flippant and gruesome enough with human life that I wasn't sure if they'd actually make the girl cut off her hand. I mean, given it's a movie and not a horror one, if I had to put money on it I would have picked that she wouldn't, but the fact that it made me wonder is a credit to its storytelling.
I don't think this is the most amazing movie of all-time. But hell, I think it deserves an 80. Maybe I'm coming off a high because I seem to enjoy it more than many others, but this surpassed any expectations I had.
Mini Review: Came out of nowhere for me. Didn't expect much at all. Has a legitimately threatening, skilled villain (even if the "have you given yourself a gift today?" bit is corny), which leads to some really fun action sequences not just between him and Adkins, but him and other people. And there's some heart here too. As noted by others, acting can be a little wonky, but I'm pretty easy to satisfy when it comes to action movies.