Angel of Death

You know from the beginning this is not Quentin Tarantino nor is it trying to be , it's just a fun popcorn movie, but the main thing that ruins the movie is choosing a stunt woman as a lead actor. She just doesn't have the chops to pull this off. Even the third stringers out-act her here. She's not horrible, but she definitely can't pull off an ensemble part , and doesn't have one redeemable character trait she can use to make her character even slightly real. The movie is over the top violent and ridiculous, with a fun twist, but any other real actress would have solidified the movie. It has all the cliché elements you need for this type of flick, and good production values, but when the extra on the phone in the elevator delivers her lines better than the lead, there's a problem.

Zoe Bell will never be the action star that Angelina Jolie is, but that shouldn't keep you from watching her in action.

She plays a mob hit-woman that has a change of heart after an on-the-job accident. She decides to get some justice for those she has wronged. I know, it sounds a little hokey, but no more that surviving a knife stuck in your skull.

There are a lot of fights here. Of course, Bell is the star and should win, but, come on, win a straight fight against someone twice her size> Well, that's what you pay your money to see, so that's what you get.

Will the Angel of Death return? They left the door open.

Despite the comic-book style editing and the way the film skips from one scene to the next with the aid of animated borders, ANGEL OF DEATH is really nothing more than yet another story about a female assassin out for revenge. It goes for a gritty, SIN CITY style moody look, but to be honest this has all been done so many times before that it feels rather passe.

ANGEL OF DEATH features stunt-woman turned actress Zoe Bell (DEATH PROOF) as a professional assassin who's out for revenge against the people who betrayed her. Along the way, she suffers the effects of a traumatic wound, as well as fighting her own conscience. The plot is light and the script lighter, as this is merely an excuse to string together a series of hard-hitting fight sequences.

The good news is that the fights are well staged, thankfully avoiding the dodgy shaky-cam work often used these days; they're also pleasingly violent. However, that's pretty much the only decent thing about ANGEL OF DEATH. The script is sub-par, the direction tries too hard to be atmospheric, and Bell just doesn't cut it as a leading actress. The producers win points for casting some B-movie favourites such as Lucy Lawless (SPARTACUS), Doug Jones (PAN'S LABYRINTH) and Ted Raimi (DARKMAN), but it's not enough to make this a good movie.

Ok the actings are not so great but it is a good action flick.

A small-budget exercise in what can be accomplished in on-line video, "Angel of Death" is startlingly effective as a full-length product.

Starring near-legendary stunt performer Zoe Bell ("Kill Bill," "Death Proof" and others), this action adventure never pulls its punches. Every shot hits - and some very bloody hits they are. It creates some of the same energy and electricity as "Wanted," with mordant humor and wonderful guest performances from brilliant mime Doug Jones (who created Abe Sapien in "Hellboy," the Silver Surfer and others) and the woman for whom Bell doubled for years, Lucy "Zena" Lawless.

Terrific editing suits Ed Brubaker's potboiler plot, with camera angles and scene framing joyfully celebrating the story's hard core comic book feel. Darrel Herbert's music is derivative but effectively enhances the over-the-top approach of the action.

To paraphrase Ordell Robbie, "When you absolutely, positively want to watch a warrior woman take out every m*-f* in the room," check out Zoe Bell as Eve. "Angel of Death" delivers the goods.