The Wick-verse expands again with John Wick: Chapter 4 in a story that takes us from New York to Japan to Paris, and Keanu Reeves’ Wick is kicking ass all the way. Determined to reach the High Table will require that he return to the fold and be of service. But his target, the Marquis…
Tag: stunts
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) – Chad Stahelski
I have served. I will be of service. I love these films so much. Each one has taken what we have learned in the previous film and builds on it. And John Wick (Keanu Reeves) gets pulled back, completely into the underworld of assassination that he left for five years. When the film opens, he…
John Wick (2014) – Chad Stahelski
I was shocked (and delighted because it meant I could watch them all again) that I hadn’t written about John Wick before. I had written up the second film but for some reason hadn’t done the other three. So that means I could buckle up and dive into this amazing world where assassins thrive, have…
The Great Train Robbery (1978) – Micheal Crichton
Michael Crichton writes and directs The Great Train Robbery and invites Sean Connery, Donald Sutherland and Lesley-Anne Down along for the ride. Not quite a romp, the film is definitely an entertaining heist film, resting easily on Connery’s charm, and Sutherland turning in a wonderfully goofy performance. It’s England, in the 1850s. Connery plays Pierce,…
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991) – Mark L. Lester
Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundgren are mismatched cops in this goofy, but undeniably fun 90s action flick, Showdown in Little Tokyo. Filled with silly stunts; Lundgren jumps over a car, goofy banter, tons of nudity and martial arts, it’s just a hoot. They are joined in the cast by Tia Carrere and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, it’s…
F9: The Fast Saga (2021) – Justin Lin
As previously mentioned The Fast and The Furious franchise passed fast and accelerated to ludicrous a while ago. Fast 9 doubles down on that outrageous aspect and with a ninth film we finally learn that Dom (Vin Diesel) Mia (Jordana Brewster) have a brother, Jacob (John Cena). It seems Jacob is just as good a…
The Cannonball Run (1981) – Hal Needham
They don’t make cast-packed comedies like The Cannonball Run anymore. That doesn’t mean it’s all good, but it is damned enjoyable. Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds were coming off Smokey and the Bandit and Hooper, and this road movie was a fun next step. Originally designed as an action film for Steve McQueen, when the…
The Stuntman (1980) – Richard Rush
Steve Railsback, Peter O’Toole and Barbara Hershey headline the genre-defying film, The Stuntman, that sees a fugitive finding a place to hide… on a film set. Railsback is Cameron who is on the run from the police, seen in a wonderfully extended opening sequence that lays out a whole bunch of narrative threads before tying…
The Magnificent Seven (2016) – Antoine Fuqua
I’ve enjoyed most interpretations of The Seven Samurai I’ve come across, but there’s a special place in my heart for the 1960 film with it’s iconic score by Elmer Bernstein. So, when I heard back in 2016 that there was yet another iteration coming I wasn’t quite ready to jump in and see how this…
The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) – William A. Fraker
There are a few things to redeem the 1981 iteration of the Lone Ranger story, it has a score by John Barry, and features Christopher Lloyd as the film’s baddie. But beyond that, this one is pretty horrible. The story, while violent, isn’t layered, sophisticated or much stronger than a grade-school tale. And that’s to…
The Mind Reels 