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3.0 out of 5 stars
"The world doesn't want to be saved. It sucks", October 22, 2011
This review is from: Honor (DVD)
"Honor" is the most recent production to-date of B-movie stalwart David Worth, as well as the first martial arts film he had done since ending his staple run almost a decade earlier. Despite his effort, Worth hasn't made a really good karate movie since
Kickboxer, and he doesn't really top himself with this one. His clout as a director shines through by giving this cheap, digitally-filmed indie outing a real action-of-yesteryear feel, but despite an impressive cast and the fact that he maximized his limited technical resources, it disappoints as an action movie and isn't likeable enough to make its dramatic content worthwhile. You ought to be a fan of some of the performers involved before considering purchase.
The story: military veteran Gabriel Tyrell (Jason Barry) returns to his father (Roddy Piper,
They Live) and hometown to find both besieged by the tyranny of Ray, the rising street king (Russell Wong,
Romeo Must Die). When things get personal, Gabriel will need to overcome his inner demons and amass his allies to put an end to Ray's reign of terror.
The director really lucked out with his cast, which is significantly made up of a fine mixture of traditional martial artists and MMA fighters: in addition to Wong and Piper (who studied under Gene LeBell), these also include K-1 legends Remy Bonjasky, Masakatsu Funaki, and Don Frye, jiu-jitsu torchbearers Rorion and Rener Gracie, and henchmen specialists Arnold Chon (
Priest) and Ilram Choi (
Undisputed III: Redemption). The fight choreography by Peter Malota (
The Quest) is solid at worst and surprisingly inventive at best, making even the performers who have never staged a 'fake' fight look credible, but I'm sorry to report that even after all this time, David Worth still doesn't know how to properly shoot a fight scene. The editing and constant close-ups aren't bad enough to make you pull your hair out, but they do stifle a lot of potential coolness and make almost all of the nine fights seem pretty lackluster. The casting of Jason Barry as the main star doesn't help: why David Worth would headline a veritable supercard of capable warriors with a prettyboy who needs to be doubled for all of his fights is beyond me. I mean, I liked Jason in
MirrorMask, but he's just not right for this movie (I mustn't discriminate, however: Russell Wong is doubled a couple times, too).
The dramatic portions are a stronger asset to the film than I expected, but this praise does not extend to the entire cast: Roddy Piper gives a pretty good, heartfelt performance and Linda Park (
Star Trek: Enterprise) as his ex- police partner doesn't do bad either, but Jason Barry's kinda weak given the size of his role and Russell Wong doesn't necessarily stand out for the strength of his acting this time around. Of course, that doesn't mean he can't be one of the most despicable villains I've ever seen. His character gives the plot a real mean-spirited twist that I have to admit affected me personally, so that counts as effective writing (but not necessarily good writing, since his character's the main reason I don't want to see the movie again). Seriously, this guy has issues, and it makes you all the more eager to see the final battle.
I think this film would've been much better had it been directed by someone like Isaac Florentine or John Hyams - at least they'd know how to maximize the action potential this setup offered. While it's satisfying to see a bunch of lesser-known film fighters get to throw some cool kicks and a bunch legitimate fighters break into movies, the film isn't nearly all it could've been and hasn't stayed relatively obscure without due reason. Again, if you're an MMA fan, this is one of the better low-budget outings you can find your heroes in, and fans of Russell Wong's infrequent kung fu offerings might want to give this a watch by the default, but the rest of you can stay away and not worry about missing anything special.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
If you like action watch this film!, December 6, 2010
This review is from: Honor (DVD)
Honor is a brutal, raw and rugged action flick that features some amazing fight scenes. I loved how this film wasn't full of over the top action scenes that you might see in a more mainstream Hollywood film; it's just straight-up, real combat. This is doubtless due to the fact that UFC fighters are involved in the choreography and cast. The plot gives the characters believability; and the acting is solid. If you remember classic flicks like "Bloodsport" and "Kickboxer" (directed by Honor director David Worth) or you are a fan of more contemporary flicks like "Romeo Must Die" or "Ghostdog", then I would definitely check out this film. Not as glossy as the latter two, but the realism of the mixed martial arts style is outstanding.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome!!!, April 28, 2007
This review is from: Honor (DVD)
Look this is not a bigtime Hollywood production...This is low budget warehouse fighting, no wires, no cables, and no amazing stunts...It's not a romantic comedy, it's not a drama, the acting isn't meant to bring you in to the story...the action is, and it suceeds, take it for what it is and you'll have as much fun as I did!!!
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