Jason Statham

The Expendables

“The Expendables” – movie that I have been waiting for for so long didn’t disappoint me at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I enjoyed each and every bit of it. It was everything I wanted it to be – a moderately paced, funny action movie with very simple story and lots of fighting, shooting, chasing, exploding, etc.

It was very well positioned in its genre. In such a way even that makes it easy to excuse any shortcomings, be they holes in the story or acting or special effects. I’m not saying there were any, if there were any. I’m just saying that even if you notice something that you don’t like, you’ll probably forget about it within a second. There’s plenty to enjoy.

Of course I’ll rate this movie as 5 out of 5. That’s both for nostalgic reasons and for a historical moment of all three superstars – Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger – appearing in the same scene together. And there was so much more …

Crank : High Voltage

I got my hands on “Crank : High Voltage” last Saturday. I’ve heard a few good reviews of this movie, so I decided to watch it, even though I haven’t seen the first part “Crank”.

I wasn’t disappointed at all. The film is pure action from start to end, with somewhat bizarre story, which I didn’t mind at all. It contains lots of chasing, fighting, swearing, and even some sex. Excellent cast and directorship were spiced up with plenty of visual effects and good soundtrack.

This is not a serious movie by any measure, but a very enjoyable one if you are into fast cuts, action, and crime on the big screen. My rating: 5 stars.

Death Race

Just came back from watching “Death Race” in the movies. Back when I saw the trailer for this film, I thought to myself that it looks like a very safe recipe. I mean, you have Jason Statham as a driver, lots of cards, some hot girls, plenty of chases and shooting. What are the chances of it going bad? Practically none. But what are the chances of it turning into something interesting and original?

It turned out that whatever were the chances, they weren’t enough. On one hand, we indeed have Jason Statham and lots of cars, shooting, and explosions. The special effects were done nicely, and there was not much screen time without something brutal happening. On the other hand, there is nothing new. In fact, the story and the circumstances were simplified a lot, and in such a way that there is no need to explain anything or to connect the story pieces together with long talks or travels. The plot is simple and uncovers itself in all obviousity (did I just come up with a new word?) at approximately the fifth minute of the movie.

Was it bad? No, it wasn’t. It was worth every penny, and was well worth the time I spent. Chases were nice, characters were not bad, and I liked most of the effects. The whole thing is pretty dynamic and enjoyable. It was also made for the big screen. But seeing it once is enough and I doubt that I’ll buy or rent it on DVD. At least, any time soon.

An overall rating of 6 out of 10 is, I think, appropriate.

Transporter 2

I’ve been eager to see “Transporter 2” since I finished watching the first film. I got my dirty hands on it today. Finally!

Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Genres: Action, Crime, Thriller
Cast: Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valletta, Kate Nauta, Matthew Modine, Jason Flemyng, Keith David, Hunter Clary, Shannon Briggs, François Berléand, Raymond Tong, George Kapetan, Jeff Chase, Gregg Weiner, Gregg Davis
IMDB raintg: 6.3
My rating: 8.5 [rate 8.5]

Continue reading Transporter 2

The One

Jet Li is almost a guarantee of a good action movie with lots of martial arts. Not yet, but he is surely getting there. I rented “The One“, because I was too lazy to look for something else and I agreed to watch a Jet Li movie.

Directed by: James Wong
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cast: Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham, James Morrison, Dylan Bruno, Archie Kao, Richard Steinmetz, Steve Rankin, Tucker Smallwood, Harriet Sansom Harris, David Keats, Dean Norris, Ron Zimmerman, Darin Morgan
IMDB raintg: 5.4
My rating: 6.0 [rate 6.0]

Continue reading The One