User Reviews

STOP TRYING TO BE JOHN WICK! John wick already exists! There will never be another john wick! U, as a movie producer, have incredible power to make incredible and thoughtful and interesting things! U ARENT TALENTED ENOUGH TO DO JOHN WICK!

This is a movie that tries hard to pull the morally complex protagonist move in a way that is way too clumsy and weak to actually have any effect beyond "i hate his nasty a*s!" but that is subjective. What isn't is that the plot is old & rudimentary, and i have a feeling everybody saw that coming (One White Man vs. Foreign gang and 1 girl...and he kills them ALL?!), even with Joshua Dixon's 9 scenes too many of faux-smart exposition and backstory dialogue when clearly it isn't very needed, as these are not characters u can actually care about. What makes the movie kind of worth watching is the fluid and kind of fun action scenes! Of which are there like four. But you know.

It's a bad movie. Bad movies break my heart because the movie-making process is so long and deliberating that it shocks me how they can still be made. The actors clearly had faith in it. I watched this with my mom and I made an account just to complain about it. We need to put shame back in the psyche of the movie directors.

Movies are story. Story is king. Story is paramount. If you don't have story. You don't have jack.

Writing story is a craft. Writing takes time. Screenplay writing is even more difficult than writing short-form or long-form prose. But it can be done. And the benefits of a patient writer who hones their script until they have a well balanced screenplay with clear characters with clear arcs, are multiple. We, the audience are the recipients of said benefits.

Hellhound has neither clear character arcs nor a proper storyline. Sure - it trundles out hackneyed old tropes and cliche after cliche; no doubt the creators were laboring under the misapprehension that cliche's are cliche's because cliches are good. In the hands of a skilled writer, cliche's CAN be very useful - tactical weapons deployed with precision to create a desired effect. Not so in this case.

There were so many rookie mistakes in this film that it makes it very painful if not frustrating to watch. A classic being bringing in a new character in the last but final scene of the film. It matters not that this character was the one who ordered the hit - that aspect was so badly communicated that we had no idea.

The protagonist was one that we didn't care about. Just because he shoots a pedophile priest in the opening scene (a character who could have been played by a really interesting actor - but was farmed out to someone who didn't know how to act and sounded like he had just learned his lines) is simply not enough to make us care about him.

He then goes on to do "one last job" - we catch him going out in the tropical jungle to meet an old firiend CHOPPING WOOD (badly) - for God knows what reason - aint nobody lighting fires and burning logs in the jungles of Thailand.... and from there it's a garbled mess of tedious exposition and excessively pointless direction - we don't need to see people getting in and out of cars and walking for miles etc - just get on with the story. - oh yes - I forgot - you dont have one.

We're in Bangkok - so of course - al the women are stereotypes - hell - everyone is a stereotype - it's women, guns, kickboxing, drinking and hunting down the baddie - who in this case is a bisexual thug.

The storyline is pointless.

The positives are few - but strong. It seems the writer is also a DOP (director of photography) and he is clearly good at this job. The establishing shots of Bangkok are great - and he clearly knows how to shoot action. That's as far as his talent goes. He should stick to that.

The fight scenes were well directed by whoever was the fight director. There were a few nifty fight scenes, but they were few and far between and certainly not enough to cut through the dire dialogue masquerading as some kind of deep philosophical theorizing. Scenes are hampered by pointless musings on God, death and mortality - to what end?

Pick a lane and stick in it. This film COULD have been a real classic Thai kickboxing or revenge film. But it wasn't.

The director knows how to handle a film set - but he doesn't really know how to direct. The score for the film seemed to have been churned out by a composer who couldn't be bothered to find any musical ID for the film. There was way too much orchestral scoring for a film that didn't require it. It was also intrusive at points - the hallmark of a great score is that you only notice it when you need to notice it.

Final thoughts - it seems like this movie was made by a bunch of people who said 'I really wanna make a movie" but they didnt have a proper script. Making a good movie is difficult - and that's probably the best thing that this movie communicated.

Hellhound (2024): A Descent into Bangkok's Neon Abyss Hellhound isn't just a 2024 action flick; it's a gut punch of a film that claws its way under your skin and refuses to let go. It's the neon-drenched odyssey of Max, a weary assassin yearning for redemption amidst the chaotic underbelly of Bangkok. Think "John Wick" on a bender through Khao San Road, fueled by equal parts desperation and regret. Louis Mandylor embodies Max with a raw vulnerability that's rarely seen in the action genre. His eyes flicker with exhaustion and longing, hinting at the ghosts that haunt him. When he reluctantly takes on "one last job," it's not just for the money; it's a twisted form of penance, a chance to rewrite his bloody past. But Bangkok chews up the best of intentions. A simple target turns into a web of deceit, and Max finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse with Bangkok's ruthless underworld. The action sequences are brutal and balletic, each punch and kick laced with the weight of consequence. But amidst the mayhem, director Chaiwat Khamdee weaves moments of surprising tenderness, like a scene where Max finds solace in a street food stall, the aroma of pad thai momentarily washing away the city's grime. Hellhound isn't afraid to get ugly. It delves into the moral ambiguity of Max's choices, forcing us to confront the collateral damage of his violent life. The film doesn't shy away from the physical and emotional scars he carries, both inflicted and self-inflicted. But at its core, Hellhound is a story about redemption. It's about the flicker of hope that persists even in the darkest corners of the human soul. Max's journey may be paved with blood and betrayal, but there's a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, a fragile hope that suggests even the most damned deserve a second chance. Is Hellhound perfect? No. The plot twists can be a bit convoluted, and some of the supporting characters feel underdeveloped. But these are minor quibbles in the face of the film's emotional heft. Hellhound is a raw, visceral experience that will stay with you long after the credits roll. It's a film that reminds you that even in the darkest of nights, the faintest spark of hope can illuminate the path to redemption. So, do I recommend Hellhound? Absolutely.