Film Of The Week: SPECIAL FORCES (2003)

SYNOPSIS:

An American journalist is kidnapped by rogue Eastern European forces while committing ethnic cleansing. A US unique forces team headed by Key Harding and Talbot, a seasoned SAS operative try a rescue. right after the attempted rescue is thwarted, the group members, except for Talbot, are either killed or captured. Armed with lethal martial arts capability, Talbot actions in to assist Harding in completing the mission.

Actor Scott Adkins is one of the most major milestone figures in action cinema history. I initial discovered him in an an action scene for the television show Mutant X, even though he was largely an unknown at the time.

Eventually his profession would lead him to future roles in Television and film spanning from the U.K. to H.K., such as films like Extreme Challenge and Black Mask 2: City Of Masks. Quick forward to 2013, where his talents in acting and screen fighting have granted him to grow to be one particular of action stars with a massive fanbase worldwide. And even though some of his films favor differently for individuals, most notably the very acclaimed Undisputed two: Last Man Standing, and Undisputed 3: Redemption, 1 of his earliest films stands out the most to me: Special Forces.

The film was my second encounter with an Isaac Florentine movie upon renting it from the video store, and fortunately I knew who he was following watching U.S. Seals two: The Ultimate Force, on prime of already becoming a fav of tv shows like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and WMAC Masters.  Florentine is one particular of the best directors I have seen translate Hong Kong-stylized action sequences for the American market place, subsequent to Corey Yuen (No Retreat No Surrender) and Steve Wang (Guyver two: Dark Hero, Drive) to name a couple of. And with Hong Kong action reaching its peak in North America in the early 2000s with Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh top the crossover, Florentine could not have come onto the scene at a greater time.

Marshall R. Teague and Eli Danker star, respectively, as Army Main Harding, whose latest mission finds him crossing paths with with an old enemy, a psychotic Colonel Rafendek, who seizes command of the military of the former Soviet republic of Muldonia. Supporting Teague's character is actor Tim Abell, who was most known to me from yet another military-based tv action series known as Soldier Of Fortune. He plays the Major's closest confidant, Jess, who makes confident the Main has his head on straight and is focused on the mission, despite confronting the really man who brought him at the closest to death he has ever been.

Together, their group, played by T.J. Rotolo, Troy Mittleider and Daniel Lee Clark, go behind enemy lines to find the camp and rescue the Colonel's hostage, Wendy, played by Daniella Deutscher, an American reporter who gets kidnapped although attempting to capture his atrocities on film.

Soon, beneath the cover of night, our heroes locate themselves beneath heavy enemy fire until a rogue operative rescues them. They later uncover he is a British intelligence officer named Talbot, played very nicely by Adkins, who spent years undercover spying on the military although waiting for the right moment to get even with the Colonel's proper hand man, who kills his companion, Zaman, played by Vladislavas Jacukevicius, earlier in the film.

The plot thickens when film the team's pivotal rescue is sabotaged and they uncover themselves ambushed by Rafendek's complete military. With nowhere to turn, Harding and his crew are quickly cornered by Rafendek and his man. And only Talbot can save the Significant and give him a fighting chance to rescue Wendy and finish Rafendek off once and for all.

David N. White provided the screenplay for the film, which serves as an nearly best, low-budget non-stop actiom spectacle, full of its share of heroic bloodshed, vengeance, patriotic  and good quality martial arts action. The fight scenes had been served exquisitely by Florentine vision, along with stunt coordinators Hiro Koda and Alpha Stunts founding member Akihiro "Yuji" Noguchi who created the film's action sequences really brilliantly. And each actor had a moment to shine, with scenes that have been shot excellently to suit the extremely stylizings of Asian action cinema. Teague, himself, is a quite talented actor, having carried out action roles before, such as his exemplary efficiency as the villain opposite the late Patrick Swayze in the 1989 action thriller, Road Property. I saw him in U.S. Seals two prior to Unique Forces, along with his function as one particular of the astronauts in the 1998 diaster movie, Armageddon, and taking into consideration what happened in that film, I was glad to see him back on the screen with a far more significant function. And I would have loved to have seen him in more films with Florentine, or in other action films to this day.

To be honest even though, the actual milk and cookies of this film comes in the kind of Scott Adkins, who does not hesitate to impress for the camera in the least bit, pulling some of the sickest moves I have observed on screen, in addition to 1 of the most memorable fight scenes ever choreographed for a movie amongst him and Jacukevicius. It is this distinct scene that was most reminiscent of the classic fight scene among Jackie Chan and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez in Wheels On Meals. The mechanics of that fight scene are so brilliant that at 1 point I was literally howling at the screen simply because it was so amazing to watch. And it is fight scenes like this which only further my opinion highlighting the recognition and further backing that filmmakers like Florentine deserve.

The bottom line: Particular Forces aims to please any action fan looking for a good film to escape reality with. It was a wonderful vehicle for Adkins and Florentine to share, starting a fruitful and lasting trend that have earned them their reputation among action fans on an international level.

And from there, the legacy continues with the upcoming release of the action sequel stick to-up, Ninja two. Remain tuned for trailer news and the film's release. 

Unique Forces is at present offered where DVDs are sold.

Film Of The Week: SPECIAL FORCES (2003)
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