I swear, I did not go looking for another RZA film, nor did I realize this was
one of Paul Walker's final performances. It was a Netflix recommendation I've had on my list for a month or so, and I felt like an action flick. Turns out it was a decent pick on their part. RZA's acting was much better... so much so that I didn't recognize him.
This movie jumps right into the action almost immediately with a killer parkour sequence introducing neighborhood local Lino... he's sick of drugs on the streets, and is trying to destroy the trade one shipment at a time. Kingpin Tremaine decides the best way to get at Lino is to grab his girl.
What follows is a tale of law-enforcement corruption, dealer politics, and good old-fashioned villainous tactics by holding the city hostage with a Russian missile. While a good story is important, in this movie it's really just a set dressing for fight sequences, car chases, and a minimum of witty banter.
I'm not quite sure why a movie set in Detroit that was jam-packed with Ford vehicles would end the film with the detective rolling up in a BMW. He made a joke about the new mayor wanting to appear to be a man of the people, so he gave it up, but it seemed a touch tacky. Promotional consideration? Hard to say. It was out of place though. Especially since most of the Ford logos had been removed.
As far as my counts go, there was a little bit of everything. Two laugh out loud moments, two needle-drops for really intense action sequences, and one holy crap moment when Collier launched the Greek right into the police station.
My biggest pet peeve with this movie came during the chick fight sequence between Rayzah and Lola. Sure, Rayzah has been acting like a crazy leather chick this whole time, and Lola was kidnapped from her diner job in that Catholic schoolgirl outfit, so everything had a very plausible explanation leading up to the fight... but when Lola starts wielding a cat-o-nine tails, there was a definite eyeroll or two at the whole thing. It was cumulative, and added up to exploitation and titillation... and I'm not a fan of either one.
This movie approached comic-book level ridiculousness without really crossing the line, but it came darn close. Overall, it's a good mindless action flick... really not good for crafting to, as the parkour moves and chase scenes really make the movie, but if you can knit without watching your hands, it'll definitely be good for mindless stockinette or garter stitch.
Catch it on a streaming service, and enjoy it as a junk food movie. Three and a half stars out of five.
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