Death Grip

First things first: The fight scenes in Death Grip are outstanding. Do you remember how complex, exciting, and fun Jackie Chan's fight scenes were in the late '80s before he became obsessed with stunts and running away? Well, it's like Eric Jacobus and the Stunt People picked up where Jackie fell off and have been developing that style all this time. They've taken that same punchy spirit from 80s Hong Kong fight choreography, updated it with modern camera techniques and editing, and put their own violent spin on it. You could make the case that no other group in the world create fight scenes as well as The Stunt People right now.

Having said that, Death Grip has issues with pacing and tone. Like classic 1980s HK cinema, the story veers from comedy to action to heavy melodrama to outrageous violence. But unlike those HK films, the pace is slow and leaden. Characters often pause and react slowly for no reason, making you want to yell at them to hurry up. The photography (while stylish) seems under-lit and the music is constantly ominous, giving the whole affair a gloomy vibe that detracts from the story's lighthearted tone and absurd events. Also, the fights are too few and far between and when they do come, the lighting is so dark that they can be hard to appreciate fully. It's infuriating to struggle to see those magnificent fights, then switch to the Blu-Ray's "extra" fights and see how well-lit yet still stylish they are. The brighter lighting and colours even give the fights an extra pop of energy! Regardless, Jacobus' likable underdog charisma pulls the film together and his epic battle with Johnny Bosch makes the film a must-see.

One of the best to come from The Stunt People thus far! It's inspiring and fun to see a dedicated group of independent filmmakers advance and improve themselves over the years. This latest effort is beautifully photographed and intelligently written, topped off with impressive fight choreography. What is more engaging is the fighting moves the story along and has character - something that is nearly impossible to achieve in current martial art films with meteoric budgets. This filmic art has heart and a conscious eye on the realism of conflict - the social as well as the physical. This is a "Must See" for anyone who's a martial art film buff as well as those who want a good "Non-Formulaic" story.

If there's one thing that Eric Jacobus and The Stunt People consistently do, it's embarrass big budget Hollywood action filmmakers, who are generally clueless when it comes to fight choreography and cinematography. "Death Grip" is a fantastic micro-budget action film with a genuinely engaging plot and cast, and quite possibly the best American made martial arts film since Steve Wang's "Drive" (1997). The Hong Kong influence is apparent, so if you like your fight scenes fast, flashy, and furious (like Jackie Chan's "Police Story" for instance), the film is sure to please. Jacobus and his team focus on ground based fighting techniques that are both stylish and hard hitting, and the timing and precision are excellent. The film is also mercifully free from attitude and macho posturing, which is where so many domestic action films go wrong. Instead, we're treated to a tight and intelligent script with authentic dialog and believable characterizations, with no extraneous filler. Action fans and kung fu buffs should rejoice.

I found the Stunt People back in 07, and it has been great to see Eric and the crew grow from films like Undercut and Contour to Death Grip. While the aforementioned efforts are great, Death Grip is a jewel for action/martial arts fans. Lots of heart, humor, and above all is the topnotch action choreography. While Death Grip is less campy than some previous efforts by the SP crew, it has moments of drama that are surprisingly real and you can't help but feel the bond between the Zemacus brothers. The supporting cast shines with memorable performances, Alvin Hsing's in particular. Add a healthy dose of a very sinister Johnny Yong Bosch, and you have a multifaceted gem of action kickback called DEATH GRIP. I can't wait to see what comes after this.

Eric Jacobus and his Stunt People are without a doubt one of the most creative and talented groups of martial arts performers the film world has ever seen. Why these guys aren't getting a film into wide distribution every other year is a matter of injustice, especially while our established group of mainstream action stars grows stale. Previously only available via indie distribution, DEATH GRIP here hangs with 2014's top martial arts releases from around the world, supplying great fights and improved production values from Jacobus' CONTOUR nine years ago. A questionable storyline and a lengthy gap in the fighting threaten this one's high score, but in the end, it's going to be worth every penny you pay for it.

The story: A troubled drifter (Jacobus) and his autistic brother (Nathan Hoskins) are inexplicably drawn into the deadly plot of an antichrist cult.

The design and tone of this film are worlds removed from Jacobus' previous feature. Whereas CONTOUR was colorful and bombastic, DEATH GRIP is melancholy and purposely restrained. The opening 15 minutes feature relatively little dialogue, punctuated only by an impressive three-on-one fight scene, and well-handled ambiance. The film's setting is bleak and often colorless, though not without a sense of humor that's sometimes both clever and delicate. Sadly, the latter two-thirds of the picture lose a good deal of the character intrigue that the first had going for it, and in the long run, the plot involving a satanic cult trying to recover one of the coins paid for Christ's betrayal is as awkward as it sounds. Jaobus - along with fellow SP members Rebecca Ahn, Alvin Hsing, and Chelsea Steffensen - get to flex their acting muscles a bit, but I'm not sure how satisfied I am of the stereotypical, childlike representation of autism in the movie, regardless of Nathan Hoskins' strong performance.

But all faults seem to melt away as soon as the fight scenes begin. Jacobus' team is as innovative as ever, and definitely give the impression that they've taken notes while watching Undisputed III and The Raid. There are six fights to be seen, and while one of them is not really in the same league as the others (i.e. the bathroom brawl), it's these other ones that properly show the world what the human body is capable of. Evenly split between one-against-many and one-on-one encounters, the choreography of these matches is imaginative in its design, beautiful in its execution, and scary in its speed. Disappointingly, much of the last two acts feature no real fighting, though viewers who endure this are rewarded with three superb back-to-back-to-back brawls. My favorite of the bunch is a hyperspeed knife fight between Jacobus and Alvin Hsing. The climatic battle is between Jacobus and Johnny Yong Bosch, the ex-Power Ranger who utterly rebuilt the action standard in BROKEN PATH and gets in a swell match here that features a ton of clever fighting tactics.

Two more fights and/or a more compelling storyline would have probably resulted in one more star in my rating, or at least would have made the current four more solid, as they currently teeter on three. In the end, for the most part, this is an early Christmas present for viewers who truly appreciate the skill and effort it takes to build a good fight scene. I think the Stunt People have yet to make their definitive, streamlined package for the world to see, but this is definitely a jump kick in the right direction.