Mike Leeder brings another action digest round-up of the news-stories from the world of eastern action that you may have overlooked in the last few weeks…
Jeff Wincott is serving time ‘Behind Bars’…
The early days of Impact coincided with the ascendance of Canadian actor and martial artist Jeff Wincott’s own rise to fame as an action hero. The ‘Toronto Tornado‘ already had the tv series Night Heat behind him before he starred in Martial Law 2/Karate Cop alongside Cynthia Rothrock. That opened a lot of doors and he would go onto headline a series of international video hits including Deadly Bet, Mission of Justice, No Exit, Last Man Standing and so any more… becoming one of the most prolific action heroes on the block. But the action movie genre began to change in the mid to late 1990s, and as with so many of the era’s action heroes, he dropped out of the spotlight somewhat. But Wincott has continued to act, appearing in supporting roles in everything from SWAT with Collin Farrell to Sons of Anarchy and Blue Bloods. A few short years ago Wincott was also set to headline Ross Boyask’s gritty Police thriller Fixers, although sadly that project fell through.
Now, Wincott returns with the short film Behind Bars, the premise of which has me hoping this could be Jeff’s very own JCVD : a former action hero confronting his demons playing a washed up former action hero struggling to make a come back without succumbing to the addiction that threw his career off the rails some years earlier. It’s an interesting project, and hats off to Wincott for not being afraid to play his age and a role that some people might think strikes a little close to home. He certainly throws himself in to the role, showcasing a different physique to the one that we’re used to seeing, and playing a somewhat erratic and unlikable character. BUT… and this is the problem… while the concept has been done before and serves as a good starting point, the big reveal is that his former addiction was not to drugs, booze, or sex but to…. SPOILERS!…. Protein Energy Bars! Funny, yes… but it’s a one beat joke that quickly out-stays its welcome, and instead of what could have been a very brave comeback vehicle, leaves you wondering what the purpose of the movie actually is? Are we supposed to be laughing at addiction or are we supposed to be amused by shots of Jeff munching away on energy bars? Perhaps they could have explored the some of the side effects that extreme consumption of energy bars can unleash? It’s something touched upon by Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel in their commentary for Blade 3… too many protein bars can lead to explosive..weight loss! That would have been crude schoolboy humour but it could have raised a giggle. Instead, here, you’re left wondering at what could have been. Jeff was always a very solid actor in addition to having the physicality and this could have been a really interesting concept vehicle and got him a lot of attention, instead…ah, Jeff I’ll be reaching for my VHS of the classic Mission of Justice instead!
Mike Tyson: From ‘Ip Man 3’ to ‘Girls Girls Girls’…
He may have hit the half century this year, but boxing legend ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson seems to show no intention of slowing down. He made his film debut way back in 1991’s Black & White and over the years has made memorable appearances including the likes of The Hangover series and Rocky Balboa. But it does seem that since he made his Hong Kong action movie debut opposite Donnie Yen in Ip Man 3 ( where he pits his boxing skills against Yen’s Wing Chun) he seems to have found a new enthusiasm for film-making.
He will seen in action shortly battling Steven Seagal (and his stunt doubles) on the action comedy China Salesman (which was shot just after Ip Man 3) and has just wrapped a supporting role in Hong Kong director Barbara Wong’s Girls 2, an action comedy which has been shooting in Vietnam with Fiona Sit (2Young) heading the cast. Tyson playing a villain whose path the heroes cross. Next Iron Mike will also be seen as one of the countless fighters appearing in the currently filming Kickboxer; Retaliation (opposite Alain Moussi, Jean-Claude Van Damme and, as we revealed this week, the original Highlander himself, Christophe Lambert….)
Wolf Warrior 2: Wu Jing battles… the Avengers?
The shooting has begun on Wolf Warrior 2, Chinese Wushu maestro Wu Jing’s follow up to his original Chinese Box Office smash hit Wolf Warrior (the success of which – and that of SPL 2 – earned him the label of the ‘Billion Dollar Man’ at the Chinese box-office. While the first film saw him leading his Chinese military team against a squad of foreign mercenaries (lead by Britkicker Scott Adkins), the sequel has Wu Jing going rogue as he finds himself in a war torn region of Africa, battling local warlords and a mercenary force lead by Kingdom’s Frank Grillo.
Wu Jing wears multiple hats once more on the project, including those of leading man, director and producer alongside LV Jianmen and The Russo Brothers. The film’s action team is very impressive with Hong Kong stuntman and coordinator Jack Wong (SPL 2) working in unison with a Western action team lead by Captain America’s Sam Hargrave. It promises some very impressive hand to hand and high octane combat and car stunts. And among the mercenary force who wage war against Wu Jing’s hero… are, technically, two members of the Avengers notably Falcon and Black Widow… well their stunt doubles do anyway – in the form of Aaron Toney and Heidi Moneymaker.
Vestron Video Returns…
The late lamented Vestron Video label is set to return. It was a mainstay of video shop shelves in the 1980s and they even made the move into mainstream with Dirty Dancing. Now several of their classic titles getting re-released on blu-ray through Lionsgate Entertainment in September.
The first titles will include…
Chopping Mall: (sex-starved teenagers who spend the night partying in the mall after work, find themselves forced to fight the malfunctioning security robots). It stars Keli Maroney from Night of the Comet.
Blood Diner: Jackie Kong (Night Patrol) pay homage to 1960s horror classic Blood Feast.
Waxwork and Waxwork 2: Lost in Time: It features Zach Galligan (from Gremlins) and a veritable Who’s Who of cameos including Bruce Campbell, Marina Sirtis and Roddy McDowall,
Chud 2: Bud the Chud: the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers return!
Return of the Living Dead 3: Melinda Clarke (from Spawn) is brought back from the dead with flesh eating results.
It’ll be great to see these making the move to blu-ray and here’s hoping for more of the Vestron back-catalogue (which also includes cult classics like Earth Girls Are Easy and horror comedy Sundown: The Vampires in Retreat which stars Bruce Campbell & David Carradine).
‘Buy Bust’: Filipino Action Cinema Returns…
The Philippines has served as a setting and backdrop for all manner of Hong Kong and Hollywood productions over the years – ranging from Apocalypse Now to Future Hunters, Ultimate Revenge and many more. But recent projects suggest a possible return for homegrown ‘Filipino Action Cinema’, with projects such as Nilalang (which saw former Japanese AV Star Maria Ozawa and local hero Cesar Montano working with Hollywood stunt veteran Sonny Sison, as the pair battle a supernatural force that stalks the mean streets of Manila).
Director Erik Matti’s previous thriller On the Job – and his current Honor Thy Father – helped bring some much deserved international attention to Filipino cinema and Matti’s next project Buy Bust looks set to reignite the flame for local action with an action flick focusing on the local traditional martial styles including Arnis, Eskrima and Kali. It will star American Filipino MMA hero Brandon Vera and Filipino-Australian actress Anne Curtis, both of whom have been intensely training for the film, as can be seen by Curtis working through her practice sessions…
