In Like Flynn: Before He was Wicked

He was one of the biggest stars of his era, but Hollywood has not been kind with its posthumous depictions of Errol Flynn. Probably the most sympathetic portrayal was Peter O’Toole’s Alan Swann analogue in My Favorite Year. However, Australia has not turned its back on its favorite son. The iconic Robin Hood is once again young, adventurous, and Australian in Russell Mulcahy’s In Like Flynn, based on the actor’s semi-autobiographical novel Beam Ends (trailer here), which opens this Friday in Los Angeles.

Flynn is not looking for gold in the Raiders of the Lost Ark-evoking prologue, but he learns the hard way a tribe of New Guinea natives is rather determined to protect their ancient store. He made the trek escorting a pair of Hollywood filmmakers hoping to record some authentic footage for their latest picture. That mission is certainly accomplished. Naturally, Flynn impresses, but he will be chasing gold of the mineral variety before seeking the kind offered by Tinseltown.

The naïve Flynn recruits a motley crew for his adventure, starting with Rex, a down-on-his-luck Canadian boxer. The Bertie Wooster-ish “Dook” Adams serves as navigator and salty old “Charlie” will try to keep them all alive. He is the original owner of the Sirocco, the boat Flynn liberates from the Chinese Triad. It is probably a mistake when Adams jettisons a crate of awful tasting “tea” overboard, but what’s done is done.

Technically, Flynn and the lads never make it back to New Guinea, but they find plenty of [mis]adventures in Australia. It was definitely wild country in the early 1930s. Although fans of Indiana Jones and Laura Croft might feel like the film fails to live up to its treasure-hunting promise, the serious third act turn of events should impress everyone else.

In the lead, Thomas Cocquerel cannot buckle swash the way Flynn so effortlessly did, but he is a genial, energetic screen presence. Clive Standen is appealingly grizzled as Charlie, channeling equal parts Robert Shaw in Jaws and Humphrey Bogart in African Queen, as well as any mortal man could. William Moseley’s Dook settles in over time, but Corey Large’s Rex almost never stops bickering and blustering. Even though Achuan, the Triad leader, is a bit of a “Dragon Lady” stereotype, Grace Huang plays her with a refreshingly modern sensibility. David Wenham also effectively plays against type as the cold, clammy corrupt mayor of Townsville.

Mulcahy has mostly been working in TV lately, but it is good to have him back helming features. Between Flynn and the cult-classic Razorback, you could make a case he is the ultimate Australian filmmaker. He again proves he has a knack for whipping up action and mayhem, while working within strict budget constraints. Flynn is no Highlander (still probably his best film), but it is appealingly old fashioned. Recommended for Flynn fans, In Like Flynn opens this Friday (1/25) in Los Angeles, at the Laemmle Music Hall.

Infini: Aussie Sci-Fi

In the future, teleportation is possible as a form of data-transmission. “Slipstreaming” is sort of like faxing yourself across the solar system. Unfortunately, data corruption can be a nasty side effect. Maybe that happened to the “t” and the “y” that ought to be in the title. Regardless, a galactic rescue team will risk data corruption and an airborne psychosis-inducing pathogen in Shane Abbess’s Infini (trailer here), which opens today in the Tri-State Area.

Of course, the future is miserable, because it always is. To support his pregnant wife, Whit Carmichael joins the slipstreaming SWAT team, but his first day will be a doozy. While he is still suiting up, an entire squad returns infected with a crazy bug, shooting up his regional command center. His only means of escape is slipstreaming to the far distant Infini mining colony from which they came. The East Coast team is subsequently dispatched to Infini with orders to secure Carmichael as well as the ominous cargo payload someone or something heaved in the direction of Earth.

Although only a few minutes have elapsed on Earth, several weeks have already passed for Carmichael. You know, relativity and all. The good news is if Carmichael lives, his wife will hardly know he was gone. The bad news is the utterly baffling in media res prologue suggests he is in for some major trouble.

Somehow, Infini’s narrative manages to be both simple and incomprehensible at the same time. On the other hand, it looks terrific. Although shot on a shoestring budget, production designer George Liddle (whose credits include Dark City and Daybreakers) and art director Peter “Babylon” Owens (whose nickname inspires confidence in a genre film) have crafted a fully realized and convincing looking interstellar environment.

Australian reality TV star Daniel MacPherson is shockingly effective as Carmichael, the frazzled everyman. Harry Pavlidis also adds some grizzled gravitas as Menzies, a senior extraction team member. Strangely though, Grace Huang, a future action star poised to breakout big (following notable work in RZA’s Man with the Iron Fists franchise and the short film Bloodtraffick) isn’t given much to do in Infini, except milling about in the cold. She is not the only one just waiting for “it” to get her.

A lot of talent and effort went into Infini, but you have to wonder how many people really watched all the way through. There are several impressive scenes, but as a viewing experience it is rather choppy. That happens in independent genre filmmaking. Abbess and his cast and crew should have a lot of good films in their future, in part because Infini was probably something of a teeth-cutter. For those who want to support, Infini opens today (5/8) in New Jersey at the AMC Loews Jersey Gardens.

The Man with the Iron Fists: Kung Fu Hip Hop from RZA

Thaddeus the Blacksmith is a builder not a fighter.  Nonetheless, the Lion Clan is messing with the wrong tradesman when they chop off his arms.  Yes, it is time to rumble in Nineteenth Century China.  Kung fu, Hip Hop, spaghetti westerns, and blaxploitation will be mashed-up in the RZA’s The Man with the Iron Fists (trailer here), which really did open this week in New York—honest it did.

The Lions were not always so bad.  That was before the Emperor sought their services to help secure his shipment of gold.  Succumbing to greed, Silver Lion and Bronze Lion betray their respected clan leader Gold Lion, with the intention of hijacking the imperial gold.  Of course, they will have to take care of one loose end: Gold Lion’s son, Zen Yi, who has left his mountain retreat and lovely wife for some old school revenge.  Unfortunately, he is no match for Brass Body, the Kung Fu equivalent of the X-Men’s Colossus.

Stripped of his armor, Zen Yi is rescued from certain death by the Blacksmith and his lover, Lady Silk, one of the “employees” of Madame Blossom’s house of pleasure.  Troubled by the death and destruction wrought by his handiwork, the Blacksmith throws his lot in with Zen Yi.  Needless to say, this leads to a rather nasty encounter with Silver Lion, Brass Body, and a very sharp blade.  Yet, as the title indicates, he still knows his way around a forge.  He also has an unlikely ally in Jack Knife, the opium addicted British ex-pat serving as the Emperor’s secret emissary.

If you’re looking for Oscar bait, Iron Fists probably isn’t your cup of tea.  Not exactly subtle or refined filmmaking, the RZA basically just lets the chaos fly.  He “borrows” liberally from scores of previous martial arts films, even including Enter the Dragon’s oft imitated finale.  Still, its energy is admirable.  Corey Yuen’s fight choreography is consistently inventive and there is plenty of eye candy.  In fact, the large supporting cast brings all kinds of genre credibility, starting with the Cung Le, sporting the Yahoo Serious coif as Bronze Lion.  On-the-brink-of-stardom Grace Huang (so cool in the short film Bloodtraffick) also kicks butt convincingly as part of the duo known as the Gemini Killers.

Probably the biggest surprise of Iron Fists is Russell Crowe’s rip-roaring scenery-chewing portrayal of Jack Knife.  He obviously understood what sort of film he was making and was willing to just go with it.  As Madame Blossom, Lucy Liu essentially reprises her turn from Kill Bill, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  Frankly, the RZA isn’t terrible as the Blacksmith, brooding well enough.  The villains are more of a mixed bag though.  Former wrestler David Bautista certainly looks the part of Brass Body, but Byron Mann’s Silver Lion is more flamboyant than menacing.

Look, what do you want from a Kung Fu smackdown directed by a rapper, even if it is “executive produced” by Quentin Tarantino?  It might be chocked full of genre clichés and clumsy flashbacks, but if the prospect of watching RZA beat the Lion Clan silly while Crowe cavorts with a bevy of Asian prostitutes strikes you as entertaining than Iron Fists totally delivers the goods.  Let’s call it a guilty pleasure and leave it at that.  It really is currently playing in New York, above 34^th Street, at the Regal E-Walk.

SDAFF ’11: Bloodtraffick (short)

Two of the hottest topics in fiction ostensibly written for teens but really read by adults are angels and vampires. Ava Chen is neither, but she is only too aware they both exist in Jennifer Thym’s sleek action-horror short film Bloodtraffick (trailer here), which screens at the 2011 San Diego Asian Film Festival.

According to Bloodtraffick’s mythology, angels took human form to wage an earthly battle against the vampires. Unfortunately, the latter rather logically proved to be much more effective hunters, taking the war to the angels instead. Chen’s two sisters are angels, but she is human—another race known for producing killers. Following the trail of her long missing-in-action siblings, Chen comes face-to-face with a sadistic vampire. There will be carnage.

Clearly intended as a prologue to a forthcoming franchise, Bloodtraffick efficiently establishes its Underworld-esque backstory, while announcing the arrival of an intense new vampire slayer. Soon to be seen with Russell Crowe in RZA’s The Man with the Iron Fists, Grace Huang has far more action cred than Buffy or Kate Beckinsale, and is considerably more photogenic than either. Frankly, the prospective of watching her mow down the undead looks pretty bullet proof.

Thym’s execution in Bloodtraffick is also quite strong. Deftly capitalizing on the creepy burnt-out industrial setting, she keeps the action gritty and the adrenaline pumping, but also invests the film with some pretty heavy archetypal imagery. Without question, this is professional grade filmmaking.

After watching Bloodtraffick, viewers will definitely want to see a full feature outing for Chen, which is really the best recommendation for a film like this. Combining stylish action, an intriguing premise, and a fanboy pleasing heroine, it certainly has all the elements. Definitely recommended, Bloodtraffick screens with Sion Sono’s Cold Fish this Friday (10/21) and the Friday following (10/28) at the 2011 SDAFF. It also screens at the 2011 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival on November 5th, along with JP Chan’s cool Digital Antiquities, as part of Shorts Program 1.