Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Lawbolisted Powerful

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Johannes Rudolph (jrp-1) I've seen my fair share of high and low-budget martial-arts films. Hundreds in fact. Hell, I love them so much that I have written countless reviews and help moderate one of the biggest forums on the net: kung fu fandom. Left for Dead grabbed me from the get-go.I finished Left for Dead only a few short hours ago and I had to share my thoughts on this UK indie gem. It wasn't what I expected; it turned out a lot better, in fact. I thought this was gonna be another USA type indie film which is usually a Hollywood action film with bad acting and lots of needless, badly performed drama between action scenes. But Modern Life? has surpassed my expectations and that of the industry. I love the fact that they created their own world inside the film, i.e. Hope City, Metro City. The comic book feel does wonders for the film, and they use the freedom of this sub-genre very well.The pacing is really good too. There is nothing I hate more than drama bogging down a good action film. There are some pretty iffy wife flashbacks of Glenn Salvage, and that was as much as I could take! Believe me, the combined running time of the opening and ending fights far surpass that of most films in the genre.I'm not sure whether the film was shot in sequence but you'll notice how the fights just keep getting more exciting by the minute! The choreography in the chaotic end fight was a lot better than the rest of the film…or was the best simply kept for last? I can already see myself returning to the end sequences on a regular basis. Of course, good fighting consists of more than having a few good moves, and I think Glenn Salvage and Andy Prior looked a lot more determined at the end, and the action seemed a bit tighter – it works out very well when it comes together. The over-the-top death scenes were a great touch, and fit into this twisted world very well. And who can look down on a film featuring not only guns and fists, but Japanese katanas too? Watch out for the brief fight between Glenn Salvage and a blond swordswoman, very impressive.Granted a lot of the acting was horrible, but the dialogue was more than just filler. There is a speech Kincaid gives his henchmen Dylon and Taylor for instance, about the Nazis, and it works surprisingly well. Yes, the film has its fair share of rough spots in the dialogue and acting department, but you wouldn't believe how good it looks considering the budget and DV equipment origins.Some trivia: I saw Andy Prior was reading Bey Logan's (UK author and martial artist) book Hong Kong Action Cinema in Glenn's apartment. Some influences might be Highlander (sword scraping on the roof), The Matrix and Kiss of the Dragon. But mostly the action is so energetic that I could care less about where the ideas came from.At the very least this film is a guilty pleasure. A lot of its success lies in the fact that it doesn't try to be realistic. The creators' imaginations ran wild and in the end I have to applaud the cast and crew.

Dark_Guyver Lets get one thing straight from the get go, this is a Martial Arts action film, so the plot is not all that important, however work should of been done on this aspect of the film, as it is lacking even considering the genre. But that said the action is what people will be most interested in. It is a mixed bag of fighting action. Some sections here and there are well done and its obvious there is a lot of talent in the film, however here come the faults…. The speed of the fights can be slow and lack energy, in part due to the performers and also the director. When a fight is shot in a certain way allowing you to see more of the action akin to Hong Kong style, camera speed is very important as it is easier to see the pace with longer cuts and wider angles. Quite a lot of the fighting falls into the 'pitter patter' form. There is not a lot of contact made and some people seem afraid to hit each other. This is a fight scene, not a toy fight and there is a distinct difference. There are quite a few misses in the fights when air can be seen, this is a kindergarten error, it also takes any viewer away from the sub-reality films create and an illusion is broken. Also two actors playing main parts are just painfully bad at fighting. One of them also looks some what similar to a hamster!I know this may seem like a harsh review, but its true and I think its important not to sugar coat things to much, so giving the film makers a chance to improve.(well maybe not the hamster comment.

cg_regan In the opening scene of 'Left for Dead' the low budget roots of this homegrown, self-funded British action film are painfully obvious. Thankfully the ambition and love of the genre that the filmmakers have clearly injected into the project are infectious and within minutes all its flaws are forgotten. With its straight-forward, engaging revenge storyline and numerous energetic and accomplished fight scenes 'Left for Dead' is a kick in the head for a genre that has come to rely too heavily on special effects and wire-work. Few filmmakers at this level of funding would even attempt to make such an elaborate, time-consuming and large-scale project, especially in a country in which genre films in general are a rarity, but the finished film stands as a testament to their success. The spirit and inventiveness of this back-to-basics action film puts some of the most expensive and explosive blockbusters to shame and needs to be seen to be believed.

Paula Richardson There are so many martial arts films out these days. It seems that every country has finally woken up to the wonders of one of the best genre of films ever produced.And here we have the UK's first entry which I am happy to report ROCKS HARDER THAN OZZIE ON SPEED.I caught this film at a special screening in Cannes about 2 weeks ago and was surprised by the quality of acting and the speed and pace of the action. It's a low-budget Digital movie. That much is true. But the scope is simply amazing making US action films seem like they have been neutered.The story is a simple revenge stick. Williams, an assassin for crime lord Kincaid, is betrayed and Left For Dead, by his erstwhile colleagues. Keslo, a promising kick boxer, has his career cut short after refusing to throw a fight for Kincaid's men. Together they must team up to take down the criminal empire that holds their city in a vice like grip.With a cast of relative unknowns (Salvage has been in several UK films but none that have made it across the pond) The pace of this film is break neck it never stops to take a breath which means that by the end you are totally exhausted.Leads Salvage & Prior cut a dynamic team (although with one it's obvious by the weight fluctuations that the film was shot over a long period of time!!!) and really kick butt. The villains are evil, the women double crossing and the big bad is a very scary man.Something else that shocked me was the simply superb humor than ran throughout the film. It was that right balance so that it didn't seem out of place.But its the action that counts and thats what this film has... smashing up a car? Check. A 20 min opening assault with guns, knives, baseball bats (one of the films most shocking moments involves Foiadelli's unhinged 'Taylor' getting medieval on a bad guy with a bat) and insane stunts? Check. A huge finale? Check.In lost count of the death toll (over 50 in the first 10 mins) but the producer/director team of Hobden/Boyask never stopped coming up with new and inventive deaths. Special note must go to the middle Dojo fight which see's a perfect kill Bill inspired moment and another 30 people bite the dust (kincaid must have a clone factory producing all these disposable henchmen).God I loved this film. This is the sort of film that 80's genre legends like Avedon, Rothrock and Hues used to make. A Proper No Retreat No Surrender type film with a film Noir edge and that gritty British streak that made films like Get Carter (the original) so god damn great.I haven't seen a film that made me this excited in years... yes it has it's faults. Yes it's far from perfect in places. The quality of the digital transfer is occasionally shaky. And a couple of the support cast seem misplaced. But it didn't matter. The film entertained.Okay, yes I'm slightly biased because I love martial arts films... But god damn didn't you hear me NONE OF THAT MATTERS.The screening room laughed, booed, cheered and broke out in a cold sweat as the twists came thick and fast. A (over) packed screening house of 75 people gave the production team a standing ovation at the end. When does that ever happen? On a side note the music to this film is superb. It's like a Sergio Leonne cross with 28 Days Later. It also has music by a host of break through US and UK Hip Hop Artists. I'm told the CD will not be released which is a shame as the music really lifted the film.It's out in the US on DVD through York entertainment in August. Catch it. Watch it. Buy it.JUST SEE IT!!! NOW!!! No really... why are you still reading this. Go out and get this film.