Skin Trade

Action fans might be familiar with Skin Trade theme or actors. It has mainstay names of the genre and the addition of brazen stunts by Tony Jaa with his vicious stunts. The plot revolves around the titular skin trade or human trafficking as the back drop of high octane combat sequences. It's not an in-depth commentary of the subject nor does it overcome the occasional narrative familiarities, however the fast pace clash of knuckles and barrage of bullets will entertain the genre aficionado.

Story follows two different cops whose interests are aligned as they uncover the a human trafficking industry led by Dragovic (Ron Perlman). Nick (Dolph Lundgren) is a police at New Jersey, he has to resort to unorthodox method as Dragovic is raising the stake as he utilizes brutal methods. Tony (Tony Jaa) works on different angle in Bangkok by performing his own investigation. The direction of story doesn't veer too much from revenge or rescue theme.

There are a lot of subplots that could be explored, but the film focuses on the fundamental premise only. Human trafficking issue is a delicate one, the film takes a safe route and it doesn't always pay off. Sometimes it rehearses the material too often and becomes trapped in hero saving damsel in distress stereotype. Antagonist side has some potential as Dragovic has several sons vying for his approval, however the characters aren't fully fleshed out. One of the sons even snorts cocaine in every scene he's in, almost as a comedic effect.

Fortunately, the veteran actors are robust enough to carry the plot and action. Props to Tony Jaa as he brings a decent performance even in almost entirely English spoken movie. His acting isn't that developed yet, but he's definitely presentable as international action star. Perlman and Lundgren are already famous name, and they deliver what is expected from them. Michael Jai White also has a charismatic presence on screen as he rounds up the cast.

Action is where the movie is at its best. Practically any Tony Jaa's movie has unabashed ferocious stunts. There are many well-choreographed fights here, along with vehicular mayhem and a couple of acrobatic or parkour scenes. It also brings the Rambo carnage at some points with one man army gimmick, the movie is an amalgamation of western and eastern action.

Though the plot might be simplified and familiar, the collision of big names in bigger brawls is a spectacle for genre fans.

Obviously just going through the list of names should and will get people excited (who are into the action genre that is and know their favorites). Having Dolph "team up" with Tony Jaa is a great move. Though it doesn't really matter which side of the law people are, based on the decisions they make during the course of the movie. Which also means, there is quite a bit of fighting ahead of you.

Ron Pearlman does a good job with his accent (playing a Serbian) and there is one particular fight scene (about 20 minutes before the movie ends) that is really good. But there are also cuts in the movie that seem to take note on the "jump cut" book, but don't really work. The overall story is easy to tell, the core of it is something that unfortunately is happening all over the world.

Also Tony Jaas English performance was captured a lot better in Fast 7, there are some weird lines he has to deliver here (not convincingly then). Decently made then, but could've been better

"There is no such thing as a bad Tony Jaa movie." Well this could be the exception.

On paper this was a "dream team" movie and I was anxious to see it.

Lundgrin both produced and wrote. That sounded very promising.

Not only is Tony Jaa in the film but he speaks English and his character is named "Tony." Also very promising.

Also starring Michael Jai White. In my review of Falcon Rising I called him "the most under-used action hero" in the business. Very very promising.

But here the total is less than the sum of its parts:

1. Lundgren wrote himself into a part meant for a 40 year old and he himself is pushing 60. Not cool.

2. Jai White is completely wasted (again!) and wears a suit all the time...?

3. The script is weak and the direction is terrible. Even the action scenes seem "off" by a few seconds here and a few seconds there.

Could have been so much more. The opening is the best part and is downhill from there. Perlman is great. but he never gives less than a great performance anyway.

Great casting, cinematography and choreography, but the directing and/or editing wasn't that great, and the screenplay certainly needed some fine-tuning. The score was annoying and too evident. The runtime and pacing were decent. Nevertheless, it was actually better than I expected.

Expectations are admittedly low for many direct to DVD action titles to star many of the former action heroes from the 80's/90's like Steven Seagal, JCVD and Dolph Lundgren. Skin Trade proves to be one of Dolph's best films to have come out in years and a gem amongst the many B action films you can find at your local Wal Mart bin. Although Dolph kicks ass in the film, the main reason to watch is Tony Jaa. It's good to see him back in action in something worth watching after the atrocious Ong Bak 3. His Acting is surprisingly good and he gets a fair amount of dialogue to practice his English skills and crack one liners. I hope to see him in many more movies like this in the future. Another surprise is the supporting cast of the film. Michael Jai White , Peter Weller and Ron Perlman definitely elevate the film above the typical mediocre status these movies have. Although the story is a bit cliché and familiar, what group of people deserve there comeuppance in an action film more than human traffickers. The movie definitely provides on the hard hitting bloody action that fans will expect. The intense fight sequences pack a solid adrenaline rush. Overall, exceeded my expectations and is a movie that action buffs will enjoy .

7/10