Death Fighter

This is a mildly entertaining movie if you are a martial arts movie fan. The acting is mediocre at best but its nostalgic quality does make it a bit more enjoyable than it otherwise would have been. The fight scenes are so so -- some of them pretty bad to the point of being funny. Not a horrible movie but not very good either --

Right, well a movie released in 2020 that starred both Don Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock? Well, I can't exactly say that I had much of any expectations for a movie such as this, as both those had their peak back in the 1990s.

But still, I was given the chance to sit down and watch "Death Fighter", so of course I did, as I like to watch movies that I haven't seen before. And on the chance that the movie would be surprising, why not watch it?

Turns out that "Death Fighter" - a title that makes absolutely no sense to the plot of the movie - was mediocre at best. It definitely felt like I was watching some action movie that was made in the 1990s, for better or worse.

The storyline was simplistic, to be truthful. An American is in Thailand to help catch some criminal, and ends up enlisting the help of two locals to take down a vicious crime syndicate. So it is the stereotypical arch of a few good guys against a great number of bad guys.

One thing that always amuse me in movies such as "Death Fighter", is how the good guys (or heroes) can easily shoot goons and minions left and right without even blinking, taking down one per bullet. But when they are shooting at the main bad guy, they can't hit water even if they fell from a boat. It is just stupid.

This is an action movie mixed up with martial arts elements. It had plenty of both, for sure, but it wasn't action sequences or martial arts sequences that made me go "wow", not even in the least bit. The action was adequate, but the martial arts scenes were scripted and it showed on the screen.

I managed to sit through the entire movie, and was moderately entertained. At least enough to rate "Death Fighter" a mediocre five out of ten stars. However, this is hardly a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time, nor is it a movie that I would rush out to recommend people to watch.

Overview: This film is worth watching for the exotic locale, straightforward plot and realistic fight sequences.

I think that "Death Fighter" marks the successful return of Cynthia Rothrock and Don Wilson to high-quality martial arts cinema. This is my first Matt Mullins film, but he is highly skilled and trained.

The plot is quite familiar and we have all seen the characters before, but film does an excellent job at leveraging the beauty of the Thai jungle and the rawness of the streets.

I think the film appropriately approaches the ugly reality of human trafficking by using a fast-paced plot and focusing on the interactions between the characters.

Having visited Thailand, lived in Manila and studied kung fu in China, I can honestly say that the martial arts sequences were excellent and well-choreographed.

There are excellent fight scenes in congested spaces with multiple opponents that pay homage to the masters of Hong Kong martial arts cinema.

This film won't win any Oscars, but it has won a place in my highly selective movie collection.

Note: this film reminded me of other recent, excellent martial arts filmed in the SE Asia, two of which also raise important awareness about human trafficking.

-Dolph Lundren/Tony Jaa in "Skin Trade" -Scott Atkins in "Hard Target 2" -JCVD in "Pound of Flesh"

The premise is unremarkable, but has potential. The dialogue is wretched and inauthentic in the first place, carries a lot of empty, tough-talking hot air, and like the scene writing is filled with tropes and contrivances that feel like Action-Thriller Movie-Making 101. There are some light touches of humor scattered throughout the length, though most such attempted levity is just flat and dull. Michael B. Schmidt's score doesn't make much of an impression, though some themes bear chords that catch one's ear in passing. Editing and camerawork is overzealous, cutting and moving too quickly to meaningfully sustain any given instance or allow it to resonate, and that includes action sequences as much as shots of the surrounding environment, or character moments. Filming on location in Thailand gives us plenty of beautiful scenery to enjoy, in addition to fine set design and decoration, but the most pristine nature is wasted on the film-making illustrated here.

'Death fighter' isn't abjectly terrible, but nor is it particularly good - and with so many other movies out there in the world to watch, there's not a lot of reason to spend time on this one.

Protagonist Michael is astoundingly ignorant, and dialogue and scene writing treats viewers like we are, too. (Watch for the moment Bobby Pau informs Michael, and audiences, that a dance incorporates martial arts.) Not one character in the screenplay is written as anything more than a thin archetype (or arguably stereotype). The fight choreography is pretty great throughout, though somewhat declines the finesse and resourcefulness we'd expect from any given martial arts flick in favor of more seemingly visceral, exaggerated sequences. 'Death fighter' sometimes feels less like a martial arts movie (or at least a film containing a fair share of such disciplines), and more like a coarse homage to one. And again, I must emphasize that overly excitable camerawork and editing distinctly and needlessly embellishes the action, and detracts from it.

This is also true of the acting. I won't pretend that anyone involved is a world-class actor, and Matt Mullins is almost certainly the weakest link among the ensemble, but there are occasional glimmers of heart and sincerity. Chiranan Manochaem, while apparently having no other film or TV credits to her name, nonetheless stands out as possibly the best actor present, demonstrating some nuance and range. Hers is only a supporting part, but it's a cheeky bit of fun to see Cynthia Rothrock in a rare antagonistic role, and she ably portrays Valerie's hard-nosed contempt. Yet all this is rendered pointless by a film-making approach that seemingly tries to employ brusque, rough construction to synthesize the thrills and drama that should manifest organically in an earnestly worthwhile picture.

There are good ideas here. For all the bluster, 'Death fighter' can claim a promising if familiar concept. If imperfect as they present, there's intelligence behind the fundamental orchestration of action scenes. Features of this tenor don't require award-winning acting to work, but I think the cast show they have some capability. Broadly unremarkable as it is in the grand scheme of things, I think there's plenty here to enjoy. However, Lawrence Riggins' screenplay is flawed and uneven, and Toby Russell's direction is questionable. What real value there is in this title is substantially weakened by common, conventional, and tawdry if not altogether tedious filler.

I want to like this more than I do. While at large it's nothing out of the ordinary, the fight scenes and stunts are done well enough that I want to hold the movie in higher esteem. But then I think once more of the deep, tired faults, and I can't bring myself to offer more praise. 'Death fighter' is a passable action flick, but a lot more care needed to go into the writing and direction before I could truly recommend it. Alas.

Matt Mullins, Don The Dragon Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock. This movie was made by peoples very passionate about the martial arts movie industry and it show.

Obviously this is a low budget movie and it is totally aimed at the fans of those main actors listed above. Is it good? Yes it is. Is it perfect? Nop...

Matt Mullins plays a very credible and lovable lead. Don Wilson plays a decent "sidekick" and both of them show they can still kick major asses ! Matt look just as young as 10 years ago and still move like it while Don obviously has aged but still does much better than Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme combined despite being of similar age.

Cynthia Rothrock plays on the villain team this time around and to keep this spoiler free, i will only say that her screen presence is limited but more of a simple cameo as some of her most recent roles. She does fight on screen.

The fights are pretty good. There is a few jump cuts and camera angle changes at times, a little more than i had wish for, but overall they still immerse you very well in the movie and even tough not "Boyka Level" they do are way above most western movies i see in that budget bracket.

The story is probably the weak spot of the movie. The context that start the movie leaves you a bit wondering and even tough the characters motivations are clearly stated afterward, i had trouble getting behind them a little. Its not that there acting is not convincing, its really just how the story is borough up. At times i was like "cmon ... lets have some fight now please" . Thanksfully the third act has plenty of them and they are rather satisfying.

It is worth mentioning that i had no idea who was Prasit Suanphaka and Chiranan Manochaem and they deliver some kick ass action ! Overall i feel this is movie made by peoples passionate about the martial arts industry FOR the lovers of those. Its not great by any mean and at times the small budget does show, but yet the peoples involved managed to work around that to deliver a very decent and enjoyable movie. Pretty much a love letter at the fans of low budget Martial Arts movies.

Boyka's crown is easily safe, but a solid effort !