Headshot

Splattering gallons of blood & leaving an endless trail of bodies all over the screen, Headshot is a blood-spilling & bone-crunching mayhem from the directing duo of Killers that's jam-packed with unadulterated R-rated action and embraces its brutal violence with open arms but is heavily marred by its terrible attempts at drama & characterization.

Headshot tells the story of a young man who washes ashore with a serious head injury and remains in comatose state for a couple of months. He wakes up with no memory and is slowly nursed back to health by his doctor but things take a brutal turn when his past life returns to haunt him in ways he didn't anticipate, thus leading him on a violent journey to uncover his identity.

Directed by Kim Stamboel & Timo Tjahjanto (also known as Mo brothers), their latest endeavour is a gleefully violent ride that's steered by Iko Uwais' physically intense performance but everything other than that is a letdown. There's no proper build-up to its moments of action and the drama is a facepalm-inducing with many insipid stuff unnecessarily stacked into the final print.

It's always fun to watch Iko Uwais break bones on the screen and it's no different here but the film isn't as inherently focused as it should be and often indulges in petty, corny & overly melodramatic moments that spoil its fun vibe & narrative flow. The action choreography is undeniably impressive but nearly none of them are properly staged. Also, more interesting than the main villain are his henchmen.

On an overall scale, Headshot can be termed as 'The Bourne Identity meets The Raid' but it lacks the gripping narrative of the former and breathtaking effectiveness of the latter to finish as something that's steeped in blood-soaked carnage yet fails to leave a lasting impact. The film had the potential and the cast to make it happen but it unfortunately settles for far less than what was up for grabs. Still worth a shot for action fanatics out there.

It is a very good movie !! Action ++ It shows nice martial arts moves, without having people that fly Actors all are good. Lee is the best in this movie.....better than a lot of movies , there is always something going on...and you feel attracted to keep following , there is no much talking going on and little of action, and the action scenes are nice to watch. I recommend this movie specially to people that likes martial arts.

"The door swings both ways my friend." This is not something a maximum security prison guard likes to hear when facing a dangerous psychopath and skilled fighter who appears, with the help of insiders, to be on the verge of a break out attempt. The prison guard, as may be expected, is not long for this world. The man he faced, Lee, escapes from the prison over piles of injured and dead. By force of will and fist, Lee re-assumes command of a fearsome gang and drug distributing territory, but he is searching for someone that he desperately needs. The man he is looking for was admitted to the hospital with severe head trauma and amnesia. In the hospital, a burning bus, shadowy warehouse and the remains of a shattered police station, we begin to understand the stories of the two opposing characters. A doctor, Ailin, gets caught in the middle.

This gory, raw and darkly humorous film contains some amazing scenes and lines, especially in the first half. The main characters, both good and evil, repeatedly defy the odds as well as expectations. There are a lot of broken bones and buckets of blood are spilled. I like how the fighters make mistakes in judgment, such as impulsively swinging a machete at someone and not realizing there is an iron beam blocking your arm. These mistakes accord with human nature. Too often in films, action films in particular, the characters and scenes seem devoid of such substance, black and white and no gray in between. In another example of this, Lee chides Ailin; "You should have stabbed me here (points to artery), I thought you were a doctor."

Headshot also includes thrilling music, romances between beautiful people, and unexpected twists and turns. I love the frequent nods to Herman Melville. Even the main character of Headshot is tagged with the nickname of Ishmael, the narrator of Moby Dick. Headshot's theme echoes a theme of Moby Dick; what it means to be strong. The last half of the film is tamer and blander than the first, yet it is still thrilling. Seen at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.

Being a big fan of The Raid I & II, I was looking forward to watching this movie once I had seen the trailer. Headshot proves to be one hell of a brutal action film that really earns its R rating. The action is pretty relentless and doesn't let up with with the movie racking up a solid body count within the first 20 minutes. Iko Uwais is a great up and coming action star and choreographs and pulls off some amazing fight sequences like he's done in other films (Man of Tai Chi, Merantau). Although the movie probably could of been more focused and efficient in terms of the story and the characters motivations, it is still well paced for a two hour film and action packed throughout. Overall, a solid early contender for one of the best action films of 2017.

7/10

"Headshot" stars Iko Uwais as Ishmael, a man who's found washed up on a beach and put in a coma for two months due to him being shot in the head. He wakes up and doesn't remember a thing about himself. He discovers from flashbacks, gang members sent to kill him, and an incredible set of skills, that he is a former assassin/hit-man for the crime boss, Lee. When Ailin (the nurse who looked after Ishmael for two months and has liking to) is kidnapped by Lee, Ishmael sets on a mission to save Ailin, and to confront Lee once and for all. "Headshot" was the last film I saw at the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival this year and it was a very action packed way to leave the festival till next year.

"Headshot" is directed by Timo Tjahjanto, and Kimo Stamboel who also directed the very successful "Killers" (2014). The two directors have an excellent direction when it comes down to choreographing the stunts and fights and always do it with such flare. The cinematography is very well done, not to compare to "The Raid" films but the camera is much more shakier in "Headshot" and not as smooth and fluid as "The Raid" films, but nevertheless I can see what's going on and it overall captures the action very well.

The acting is overall very well. For an action film of this caliber you don't really need stellar performances but rather great action and stunt work which Iko Uwais is very good at due to him being the star for both "The Raid" films. I had a blast with this film, it was just exactly what I expected it to be, amazing action, average plot, and bad-ass characters. The audience that I saw the film with were super into it, there was always an "oh s***." or "whooo!" whenever a fight scene was happening or when it ended. It was awesome.

Other than the film being action packed and violently entertaining there's nothing else to it. This film is 100% pure entertainment, that's what it set out to be and that's what it will always be. I will admit the violence in the film was very overwhelming, every 5 or so minutes you had someone get shot in the ear, have their arm snapped in half, or burning alive. And much like "The Raid" films the absurdity and unbelievability of the violence is UNBELIEVABLE, and I love it. I mean where else will you see a guy who has his arm and leg broken with nails embedded in his fist and half beaten to a pulp still able to keep on fighting. I was laughing out loud to this stuff because it's so damn silly but so damn entertaining.

"Headshot" is nothing but a pure energetic and adrenaline filled film full of violence to satisfy any die hard action cinephile out there. Thumbs up!!!