Eliminators

If you like action-packed fast-paced films starring Scott Adkins and Stu Bennett, then this film is for you. Eliminators (2016) is a generic action flick with an OK plot.

Former US federal agent Thomas and professional hitman Bishop are your main macho-man. They sweat testhosterone and are black belts on every other martial arts.

Recommendable for action lovers. You can watch it without much thought to details as this film is as mind-numbing as it can get.

This is a basic action flick but it could and should have been so much better than it is although it would never be great.

Lots of poor and corny dialogue and poor decisions by the good guys. You know the sort of thing - not killing the baddie when you can and letting his escape. Yawn. Also the thing about the goody being shot but then doing martial arts, etc. as if nothing had happened. Thought this had gone out at least two decades ago. Yawn (again). Lots of drawn-out sequences. And plot holes and logic, particularly at the beginning and the end. Oh dear...

And what the title has to do with the story is anyone's guess. Although the producers probably thought it was better than ' A bit of editing could have improved it, but switch off any kind of logical thinking and, if you've nothing better to watch (and preferably if it's on TV), and you like Scott Adkins and his fighty arts, waste an hour and a half on it if you must.

Apparently defending one's self and family from three armed intruders breaking into one's home attempting to kill you and and your family in the UK is not the same as in the USA.

This is a fast paced action thriller with an anticipated twist, that is fairly well acted by Adkins, James Cosmo (of Braveheart fame) and WWE's Wade Barret.

Like stylish action thrillers since Bourne, it sees the protagonist as a fallen American hero in London. In Keeping with the zeitgeist, our hero and villain are tech savy and expertly trained in hand to hand combat. There is of course homage to the genre in the form of high speed antics in a classic German 'whip' (in this case a beautiful example of a 1984 BMW 635 csi). Night action around famed London landmarks adds to the element.

There is some empathy inducing, partial blurring of the good/bad divide through the character of the grandfather, but not the sort of moral dilemma that will hold attention after the credits role.

Certainly watchable, if more so for the visuals than the dialogue, and fairly engaging. The action choreography was quite decent and, as someone who has been on that side of production, lending a sense of 'believable' to the fight sequences.

Better than a Sunday afternoon 'fighty film'.

So Scott Atkins pretty much always means extraordinary action scenes. Here however, the first five minutes feel more like a gritty drama. Especially the first two minutes with Scott doing his exercises and looking with intense sadness at something made me think this could be something different than the usual stuff he is doing - well nope.

The plot is all over the place. Scott and his movie daughter are apparently in witness protection and some dudes invade his home out of pure stupidity and coincidence. So Scott has to let out his superhero alter ego and brutally murder everyone. Except his daughter of course. Well, since he is all over the news now, he is kind of hunted by the crime boss he was hiding from in witness protection.

Cinematography is actually quite nice. Good camera movement for the nearly exploitative action scenes. Also good editing - you always have an overview what happens, and if you don't, it is intended and enhances suspense a little. The flick uses toned down colors to convey the gritty and realistic feel. In total, I would say the movie is competently shot on a technical level.

The actors...well there is Scott Atkins, who is not known for his acting ability, but for his amazing martial arts. But I think he became quite convincing in the last years. The thing is, he never really has a role that needs his acting chops. It's not different here. Apart from him, there is maybe the main bad guy that is somehow memorable. He does have the physical presence needed, he seems intimidating when he is walking along with his firearms. Acting wise, there is not much happening though.

So in essence, the film could have been better with a more interesting script and maybe more interesting dialogue. Some people die and you should be feeling something, but you don't. That is the fault of the script. It is very bare minimum story as set up for really really good action scenes. So really, good movie for Scott Atkins fans and martial arts enthusiasts. The rest of potential audiences won't get much out of the movie though.

Five out of ten for general movie competence and action scenes.