Every Sunday, Gill delves into his archive of over 800 movie reviews and randomly selects three for your enjoyment! Here are this week’s…
The Man With The Iron Fists
Rapper RZA directs, co-writes and stars in this kung fu flick about a blacksmith who gets caught in a war between rival families in a fantasy version of feudal Japan where everyone knows mystical martial arts. Watching The Man With The Iron Fists, it’s clear that RZA likes old chop-socky movies, but rather than come up with a lot of original characters, he just apes the hollow characters from the films he likes. This movie is a prime example of style over substance. There are no characters to get invested in, the fights aren’t tense or dramatic…it’s all pretty cool to look at, but without much of a plot to speak of, I found it difficult to care.
2 out of 5
Savages
This movie, from legendary director Oliver Stone, sadly falls flat on its face largely due to a godawful lead performance from Blake Lively, whose turn as “O” could have been better played by a head of lettuce. Her co-stars Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch aren’t anything to write home about, but at least they are trying harder than Lively. Beyond the fairly dull central characters there is a half-decent story to be seen, but it all goes off track halfway through and never recovers, ending with not a bang but a whimper. Avoid it – there are better, bloodier caper movies to be seen, some of them even directed by Stone as well.
2 out of 5
I Come In Peace
This is exactly the kind of bad movie I love to watch. It has everything! A cop played by Dolph Lundgren finds himself caught in a battle between an alien bounty hunter and an alien drug dealer who is sucking adrenaline out of peoples’ brains in order to sell it on the intergalactic black market. What’s more, the title comes from the fact that before he sucks out someone’s brain, the alien drug dealer says “I come in peace!” – a gag which sets up the most obvious but hilarious one-liner I’ve heard in a long time. This movie is completely ridiculous, but the amount of fun you’ll have watching it makes it worthwhile. Grab some beers and watch it with friends – I guarantee you’ll have a good time.
3.5 out of 5
See you next Sunday for three more thrilling short reviews!