Bloodmoon

This is one of those films you see and go tell your friends all about it. The action is well done and Chuck and Gary both have terrific martial arts abilities. Although I do think both men should have fought Darren at the end it was still a great film. It was rather fun to point out the obvious stunt doubles, but the action is in the same category as such films like Drive, Super Fighter, and No Retreat No Surrender 3. I hope I'm not offending anyone when I say this, but this proves that Asian choreography is much better than most American choreography. Darren kicks really good but I still am a big fan of Donnie Yen's (Iron Monkey Ballistic Kiss) kicks by far. This movie scores high in my words so check this one out. You will not regret it.

This is probably on of the worst movies i have ever seen. The plot, characters, production values, location, cinematography, etc. are some of the most poorly contrived attempts at film-making yet. But, this is exactly what makes this movie so god damn entertaining!!! Thats right folks, if you are looking for a movie that will make you laugh every single time, than look no further. Where else can you find an all-American dad who persistently talks with a British accent? For being the hero of this movie, Gary Daniels is one of the worst, unintimidating actors of all time. The scene where he is sitting down and suddenly tosses a pile of papers in the air while saying, "Not again"" has yet disappoint me since I always end up laughing on the floor. The best part is that Gary Daniels isn't the worst actor in the movie. By far, the worst actor (or should i say extra) I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing is a cameo by MR. Pay per view, Mr. Monday Night himself: ROB VAN DAM. I cant even begin to describe the pain in my stomach when he says, "Okay, lets dance!."

The film itself looks like crap, which is probably cause the studio who was blackmailed into making this movie, did not have one single permit to shoot. I mean come on, there were at least a dozen of scenes in the film where people would just blatantly run stop signs and more noticeably, stop lights. Which brings me to another concern: What the hell was the editor doing during this movie. He was probably so scared of seeing his name on the credits for this piece of crap movie that he suddenly vanished in order to salvage his career. Now i can go on and on with how awesomely bad this movie is but I just have one simple question: Why was this movie made? How could the director not foresee the pile of crap this script was written on? My only reasonable conclusion is that this movie was produced for the sole purpose of seeing how a film should not be made and more importantly, for people to see a film that is a guaranteed laugh Every time!!! (whether intentional or not).

From the opening scene that shows an obvious red cardboard cut out of a moon hung from a clearly visible wire to the ridiculous and improbable ending that shows how a tape recorder can set to perfectly coincide with the explosion of a confetti bomb (dont ask), this movie will leave your stomach and mouth in pain from the sheer amount of laughter that you will experience.

Most US martial-arts flicks are direct-to-video dreck, but this one has a real director and real visual flair. The storyline - a martial-arts psychopatic fighter terminates other champions in one-to-one fights - is classical, but this movie has good fights and production value closer to the best Hong Kong movies. If you're tired of boring stuff like the endless "Bloodfist" series, check this one out.

Action fans, rejoice. If you're fortunate enough to find this film anywhere, do not hesitate to snatch it up. If you're interested in Asian cinema, BLOODMOON will give you a sugar rush of the intense fight sequences you've enjoyed from such Eastern filmmakers as Tsui Hark and Yuen Woo-Ping. In fact, BLOODMOON has some of the best action choreography I've ever seen. I'd rank it up there with DRIVE (starring Mark Dacascos) and FIST OF LEGEND (starring Jet Li). It's a violent, balletic display of fighting prowess from stars Gary Daniels and the main villain played by Darren Shahlavi. To be honest, most of the fun of BLOODMOON comes from watching Darren waste the "best fighters" in New York City. He's essentially a serial killer that targets disciplined fighters (whether they be wrestlers or martial artists) and takes them down to prove that he's the best at what he does - which is taking people down! Darren dispatches these other combatants and often hysterical ways. It's not enough for him to flip a man over his shoulder to snap his neck (killing him instantly) - he then has to throw the man's corpse through a storefront window! It's a brutal sequence that will leave your sides splitting.

Gary Daniels is a more than competent actor. His English accent and charm is part of what makes him a likeable hero. He's also a committed family man, always concerned for his loved one's safety. His foreign status and unselfishness also make him a somewhat atypical hero. Oh, did I mention that he's a superb martial artist? Gary doesn't even have that many fights here (one short one versus a group of thugs and then two longer set pieces against Darren) - but when he's on, he's on. His abilities shine as he fights to the death with Darren for the safety of his niece and, during the climax, his daughter and estranged wife.

And the climax is the point at which this film unfortunately fizzles out - albeit slightly. There's a somewhat hokey resolution to BLOODMOON that's a little too convienent. And Darren goes down too easily for someone who's shown himself to be such a powerful force.

Bottom line, if you crave martial arts action, BLOODMOON will not let you down. It's a must-own film and one of the best action films outside of Hong Kong. I'd rank it fairly close to DRIVE - and anyone who's seen DRIVE knows that's high praise indeed.

Although the DVD cover and plot synopsis tries to promote "Bloodmoon" as a serial-killer thriller, that part of the film is the least successful one. It works much better as a "buddy movie" and a martial arts flick. Gary Daniels and Chuck Jeffreys have a surprising amount of chemistry: Jeffreys is obviously the better actor of the two, and perhaps working with him inspired Daniels to work a little on his acting as well. And Darren Shahlavi is truly spectacular as the villain - how can this guy move so fast? The action choreography in this movie is terrific; not one fight scene is bad, but the final showdown in particular is about as good as it gets. Do you remember Jackie Chan's fight against that deaf-mute guy at the end of "Police Story 2"? That's the level of combat I'm talking about. The Hong Kong influence can be clearly seen in the speed of the fighting, the occasional (don't worry, it's very occasional) use of wires, and the crazy, over-the-top stunts. In short, if you're a fan of the genre, "Bloodmoon" is at least worth seeing, if not owning. (***)