Triple Threat review by Bobby Blakey
I am a massive martial arts film fan and have spent years watching anything I can get my hands on. Over the last few years Well Go USA has been unleashing some of the best in Asian cinema and show no signs of slowing down. The latest, Triple Threat starring Scott Adkins, Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, JeeJa Yanin, and Michael Bisbing with Savage Dog and Accident Man director Jesse V. Johnson at the helm, has been on my most anticipated list since they announced it and now it is finally here.
Triple Threat follows a hit contract that is taken out on a billionaires daughter intent on bringing down a major crime syndicate. A down and out team of mercenaries must take on a group of professional assassins and stop them before they kill their target. It is near impossible to describe how excited I have been to see this movie, but I must say that makes it a bit worrisome that it might not live up to my personal expectations. Thankfully it not only knocked it out of the park it gave me more of a variety of fight sequences than I really thought I would get in the best way possible.
The entire film screams old school action and works on every level. The story is simple and just offers up enough to keep it going and fully knows that the audience is here to see the action and keeps it coming. This dream cast all bring their A game and the films structure gives everyone their time to shine. Everyone here has great chemistry and their dueling personalities are a perfect mesh of fun and conflict getting the viewer eager to see them throw down. While I had expected some great action I did not expect to get such a variety of match ups that keep you begging for more. This is enhanced even more with the varying styles of fighting keeping everything moving and fresh all the way through.
Tony Jaa brought his usual insane Muay Thai style to the mix flinging kicks and elbows with deadly accuracy like only he can. Iko Uwais brings the emotional aspect to the story that drives him towards vengeance and of course gets him in on the action with violent results. Tiger Chen always reminds me of the kind oldmaster character and while he isn’t playing that sort of person here, there is still something about him that embraces that. Make no mistake he still kicks some major ass, but he feels old school Kung Fu to me all the way. The team of Adkins, Jai White and Bisbing bring the intensity and attitude to the film with every one of them bringing their skills to the forefront in their own brutally fluid way.
If there was any issue for me it was the sadly underused JeeJa Yanin. She has some fights and is all in, but being a fan of hers from her other work I was hoping to see some bigger moments from her. She is still great, but as a fan I just wanted more. Filled with an orchestra of bullets and martial arts action with a beautifully brilliant execution makes this a must see for any fan of the genre. This film brought everything I wanted and more to the forefront bringing old school martial arts action back to the screen.
Get in on the fight and grab your copy of Triple Threat when it hits BLu-ray and DVD on May 14th from Well Go USA.
