Affinity, Starring Marko Zaror

It takes a strong mickey to knock out Marko Zaror, but there is a nasty drug going around Thailand’s dive bars. Of course, those are the only places the brooding former SEAL he plays would ever consider patronizing. He has a lot to forget, including the death if his brother, but he finds someone worth living and fighting for. Unfortunately, the same gang behind the super-potent compliancy-inducing drug has been hunting for Athena in Brandon Slagle’s Affinity, which releases today on VOD.

Bruno blamed himself when his brother died during a mission. The depressed drinking also went badly, when a gang of roofie-wielding criminals assumed he would be easy prey, but he came to in time to defend himself. His friends, Fitch, a former teammate, and Joe, a crusty expat, keep encouraging him to pull himself together. Bruno finally does exactly that when Athena washes up on his river dock.

She is clearly running from something, but the ex-SEAL agrees not to ask, as he nurses her back to health. Obviously, she has suppressed her tormented memories of a shadowy gang—and it hardly takes much cinematic intuition to figure out they are the same outfit behind Bruno’s boozy misadventure. In fact, the henchmen, led by the formidable Krieger soon re-abduct her, igniting a war with Bruno and Fitch, his reluctant backup.

Krieger’s boss not so shockingly turns out to be famous geneticist Dr. Kovalovski, who is up to some ridiculously crazy mad scientist business. Honest, it is hard to keep a straight face during the third act revelations (which many of the marketing descriptions perversely give away). For the most part, Affinity is a gritty exercise in Marko Zaror butt-kicking, but it has a truly wacky secret waiting to reveal itself—and wacky really is the most apt adjective.

Some fans might appreciate the twist, because it is certainly different. Regardless, Zaror does what he does best, early and often. He also gets rock solid support from Brahim Chab as his chief sparring partner, Krieger, and Brooke Ence as his comrade, Fitch. In fact, Affinity is notable for showcasing Ence’s first appearance outside DC-related properties (Wonder Woman, Justice League, and CW’s Black Lightning). She and Zaror make a good team—and she is largely spared the screenplay’s goofy excesses.

Louis Mandylor is also entertainingly blokey as Joe, even if he oversells his big dramatic scenes. At least he always tries to liven things up. In contrast, Jane Mirro brings zero energy to the film as Athena, playing most of her scenes like a stereotypical deer-in-the-headlights.

Regardless, the only really important things to remember about Affinity are the liberal quantity, variety, and intensity of Zaror’s beatdowns. It will be a bad day to be a henchman in Bangkok. Recommended for the skill and artistry of the action (but not for the B-movie-grade writing), Affinity releases today (9/30) on digital platforms.