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.

After a grueling six years since the release of their last proper feature film, San Francisco-based amateur action pioneers The Stunt People return with a vengeance in Death Grip, a sophisticated action- thriller that glimmers with professional polish and demonstrates the considerable progress the outfit has made in their mission to reclaim the art of the action film for a new generation of audiences jaded by the uninspired output of mainstream cinema.

Boasting impressive sets, a cast of capable dramatic actors and staggering technical prowess, Death Grip is a Stunt People production unlike any previously seen. Grim, suspenseful and superbly atmospheric, the group has at last found a vehicle that has enabled them to consolidate all their strongest attributes – unique storytelling, local flair, humor, concussive fight sequences and a distinguished filmmaking acumen that can only be the result of a devoted group of passionate aficionados investing countless hours to studying and honing their craft – into a cohesive cinematic package in which nothing feels derivative or out of place; you very well may see something you've never seen before in this film.

Each of Death Grip's key players – Eric Jacobus, Nathan Hoskins, Rebecca Ahn, Johnny Yong Bosch, Alvin Hsing, Ray Carbonel and Chelsea Steffensen – fit their roles comfortably, and deliver engaging performances that provide the narrative's fundamental substance. This is, at its core, a character study, and the events of the story are driven as much by the motives of each character as the necessity of indulging action-craving viewers. Death Grip succeeds where so many action films, independent or otherwise, fail: by placing its plot line at the center of its narrative focus and utilizing deftly-constructed action scenes as a device for heightening tension and elevating the stakes presented by the major complications, rather than as the primary spectacle, devoid of emotional gravity, through which characters become clumsy appendages. Everyone who fights does so for a reason, and, consequently, the foray's participants are imbued with a sense of depth and credibility that make it easier for the audience to understand and get behind their actions.

And action is of course the arena in which The Stunt People shine the brightest. Forget the Coin of Judas, the group's familiar brand of incredible martial artistry is what is really on display here. For the uncharacteristically sober tone, a blend of hyper-realistic violence and lavish stylization is employed, carried out with stunning athleticism and an impeccable amount of detail by Jacobus and the rest. Individual action scenes are like microcosmic narratives all their own folded into the larger fabric of the film, with special attributes that lend them novelty and distinction. One fight places Kenny in a darkened room with a blinded enemy, neutralizing the advantage of sight and forcing the combatants to rely on instinct and cunning to prevail; in a later scene, he is pitted against a knife-wielding henchman in what is, without exaggeration, one of the most intricately choreographed and nuanced encounters I've ever witnessed in film. For the grand finale, Jacobus has staged a climactic and devastatingly hard-hitting showdown between out-of-his-league Kenny and enigmatic cult leader Torch (veteran stunt actor Johnny Yong Bosch). All are exceptionally well-shot and executed, astonishing for a crew predominately comprised of DIY filmmakers and stunt performers with limited professional experience. By the conservative ninety minute mark, Death Grip is sure to satisfy the appetites of even the most voracious action fans, with lasting appeal for those grown accustomed to the latest bloated, all-filler offerings from larger, more commercial industries.

Though marketed as an action-thriller, Death Grip is in actuality an experiment designed to test whether a modest band of ambitious young talent is capable of producing, with no backing from professional agencies or studio developers, a cinematic product challenging the best that the corporate world of filmmaking has to offer, and whether such a venture would be received enthusiastically by a viewer base out of touch with what once earned the action genre a respected place among other forms of visual storytelling. The answer to both points is a resounding yes, bristling with fresh creative energy and emphatic as a punch in the teeth. Death Grip is proof-positive of the rewards of vision and hard work, and a glowing testament to the maturity of a team that still has vast potential to improve. A knockout.

From the start the film has a darker tone than the other productions of The Stunt People, and carries through the entire movie. However, their classic sense of humor is not lost in the dramatic overtone of the film, and it still manages to poke fun at itself.

The action is what makes the movie great. It's an amazing blend of eastern and western style choreography with a bigger emphasis in Hong Kong style fights, and the climactic action sequences are well worth the price of the movie. It was not only a good piece of indie film-making, it was also a great action movie with beautifully choreographed fight scenes. A must own for any indie film-maker or action movie fan. Well done!

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.

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.