Undefeatable (1993)

This is almost like martial arts porn. The acting's nothing to hang up on your Christmas tree (that's a saying right?), the settings aren't high budget either, but the INTENSITY! That's how they sell it. Don Niam in particular - as the twisted psycho looking for the love of his life, but Cynthia Rothrock and John Miller too. Sunny David's smile, too. They all wield both character and energy. They're fierce.

As are the friends. The gangs. Enemies though they may be it's almost like they're one big family, too.

The gangs maybe come across a little cheesy initially, but there's nothing lackluster about the fights, and they get better. The showdown does not disappoint. The choreography's surprisingly fluent sometimes - even when they're dealing with blades. They sell the eye too. When it matters the most they sell everything. It's a brutal finish. The angles are just right too. The close-up's. The expressions. The blood - when necessary. It's all right.

I think I first heard about this movie in one of Scott Adkins martial art interviews... The Art of Action. Probably in the one with Cynthia. Give that interview a watch if you haven't - you'll both like and respect her even more.

Don Niam though... he's played so iconically psychotic roles it'd be strange to see him as someone who isn't. I wonder what he's like in real life...

I enjoyed this movie way more than I was expecting. It also reminds me of Hard Boiled for some reason. It's simpler, but they've got the same rawness and chemistry. They got that charm. They got the life and passion and perfect soundtrack a backing. They don't have the best acting but...

They're all packing. Takes me back to good ol' HK action.

This was great.

 rated 4.5/5: almost awesome

This is the movie with the hook scene, btw, if you haven't seen.