Unlucky Stars

Unlucky Stars (English) 6/10 Genre: Action Director: Dennis Ruel Cast: Dennis Ruel, Ken Quitugua, Sari Sabella, Vlad Rimburg, Emmanuel Manzanares, Sam Hargrave Country: USA Language: English Year: 2015

I have been waiting for this film for a while and I think it took a long time to release which is pretty understandable considering the fact that it's an independent film. I'm a big fan of the LBP stunt group, Vlad Rimburg and all the guys who are involved in their short projects which has been out there for a number of years. They have been making numerous short martial arts films which can be found on their respective channels on You Tube, which I've been following for a while now. The best part is that they are true to basics, their action choreography and stunt are simply awesome as it doesn't involve any kind of CGI or special effects which they have done time and again in their short films. Unlucky Stars is the latest offering by them and it sure lives up to the expectation similar to what the Z-Team did with their film The Price Of Success, in fact I felt Unlucky Stars was better in terms of technical aspect which is pretty remarkable for a low budget Independent film. The story is about a private detective and his newly hired associate who get involved in a bizarre chain of events. Dennis Ruel of Rope A Dope fame not only directs but has also written and starred in it, so full marks to him on this effort and yes he did kick some ass in the film as well. The film stars their regular team if you follow their channel that includes the likes of Ken Quitugua, Emmanuel Manzanares etc. then we have Sam Hargrave of Captain America fame and Vlad Rimburg who is also the fight choreographer in the film. The fights are really well choreographed and there is plenty of them for the delight of any Martial arts fan. I also loved the editing of the film which has some really nice cuts on occasions which is pretty rare from couple of guys who are rather known for their fighting skills, once again its Dennis Ruel and Vlad Rimburg. A worth watching film for any action fan and trust me you won't be disappointed.

Unlucky Stars is one of those indie action movies that's kinda rough around the edges, but the fights totally make up for it. The story and acting are whatever, honestly kinda cheesy, but the action scenes are awesome. You can really tell the people behind this love old-school martial arts flicks.

Vlad Rimburg did the fight choreography and it shows.everything hits hard, super clean, and fun to watch. The final fights are especially sick. If you're into real martial arts action without CGI junk, this is for you.

Also gotta mention, sadly, director Dennis Ruel passed away recently which sucks a lot. He clearly had passion and talent, and it's a shame we won't see more from him. RIP Dennis.

Anyway, not perfect but still really cool for action fans.

UNLUCKY STARS REVIEW

Now to start off, I love action films and martial arts movies, especially old 1980's Hong Kong action films. Imagine my joy when I came across the trailer for unlucky stars on YouTube. I have waited a very long time for them to release this, let me tell you!

It was well worth the wait as this is a perfect homage to the 1980's Hong Kong action films and will hit the mark with any fan. The martial arts are fantastic and full of fast-hitting pure martial arts action. The comedy is well timed and will have you regularly bursting into fits of laughter and the stunts look so good, you really feel for the actors that are performing them at breakneck speed. Most of all, it just blends so well that you would easily think you where watching a Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao film like "Meals on Wheels" or "Lucky Stars" and you would not be far wrong!

This film was heavily inspired by the "Lucky Stars" series featuring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. The action sequences will remind you of some of the scenes in the series and elements of the characters are directly influenced by the series. Ruel, Quitugua, and Rimburg's characters parallel that of Yuen, Jackie, Sammo perfectly.

So what's it all about I hear you cry?

Well, Josh Whitman is broke after quitting his job and desperately needs a new one, so a friend sends him to Ken Champaco to fill in as a private investigator. Ken takes him on as his new partner for his latest case-Tracking down Peruvian D-list action star Tomas De La Cruz, who owes $15,000 to a nasty local bookie and has gone on the lamb. La Cruz's obsessive fanboy, the talent less wannabe action star Sameer – who couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag also gets dragged into the story. Along with the talented but overweight martial artist David Palatkinov, who is relegated to being a unappreciated stuntman. In an explosive martial arts medley of kicks, punches, flips and at one point a little angry man with a big stick, Josh and Ken soon discover that this isn't going to be the easy payday that they thought it would be.

To be fair, this independent film was made just for the love of Hong Kong action films by some fantastic stuntmen but is is an absolute must watch for any true martial arts fan.

Now go buy or rent it now, you won't be disappointed!

Unlucky Stars The Movie is now digitally released on VOD for these sites via 108 Media Corp! BUY OR RENT from these links below!

iTunes, Vimeo On Demand, GooglePlay, Amazon, Xbox And Vudu