For It Is Man's Number: eamonn walker

Showing posts with label eamonn walker. Show all posts

Thursday, 23 February 2023

Blood And Bone (2009)

Sometimes there is an upside to scrolling the internet and viewing random video clips. Yes, there are the movie snippets that are appropriated by people who try to present them as some real incident with an underlying moral message. Yes, TikTok is full of fake laugh tracks and people filming themselves reacting to other popular videos. But sometimes you see something good, whether it is a clip of sloths being washed and dried, a very gnarly bit of skateboarding, or a moment showing how hard Michael Jai White can kick various people in the face. When I saw that last clip, a highlight from Blood And Bone, I knew that I had to see the movie. I was already a fan of White, and this film looked awesome.

Directed by Ben Ramsey and written by Michael Andrews, two men who seem to have peaked with this violent action flick (and that isn’t a backhanded compliment, this is a hell of a peak), Blood And Bone tells the tale of an ex-con named Isaiah Bone (White). Bone ends up getting involved in a dangerous underground fighting scene, guided from fight to fight by a friendly hype man, Pinball (Dante Basco). Bone’s strength and skill soon get him noticed by James (Eamonn Walker), a middle-man crime figure who would rather be positioned higher. James thinks he can make good use of Bone, which may be exactly what Bone wants.

I could namecheck a lot of action movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s, anything throwing a tough, but noble (sort of), hero in to a fighting tournament, but any action movie fan will already know the main reference points. One or two of them involve Jean-Claude Van Damme. All you need to know is that Blood And Bone easily ranks alongside any of those other movies. It’s well-paced, the storyline does enough to give a purpose to the fighting without feeling as if it is keeping viewers away from the violence for too long, and White easily looks capable of every move he delivers.

There are a number of highlights dotted throughout White’s filmography, but this is definitely one of his best. The film uses him in the best way, showcasing his martial arts prowess and allowing him to effortlessly fill every scene he’s in with his watchability and forceful presence. Walker is a great kingpin, and you know that he will be ready to change the rules any time a fight looks to be going the way he doesn’t want it to go. Basco adds some humour, there’s an entertaining small role for Julian Sands, and Nona Gaye and Michelle Belegrin play women who both end up admiring our muscular hero as they realise that he is up to more than just trying to beat people up. Bob Sapp is the other performer worth mentioning, playing a huge fighting opponent named Hammerman. These movies always need huge fighters who feel like a viable threat, and both Sapp and Walker do that in different ways.

There’s nothing here that is special, not in cinematic terms, and those not after action movie thrills might not want to rush to this one, but, and this is a big but, the fights are frequent, and the choreography and shot choice maximizes the visceral entertainment of each encounter. So if you want a film full of superb fights then this is one for you. And if you’re a big fan of Michael Jai White then you should already have this one marked off your list. It isn’t a great film, in many ways, but in other ways . . . it’s a GREAT film.

8/10

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Monday, 30 January 2023

Mubi Monday: Shopping (1994)

The feature film debut from writer-director Paul W. S. Anderson, Shopping is an energetic slice of nihilism that places a number of pre-stardom UK names in a plot that often feels lifted from the Grand Theft Auto videogame series.

Jude Law plays Billy, a car thief who enjoys crashing into stores, looting some goods, and escaping with a number of keepsakes. He also enjoys picking a speedy car and teasing cops into a road chase he knows he will win. Sadie Frost is Jo, the woman who often feels like Mallory to Billy’s Mickey (albeit in a much less psychotic and murderous way). Having recently been released from a short stint in prison, you might think that Billy would be wanting to keep a low profile for a while, but that isn’t the case. Billy wants to continue on his many “shopping” trips, much to the chagrin of Tommy (Sean Pertwee), a man who finds his criminal business empire shaken up whenever Billy brings too much heat down on the local area.

There’s enough to enjoy here, despite the fact that the script isn’t strong enough to bring everything together in a truly satisfying way. Fair play to Anderson for refusing to make a British film that feels like a hundred other British films, and fair play to the person responsible for the casting, but there’s not much actual character development, and the dialogue is usually laughable and cheesy.

Law and Frost don’t work as well in the lead roles either, despite both being relatively good actors in other movies. Law feels okay when being cocky and confident, but doesn’t convince as much when having to mope around and convey the hurt and anger that helped to make him what he is. Frost tries too hard to be cool and tough, hindered by both the script and her attempt at what I think was supposed to be an Irish accent. Pertwee is excellent though, fitting well in his role. Jonathan Pryce is also very good as an authority figure keeping tabs on Law’s character, and there are small turns from Sean Bean, Eamonn Walker, and Ralph Ineson, among others. Marianne Faithful gets a notable position in the credits, but it’s nothing more than a brief cameo.

Whatever you may think of Anderson’s filmography, it’s easy to see why this worked well as a springboard to a career in the USA. He creates an intriguing, almost noir-like, version of modern Britain, tries to present some decent action, and has an impressive soundtrack to accompany the slick/grime visuals.

I wouldn’t recommend this as an essential watch, but there are worse things you could spend some time on. While Shopping may not hold up as any kind of modern classic, it feels like an important film for many of the people involved, both behind and in front of the camera. And it’s always nice to be reminded of film-makers who choose to make a bold statement, whether successful or not. This film is many things, but I think it certainly classifies as a bold statement.

6/10