Prisoner of War, Starring Scott Adkins

In The Great Escape, Captain Virgil Hilts raced motorcycles before the War. Likewise, British Wing Commander James Wright studied martial arts according to the backstory of this film (starting with his youthful years in Hong Kong, if you were wondering). Both sports have timely wartime applications. However, there is no question putting his fist into the faces of the Japanese POW camp guards holds a special satisfaction for Wright. As a result, he doesn’t expect to live much longer, but he intends to go down swinging in Louis Mandylor’s Prisoner of War, which is now playing in theaters (and available on VOD).

We can tell from the prologue Wg Cdr. Wright will somehow survive—and he will not forget (or forgive) the treatment he received from camp commandant Ito. 1942 was a heck of a time to get shot down over Subic Bay, but obviously that was never Wright’s intention. Having enough of an idea of what awaits, Wright kills three Japanese soldiers trying to evade capture. Once apprehended, a junior Japanese officer orders his immediate beheading, but Wright also kills the execution party.

At this point, Ito develops an unhealthy interest in his prisoner. He hopes to humiliate Wright in his makeshift gladiatorial ring, but despite being outnumbered and facing unfair, unequal conditions, Wright keeps besting every Japanese soldier Ito throws at hm. However, he recognizes the situation is unsustainable. The prisoners have also heard rumors of the notorious death march, so they start hatching escape plans.

Essentially, Prisoner of War is like a martial arts remake of Unbroken. The trailer makes it look like Wright fights one cage-match after another, which slightly overstates the bloodsport aspects (even though they are certainly prevalent). Indeed, the themes of escape and survival with dignity are equally important.

Nevertheless, Adkins deserves tremendous credit for the fierceness of his performance. He is nothing less than spectacular in the fight sequences and there is a visceral physical intensity to his scenes enduring torture. He is sort of like the John Wick of the Greatest Generation, in the best way possible.

This is also the best work yet behind the camera for Mandylor (Adkins’ co-star in the wildly entertaining Debt Collector films). The camp and surrounding environment look convincingly oppressive, while the battle scenes are rendered with a fair degree of realism. Mandylor also nicely handles the stomach-churning cruelty inflicted on Allied POWs, often with a strategically panning camera, which spares viewers much of the gore while preserving the chilling emotional impact.

Michael Copon (formerly the “Blue Time Force Ranger”), UFC fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, and Michael Rene Walton all portray three distinct and relatively memorable fellow POWs. Copon and Cerrone both look aptly gritty, while Walton appears realistically haggard and unkempt. Together, they nicely compliment Adkins.

The Bataan death march was a truly horrific series of extended war crimes, so producing an action film amidst the horrors entails some risks, in terms of tone and taste. Yet, Mandylor and Adkins largely pull it off, keeping the film relentlessly grounded and largely true to the grim historical realities. Of course, when payback comes, it is massively cathartic. Very highly recommended for action fans, Prisoner of War is now playing in LA at the Laemmle Glendale.