Instant Death (2017) Directed by Ara Paiaya
Bet no one ever expected to see Lou Ferrigno show up in a low-budget British action-flick, let alone in the lead role. Lou Ferrigno of course is a pretty iconic action-star but I wish I could say he's a great actor as well or that this movie is a great one.
One of the things that immediately becomes obvious is that this just isn't much of a quality movie, to put it mildly. It's low-budget is very apparent, not just with the action but also the overall look and feel of the movie. The sound and picture quality is quite dreadful, as is the editing and directing approach.
There is never really a good flow to things. The story doesn't progress naturally, which is also mainly because it's devoid of any sort of good emotions and convincing enough characters and developments that you can feel for. It's even somewhat of a sloppy movie, when it comes down to the pace and overall storytelling, which too often results in some laughable bad moments as well.
And well, lets be fair; Lou Ferrigno has never been a great actor. So why on Earth would you ever give him a lead role in a movie, that features a fair amount of dialog in it as well. Sure, he's charismatic enough, even know that he's well in his 60's but charisma can only get you that far. He just isn't the most convincing or likable hero in this movie, that requires lots of psychical work but some acting abilities as well.
Just see this movie as another cheap "Taken" of "John Wick" knockoff. And really, nothing wrong with some simple- and even unoriginal action from time to time, as long as the movie still offers plenty of entertainment and is put well together as an action-flick. Neither is the case for this movie unfortunately. It just never becomes much fun to watch, not even when the action kicks in and it's never a very pleasant movie to look at neither, due to the way how it's handled by the director and limited resources at hand.
It's actually pretty odd how this movie takes the longest time to turn into a revenge flick. Normally these type of movies kick right into gear and don't waste any time with its buildup but in this case the action doesn't truly start until the movie is nearly over already.
And all of this obviously is a real shame. The action itself remains far from the worst aspect about this movie. It's some pretty brutal and straightforward stuff, that surely would have been great to watch in any other genre movie but just because everything else in this movie feels so lacking, the action fails to make a true impression.
So really, even if you're really into low-budget and simplistic action-flicks this one still really isn't worth your time.
3/10
Watch trailer
One of the things that immediately becomes obvious is that this just isn't much of a quality movie, to put it mildly. It's low-budget is very apparent, not just with the action but also the overall look and feel of the movie. The sound and picture quality is quite dreadful, as is the editing and directing approach.
There is never really a good flow to things. The story doesn't progress naturally, which is also mainly because it's devoid of any sort of good emotions and convincing enough characters and developments that you can feel for. It's even somewhat of a sloppy movie, when it comes down to the pace and overall storytelling, which too often results in some laughable bad moments as well.
And well, lets be fair; Lou Ferrigno has never been a great actor. So why on Earth would you ever give him a lead role in a movie, that features a fair amount of dialog in it as well. Sure, he's charismatic enough, even know that he's well in his 60's but charisma can only get you that far. He just isn't the most convincing or likable hero in this movie, that requires lots of psychical work but some acting abilities as well.
Just see this movie as another cheap "Taken" of "John Wick" knockoff. And really, nothing wrong with some simple- and even unoriginal action from time to time, as long as the movie still offers plenty of entertainment and is put well together as an action-flick. Neither is the case for this movie unfortunately. It just never becomes much fun to watch, not even when the action kicks in and it's never a very pleasant movie to look at neither, due to the way how it's handled by the director and limited resources at hand.
It's actually pretty odd how this movie takes the longest time to turn into a revenge flick. Normally these type of movies kick right into gear and don't waste any time with its buildup but in this case the action doesn't truly start until the movie is nearly over already.
And all of this obviously is a real shame. The action itself remains far from the worst aspect about this movie. It's some pretty brutal and straightforward stuff, that surely would have been great to watch in any other genre movie but just because everything else in this movie feels so lacking, the action fails to make a true impression.
So really, even if you're really into low-budget and simplistic action-flicks this one still really isn't worth your time.
3/10
Watch trailer
