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.

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.

This is Gary Daniels' best action flick since "White Tiger". He plays Ken O'Hara, a former police detective/profiler who is called back into action to partner with another detective and investigate a string of murders of world fighting champions. The villain challenges the victims to a seemingly fair fight then kills each one during the battle. There's a subplot involving O'Hara and his ex-wife that slows the movie a little.

Daniels is in fine form here, as usual. His acting still sucks but he's still got the moves. His final fight scene in the warehouse is quite a workout. Chuck Jeffreys is an excellent foil as the hotshot detective who reluctantly teams with Daniels at the police chief's request. His martial arts skills are just as impressive and he shows more emotion. Jeffrey's does a lot of film choreography on other movies ("Blade") and stunt work most likely for Eddie Murphy who he resembles a lot. Villain Darren Shavi is no slouch either. He's fighting legitimate ass-kickers, so he'd better know his stuff.

The fight scenes are some of the best I've seen in a straight-to-video release with American stars. The choreography in each scene is elaborate and well staged, especially the scene with O'Hara's old martial arts teacher, fighting Kendo style. The punches don't look as fake as in some of Daniels' other movies ("Black Friday" yechhh!!!!). The wire work is better though sometimes a bit annoying. Look for WWE wrestler Rob Van Dam as one of the battle victims.

Low-budget and above-average action from director Tony Leung, who also did the fight choreography. Top-billing goes to martial artist Gary Daniels, who was still very much in his on-the-job training phase trying to learn how to act (ten years into his acting career). The guy has the moves, the build and the looks, but he is stiff as a board when it comes to delivering anything but a well-placed punch or kick. He plays a semi-retired NYC cop with PTSD whose Australian accent is never explained, but probably stems from Daniels being unable to speak with an American accent.

Much better are the triple threat of Chuck Jeffreys as a cop who reluctantly drags Daniels out of retirement, gone-too-soon Darren Shahlavi as the martial artist killer the two are hunting, and Frank Gorshin as a stereotypical police chief. Gorshin embraces the type with so such relish that he elevates the pedestrian material and makes a character with no surprises fun to watch. Jeffreys brings a similar, if slightly more understated energy to his role and makes him likable even when he's doing magic tricks at a murder scene. Shahlavi, in an early English-language role that is more substantial than stunt double in Hong Kong action films, is dynamic and wonderfully unhinged as a fighter who is systematically taking out former champions. You never know quite what he's going to do next, especially with his maniacal laugh, and he gets some of the best lines (not that there are many gems). After beating one opponent to a pulp, he exclaims in frustration "Why aren't you better?!," and you get exactly what makes this guy tick. He and Daniels tangle quite a bit as the film progresses and both are skilled enough to make the action come alive.

The story and screenplay by Keith W. Strandberg isn't much to write home about, but it moves pretty swiftly. Leung, as a director, adds some nice touches, like the dissolve from a red moon to a red stoplight or the way the reflection from Shahlavi's blade lights the face of one of his victims, and he films 1990s ungentrified Manhattan with sufficient grime and grit to make one long for the old days. It's not exactly "Taxi Driver," but it's nice to see. (Only a few scenes take place in NYC, much of the film was shot in Wilmington and it is obvious and jarring when the locations change, but Leung still makes the most of the limited screen time NYC gets.) Mainly, though, it is Leung as action choreographer who shines here, packing the film with impressive sequences that take full advantage of his casts' athleticism. Despite clunky exposition and a leading man with some severe limitations, this is a solidly entertaining watch.