Angel of Death

I enjoyed this. I have the all i can rent blockbuster membership so i see A LOT of flicks. And many only the first chapter, then skip to last to see f/x or finale. This was thorughly enjoyable. Zoe did a kick booty job. She was hot, acted well, even the tough scenes, I never cringed at all. I sort of cringed in 'Death Proof' at the acting she did, which was non per Quentin's direction... but in this, she did it. she delivered her lines. Her acting, and her fight sequences were great. Hard, gritty, sexy but not SEXY ridiculous, but sexy hot gritty cool, you know what I mean. Her moves looked & felt real, like, oh yah, that's how a women can fight a big dude, like me, I'm buying it. gun play was excellent too, as in, no gunplay, just solid use of guns, knives, fists, mirrors, ground, ...great! story was simple, straightforward & well paced. direction was solid.

kudos to the Director of photo, i really liked the lighting, the contrasts, the light/shadow, the silhouettes, really done well. i think i'm buying this one. something i can enjoy watching every few years along with Leon/the professional, seagal's first 4 movies, bruce lee, streetfighter, old boy, & pink panther.

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.

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.

I guess I have to disagree with the comment that this is in league with but a few female warriors, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The fact is, this movie is in league with a great MANY other movies that I am reminded of including but not limited to the TV sensation Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Femme Fatale, Little Nikita, Elektra, Mr. & Mrs.Smith, Point of No Return-INDEED-, Aeon Flux (2005), Ultraviolet-BLAH-UNDELICIOUS-, Underworld, Just to name a couple. ;) Oh yeah, yikes, I almost forgot, KILL BILL VOL 1 & 2!!!!! The reason why there are so many of them is because women kicking serious be-hind is always a great theme especially when they come in the form of a Beatrix Kiddo - "Black Mamba." So my apologies for my eulogy, but as far as this movies goes I also believe that it is one of those gems that get tossed out because of a couple of bad scenes. Not that I haven't dismissed a great movie that had a crappy ending, but I felt that this movie should be viewed and enjoyed for the rest of its content, forgetting those bad scenes.