This will be a spoiler-free review!
Where to watch: US Theaters, May 2019, Fandango Now – $3.99
Runtime: 1 hour 96 minutes
Language: English
Director: Jesse V. Johnson
Writers: Joey O’Bryan, Fangjin Song, Paul Staheli
Rating: R
Release Date: 03/19/2019
Style: Action, Martial Arts
For more information can be found on the movie’s IMDB page
For the past decade, a number of stars have been blowing up the world of martial arts cinema. Tony Jaa made fans recognize Thailand as a serious source of fight films with Ong Bak and The Protector. Iko Uwais, with the help of director Gareth Evans, put the industry on notice from Indonesia. Michael Jai White has been on top of the martial arts world since the 1990s. Tiger Chen blew up just a few years ago with the film Man of Tai Chi after over a decade in the stunt world. And since 2006, Scott Adkins has proven time and time again that he is the king of action B movies.
These men have finally come together to make a film with help from Accident Man director Jesse V. Johnson. Throw in Jeeja Yanin, the woman regarded as the female Tony Jaa, and former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and you get Triple Threat.
Did this incredible ensemble pay off in the end?
Overview
Triple Threat revolves around an heiress with a plan to put an end to all organized crime in her city. Three elite assassins (Adkins, White, Bisping) are hired to take her out. Luckily for her, she runs into three soldiers of fortune (Jaa, Uwais, Chen). The assassins have only 48 hours to hunt them down and kill the heiress. If they do not, the hit will be reversed onto them. Can the three heroes keep her safe? Is everyone who they seem to be?
Story Review: 8.5/10
Pros
On the surface level, the plot is quite simple. It is an action-packed game of cat and mouse with the protagonists playing keep away. The best parts of the story lay within the relationships and the interactions between the characters. The film spends ample time with each individual trio. Thanks to this we see White, Adkins, and Bisping get to show more personality than just being antagonistic characters. They don’t come off as friendlier in any way but the extra bit of personality from each of them is a welcome addition to their physical screen presence.
The characterization of the three leads is where a lot of the joy of Triple Threat resides. Uwais’ character is a bit more tragic but the friendship between the characters played by Tony Jaa and Tiger Chen is a major highlight of the film. They both suffer from trauma and mistakes from their pasts but those mistakes are what links them. For this reason, they feel like brothers. They are all the other has and they take care of each other. Moments when the film slows down, and the action subsides, their relationship keeps viewers involved. Things get complicated in the characterization of Uwais. He is not just “one of the guys” but he comes off sincere and well-meaning. It is his actions throughout the film which keep viewers guessing.
Cons
The problems in the story come more from the crime syndicate parts of the film. While the main cast including Celina Jade handles the heart, the darkness, and the conflict of the film there are side characters that the film repeatedly cuts back to. These side characters are part of the crime world that is threatened by this heiress’s agenda.
The best moments from those characters are their interactions with the main cast but when they get to take center stage not much is done with them. Their goals and reasons are simple, but they do not feel completely necessary. The motivations of the characters could have been conveyed by the main antagonists and without these characters getting any screen time. Their purpose could have been fulfilled with a voice coming through a cellphone. This is a very small part of the film, but it is maybe my only flaw with it.
Martial Arts Review: 10/10
Pros
The action in this movie is the level of action that takes anyone just discovering the world of martial arts cinema and makes them fall in love with it. Jesse V. Johnson, the director, understood what he had in his cast. Johnson doesn’t overreach in his shooting of the fight scenes nor does he in his editing. He knows that he has a group of people who embody the gold standard of their industry. In the past few years, Johnson has set his place among them as director of some stellar films, and this one may be his best outing yet.
A major highlight of the film was actually the use of Celina Jade’s character throughout the action. She is rarely perceived as the damsel in distress. When the protagonists are in a high-speed chase she has to drive. Her having to handle a stressful and life-threatening situation instead of screaming in the back seat does a lot for her character.
Triple Threat is full of dream matchups with each performer getting to use their own signature style in the fights. Muay Thai gets to clash with Pencak Silat, Tai Chi goes one on one with MMA, and more and more. The excitement comes from more than just shiny and fast kicks but there are so many blink-and-you-will-miss-it exchanges from a cast of expert fighters who know how to make a movie look good. The cast are all fans of these kinds of movies and they understood how special their coming together was. Everyone here put their all into the action. No one misses a beat when they get their chance to shine, and yes, everyone gets a chance to shine.
Cons
There is one person that could have seen much more screen time before her departure and that is Jeeja Yanin. She has a few action beats including a quick exchange with Iko Uwais before her character exits the film.
This flaw is not really a problem as it is quite ridiculous, but I personally just want more. I cannot be the only one wanting more. The movie runs a tight 96 minutes, but I would not have minded if there were another 20 or 30 minutes on the run time. This might have unnecessarily stretched the story quite thin and that could have been a huge detriment to the film, but more of these performers is never a bad thing. If my biggest complaint is that I want more movie, then that must be one good movie.
Overall Rating and Review: 9.5/10
Conclusion
Triple Threat had a lot to live up to. Upon announcement of the cast coming together for one film, martial arts fans across the internet exploded with joy and anticipation. This film could only go one of two ways. It could be one of the biggest films of the year or it could be the biggest disappointment since the potential that was last year’s Mile 22. Thankfully, they did it. Johnson was able to take oranges from the Garden of Eden and produce incredible orange juice. That does not take away from the amazing job that Jesse V. Johnson did as making a film is an extremely difficult task. There are many examples of films on lock for success but one thing and another goes wrong and it all falls apart.
In the end, we should all look to Johnson and his incredible cast of fighters/actors and tell them how grateful we are for films like Triple Threat to exist. Since 2010 everyone in this cast has been a part of a seminal film for the genre. This has been a truly incredible decade for martial arts films and this may very well be the exclamation point at the end of a very bombastic statement. It only makes sense that these men and women would come together in 2019 heading into a new decade.
So what are your thoughts on Triple Threat? did it live up to your expectations or did it fall short?
If you liked what I had to say then check me out on YouTube at Martial Arts Film Freak.
Check out my Youtube channel where I review and discuss martial arts films.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUYUbj1Rjnf07S3UbVvKZ0Q?view_as=subscriber
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