Diablo

This is an edge of your seat action movie in many scenes. The plot is not too complex, but it keeps you guessing at some points. I totally enjoyed this, especially the fight scenes. I recommend this to any lover of action movies.

Scott Adkins fight scenes with the main villain are well choreographed. It's also great to have a movie where the hero has a worthy adversary to fight. It's interesting to know they're both real life martial arts experts. I guess that's what made the fight scenes so interesting to watch.

The movie is set in Colombia, so there are some scenes where they speak Spanish at length, but it's nothing you can't follow. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend to any lover of action movies.

Diablo is the latest collaboration from three dynamic martial arts, action genre craftsmen; Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, and, Director, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza. The synergy of these three artists has resulted in a martial arts action film that is significantly great than the sum of its parts. This is one of the best action films released in years.

The story involves a recently released prisoner, played by Adkins, looking to seek revenge against his former crime partner and reveal long kept secrets that have the power to upend that partner's privileged life. The mission is complicated by the tenacity and resistance of Adkins' teenage kidnap victim, his partner's daughter. The addition of El Corvo, played by Zaror, a psychotic and deadly killer places Adkins' mission, and everyone's lives in mortal danger.

Diablo does what all successful, sustaining action and martial arts films do; that is, it doesn't rely solely on the action and fight choreography to carry the film. Diablo is a solid film. The script is good and plays out in a well told and tightly edited way. The filmmakers start this 91 minute rollercoaster ride by jumping immediately into the story and the action; however, the artful execution never leaves the viewer confused about what is happening, or how we got here. This is good storytelling.

There are four (4) central characters in this film. They are all well played and all carry their weight in service of the story. The film's main character, Kris Chaney, is player by Scott Adkins. Adkins is not only a solid martial arts action star whose action film credits are plentiful; he is also an adept actor, stunt man, writer, Director, and fight choreographer. He plays the role of aggrieved man on a mission well in this film. His greatest strength is in not overplaying the role. That is a sign, to me, that he has come into his own as a screen actor that transcends the genre.

Mark Zaror's chilling portrayal of El Corvo is nothing short of masterful. He strikes the right balance between No Country For Old Men's Anton Chigurth and Enter the Dragon's Mr Han, in Diablo, for a truly memorable villain. While Zaror's acumen in screen fighting has always been well established, this film makes it clear that he is also a really good movie actor, as well. I think viewers will be truly haunted by his performance in Diablo. While Adkins is, perhaps, the most recognizable member of the cast to US audiences, it is Zaror's character for whom the film is named.

As for the two additional, central characters played by Alana De La Rossa and Lucho Velasquez, their performances evidence a thoughtfulness in casting. Both are adept actors that play their parts memorably, but, like Adkins, serve the ensemble. Weakness in portrayal of either of these roles could have jeopardized the final product. Fortunately, the opposite was true; they elevate the film entirely.

Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, the seasoned Chilean filmmaker, whose martial arts homage, Fist of the Condor (2023), brought him to the attention of wider American martial arts audiences, has masterfully woven the elements of this film together into one of the most exciting and watchable films I have seen in years. His long standing relationship with Marko Zaror, certainly, benefitted this production. It is also a testament to his skills as a filmmaker that he was able to get the most out of his collaboration with Adkins and Zaror, not just as actors, but as Producers, writers, and fight choreographers. Sometimes the outcome of too many talents in one film production is destructive; that is not the case in Diablo.

While this movie could have been told as an action film, or a drama, it is, at its core, a high level and riveting martial arts action film. The thoughtful fight choreography is well designed, well executed, well filmed, and well edited. While still telling a great story, the film packs considerable action and fighting into its tight run time. We start with a great martial arts scene and the fighting does not let up. There are no throwaway fights in Diablo; they are all exciting to watch. Adkins and Zaror, respectively, have long histories of fight scene filmographies, yet their approach to this one is bold and unique and highly watchable. They capture gritty combat without the use of the dreaded "shaky cam" and the audience feels every punch and every kick. This is what martial arts film fighting should look like, but rarely does.

The three (3) filmmakers here all have a great knowledge of martial arts film history. Adkins is encyclopediac in this regards. That love and knowledge of martial arts films is felt in this one. There is no way to watch these two and not harken back to the climactic fight scene between Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee in Way of the Dragon (1972). This film's fight scenes will surely be rebroadcast of highlight reels for year's to come.

Diablo is the best action and martial arts film I have seen this year, and one of the best in a long time.

The film is violent and brutal in parts.

I highly recommend Diablo.

Diablo is a solid, high-octane action flick that punches well above its weight class. Scott Adkins brings his usual intensity & charisma, while Marko Zaror is genuinely menacing and unforgettable as the titular "Diablo." Their chemistry and physicality light up every scene they share.

The action sequences are well choreographed and relentless, just what you'd expect from a top-shelf B-grade action film. The plot, while not deeply layered, is cool and engaging enough to keep you hooked throughout. Interestingly, it throws you off in a good way, making you overlook a few holes here and there.

The girl who plays Adkins' daughter delivers a surprisingly strong performance and adds a layer of emotional depth to the film. One glaring oddity, though, is the complete absence of any police presence, even with all the chaos, violence, and body count, not a single cop gets involved. Also, there's not much background explaining how a bank robber ended up what seems like a major drug lord. But the fast pace and raw energy of the film provide enough distraction to keep you entertained.

The ending wraps things up well, leaving you satisfied. All in all, Diablo is a gritty, action-packed ride with standout performances from Adkins and Zaror. If you're into stylish brawls, tight fight scenes, and no-nonsense storytelling, it's definitely worth a watch.

8/10 & a thumbs up for the action lovers!

Firstly, and just to establish my meaningless credentials: I have bought thousands of movies ranging from the 1920s onward and I have many favourite genres. Martial arts action films are one of those favourites, and I have complete collections on stars such as Bruce and Jackie, and near complete collections on many others. I love classic movies such as Ben Hur & My Fair Lady, but can equally love action films like the kind Scott Adkins has produced several times throughout his career.

Am I an authority on films? Hell no. I am just saying my likes are widespread and I'm an experienced viewer of the genre being reviewed here.

On that note, a lot of reviews here are very negative and I am a little puzzled as to why. Some of the attacks have been on the bad acting, poorly chosen supporting cast, cliched plot, lack of subtitles, and some have even picked on the poor and unattractive countryside.

I viewed this tonight in my mate's backyard cinema. He spent about $150,000 on its build and it really is a super treasure for any film lover to enjoy. He loves films as much as anyone I know, but he is also quick to dump a production if he feels it wasn't up to a decent standard. Both he and I often don't agree on this topic, but we both agreed about Diablo: it was terrific!

Why did we watch it? My mate knows I'm a big fan of Scott Adkin. He can take him or leave him personally, but he likes to impress his audience so he made sure he had a copy of Adkin's latest film for me to watch tonight.

So here's my summary:

Scott was his usual self. He doesn't seek out acting awards, but he does work hard on action, and in this film he delivers.

Marko Zaror enters the film and I was immediately gripped by the unnerving character he had created. As the film went on this turned into something so menacing and unusual I was sure I was going to be wanting to rewatch the movie many times over just for his scenes alone. Congratulations to Marko for creating a new entry in my all time top 10 favourite bad guys with this film.

Alanna De La Rossa made her entrance and I thought she was going to annoy me and ruin the film. As the movie went on, however, her fantastic acting completely won me over and shut me right up. Let me be clear about this: Alanna's character required her to go the full range of emotions for this film: rage, fear, defiance, laughter, sadness, trauma, you name it, she delivered it and made it 100% convincing. Someone else here on this board bagged her mercilessly for her acting, and I think they must have just been trolling.

The storyline was kind of typical but with some very unexpected twists, and so this aspect was also enjoyable. The music was great, the action doesn't stop, no waste-of-time scenes...I really can't find much to complain about.

I will be buying this film as soon as I can, and I will be watching it many times in the years to come.

Finally, and to borrow some phrases from some other reviewers here; I hope Scott continues to deliver plotless, badly acted, cliched rubbish like this many times in the future! 8/10.

I am sure the script was produced by AI, but the visual quality and colors are nice.

Drink Wine, a lot of it - Thought this would be a fun action flick. It wasn't. Nothing made sense, the acting was flat, and then I realised I should have consumed a bottle of wine before watching this! Scott has made better movies and this isn't one of them.

The country shown here is badly represented for Tourism, looks dirty, unsafe and boring sadly.

This is one of those movies that you can play and then focus on your guests or friends and chat about anything or check your email or social media without any guilt!