Phoenix

Everett Grant (Randy Couture) is private security who deals with questionable people in the Miami docklands. He has a troubled relationship with his estranged daughter Fiona 'Phoenix' Grant (Natalie Eva Marie) who is an American soldier fighting in Afghanistan under General Shackleton (Neal McDonough). Everett is murdered by mobsters although Phoenix is told that he committed suicide.

I came in wanting a movie with Randy Couture as the lead. I don't know anything about Natalie Eva Marie who is apparently a WWE wrestler. She's no great actor. She's not even as good as Randy. This becomes bait and switch when Randy gets killed right off the bat. He does have a lot of flashbacks, but it would be better to just have his story. The girl would be fine as a sidekick. The other good actor McDonough is left mostly by himself. I'm guessing that he did all his scenes in one day. On a side note, they are doing the CGI gunfire in this. I understand the safety aspect, but they do need to make it look better.

"Phoenix" was written and directed by Daniel Zirilli. The female lead, played by Natalie Eva Marie, is an ass-kicking Sergeant in the US Army, looking to avenge her father's death. Zirilli, an award-winning director of action films and music videos, doesn't disappoint.

The story moves along with well-choregraphed and executed fight scenes as well as backstory in flashbacks. The actors delivered their lines and kicks/punches nearly flawlessly. It's nice to see that Zirilli keeps finding women for leading roles in his action films.

Action film fans and Zirilli fans alike will love the journey.

"Phoenix" streams for free on Tubi.

If I wanted to watch an entitled female be a spoiled, whiny, cussing, independent, sTrOnG feminist, I would've gone to work. This woman is grating to even look at and watch. Everyone knows that every female in the US Military are whining, dramatic idiots who bring feelings and sensitivity into the workplace. If this is the way of directors trying to put more females up to the front as main characters but make them as unlikeable as Phoenix, this is NOT the way to do it. Rule number 1 is to not make an unlikeable main character. Skip this garbage film. It is a big waste of time. Cussing and thinking you're above men is NOT the way to make a likeable, engaging protagonist.

"Phoenix" I thought it was a very well put together feature film project considering the script I believe was written in 11 days and shooting started 19 days thereafter. Lets face it who doesn't want to see a beautiful badass "Natalie Eva Marie Nelson" taking matters into her own hands with intel from (Neal McDonough). I enjoyed their military🎖 relationship throughout the film. Nice job!

"Phoenix" has also included well known UFC fighter Randy Couture, Frank Mir, Rashad Evans and many more UFC championship talent. Congratulations guy's the fight scenes you put some hardwork into each scene and they looked great on film 🎥

* Daniel Zirilli * Director/Producer has a great deal of film knowledge, dedication, commitment and experiences. Filming 70+ feature films and 250 music videos over the years of his career. Daniel you deserve 10 stars for all your efforts, keep up the good work! We looking forward to your next projects.

Jason 🎬

This must be one of the worst movies I have ever attempted to watch, with a disastrous combination of poor acting, direction, and production quality that makes it a challenge to sit through. From the very start, it becomes evident that the filmmakers failed to grasp the basics of movie-making. The acting is atrociously unconvincing, with performances so wooden and devoid of emotion that it's hard to believe the characters are anything but poorly manipulated puppets.

The direction is equally lackluster, with scenes clumsily stitched together, lacking any semblance of narrative flow or coherence. It's as if the director gave up midway and just let the camera run, hoping for something magical to happen - it doesn't. Moreover, the cast seems entirely disengaged, bringing no depth or believability to their roles, making it impossible to connect with or care about any of them.

The production set, especially the lawyer's office, is laughably inadequate. Imagine a legal drama where the main setting is an empty office with two barren desks and a couple of phones pretending to represent a bustling lawyer's workspace. This lack of attention to detail pulls you out of the experience, making it hard to take any part of the film seriously.

I couldn't bear more than the first 30 minutes before I had to leave the theater, overwhelmed by the sheer incompetence displayed in every aspect of the film. It's a movie that fails not only to entertain but even to meet the basic standards of professional filmmaking.