Released: 2014
Director/s: Jino Kang/Tony Urgo
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Not Rated
Genre: Action/Thriller
Cast:
Jino Kang: Jack Lee
Douglass Olsson: Michael Banducci
Katherine Celio: Ashlie Jordan
Artem Mishin: Don Orloff
Kelly Lou Dennis: Jaime Lee
It used to be back in the day before the Internet, independent film makers had a very hard time finding audiences for their movies. Has that changed much in the last 20 years or so? Yes…..and no. Yes, because it’s actually easier for indie film makers to be able to put their work on the internet using various means. It’s made even easier with the advent of social media platforms like YouTube, FaceBook, Instagram and Twitter. These platforms allow up-and-coming film makers to be able to share their work with the entire world. In some ways, it’s actually harder, though, because you have so many people who want to have their work noticed, so you begin to see an over-saturation of the market. So, a film has to really stand out from the crowd in order to be noticed. I’ll be honest, most indie movies are not that good. It’s not necessarily because of the format, but it’s because people really aren’t taking the idea of film making seriously, so they put out a lot of garbage. There are some, however, that manage to beat the odds and get into the spotlight. Road To Hell was one such movie that I feel that really deserves attention, as it was the focus of my last post. Another one I watched last night was a nifty little action flick called Fist 2 Fist: 2-Weapon of Choice.
Weapon of Choice begins in a small restaurant that’s serving some gangsters. Shortly into the festivities, a lone man walks into the room and slaughters the entire group, leaving only one man alive to tell his boss what he has seen. The man’s name is Jack Lee, and 6 years later, he’s living a quiet life with his “daughter” Jaime Lee. While Jack is upstairs exercising, a group of masked gunmen break into his house and kidnap Jaime. Taking out several of the gunmen, but failing to save Jaime, Jack discovers that his former employer is responsible for Jaime’s kidnapping. The setup for the film is not bad, actually. It’s a similar story I’ve seen a million times before, but it’s still effective. It does go through the motions of your typical revenge thriller, but it’s the approach to the material that’s important, and it’s surprisingly engaging. My only real issue with the story is the pacing. There are points throughout the film where it can drag quite a bit. When it comes to thrillers like this, you want the pacing to be tight and quick and not let up.
The acting here isn’t exactly the strongest that I’ve seen, but it’s still a hell of a lot better than The Room. Jino Kang plays Jack Lee, a man with a particular set of skills…oh, wait: Wrong movie….or is it? All kidding aside, Jino Kang is the real star here. His character is clearly a major bad-ass that you don’t want to mess with. Jino Kang, who holds a 7th degree black belt in Hapkido, gives the character a soft-spoken and reserved personality that gets thrown to the side when the shit hits the fan. Even if you’re not impressed with the man’s acting, you have to give the man credit for having a powerful screen presence. Douglass Olsson plays the crime lord Michael Banducci. I really like this guy’s performance. His character is clearly not somebody you want to cross, but he’s not without a sense of humor. He gets exasperated almost every time that one of his goons does something stupid or says something ridiculous. It’s actually quite amusing. You don’t see a lot of big-screen bad guys wanting to smack their subordinates across the face for being idiotic. Kelly Lou Dennis plays Lee’s daughter, Jaime. I like her character, because she’s not your average damsel in distress. In fact, there are scenes where her character can hold her own against Banducci’s goons. Katherine Celio plays the cop, Ashlie Jordan. You know, I really like it when the women in movies like this aren’t just pretty faces and can hold their own in a fight. I think that’s pretty awesome…….and sexy.
You’ve gotta hand it to a movie like this for having a sense of humor. I mean, you’ve got a pot-smoking veterinarian who ends up patching up Jack Lee. Why am I not surprised? Watching a bunch of “professionals” get their butts handed to them by a 17-year old girl is rather amusing. I love it. The action in Weapon of Choice is surprisingly brutal and realistic. I haven’t seen Hapkido used a lot in movies. I tend to pride myself on watching movies that showcase various styles of martial arts including Tae-Kwon Do, Wing Chun, Gojo-Ryu, or Muay Thai. Hapkido isn’t the flashiest of martial arts, and while it definitely has kicks and strikes, it focuses on joint locks, throws and deflection. It’s very impressive. Jino Kang, as I’ve said, holds a 7th degree black belt in Hapkido, while also holding black belts in Tae-Kwon Do, Kyokushinkai Karate, and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Master Kang not only co-directs the film, but he also choreographs the fight sequences. There are quite a few, but the real standout fight sequence is the big finale at the end of the movie. Not only does he use guns, but he also uses swords and knives in addition to his hands and feet. That final battle is actually one of the most impressive fight scenes I’ve seen in a long time, especially for a low-budget indie film such as this. My only real gripe, is that the camera can get in a little too close. For fight sequences, you really want to be able to see what’s going on, so the camera-work can work against the film sometimes. When you can see it, the fight is absolutely incredible.
Overall, I was actually rather impressed with the film. It has it’s problems for sure with some of the story elements and pacing issues. There are other issues, but those tend to stem from the fact that it IS an indie film and that carries with it certain freedoms and restrictions due to what technology you can afford as well as time. Weapon of Choice is a film that I think is worthy of attention from anyone who considers themselves serious martial arts movie buffs. Master Jino Kang has proven that he can kick ass just as much as Scott Adkins, Donnie Yen or Tony Jaa. When he gets more experience in film making as he goes along, I think he can be a force to be reckoned with. It’s remarkable what has been achieved here. While Weapon of Choice won’t go down in history as a classic, I think it’s definitely worth checking out.
Final Recommendation: Don’t mess with Jino Kang’s on-screen family. 9/10.