When Extraction debuted on the Netflix platform three years ago, it had all the earmarks of being a calling card for its director, top-level stunt performer Sam Hargrave, and star, actor Chris Hemsworth. Within the film’s simple narrative of a disillusioned mercenary (Hemsworth) tasked with saving a young kidnapping victim from being used as a bargaining chip in a turf war, Hargrave delivered a true maximalist action spectacle. The film is loaded with intense gun battles, brutal brawls, and wild…

As films like Red Notice and The Gray Man seemingly become the standard for big-budget, action-oriented “Netflix Originals,” the streaming giant’s recent output is frequently criticized as not much more than “movies by algorithm.” Netflix’s feature films have often been homogenized, four-quadrant content, specifically engineered to garner clicks based on a few recognizable stars, plus just enough CGI-smeared thrills to distract audiences from how bloated and uninspired nearly every aspect of these massive productions has been. Netflix’s vampire battling action…

“Havoc” is like something tailor-made for my enjoyment. I’ll say flatly, I loved it. I don’t think everyone will though.

In the very long lead up to the film’s release, writer/director Gareth Evans has said his new film is an homage to classic Hong Kong action gun flicks. And this is indeed Evans’ take on the classic HK “heroic bloodshed” genre— where flawed protagonists look for redemption and justice down the barrel of a gun shooting endless amounts of bullets.…

Here’s something that a lot of people don’t know. When critics are given screeners, usually they are low video quality and watermarked. My review copy of this one was that way (360p video resolution, painful). So, I wanted to watch it the way the filmmakers intended. I still think it’s great but I am a bit regretful that I didn’t mention the cartoony cgi blood and gun fire that appears briefly in the Karaoke hall fight scene. It was not…