Triple Threat, the action event everyone has been waiting for, has finally arrived. Putting the top martial artists working in the genre into the same film isn’t as easy as it sounds. Just announcing a film starring Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, Scott Adkins, Jeeja Yanin, Michael Jai White, and Michael Bisping, the audience expectation is automatically set to near unrealistic standards. We know these guys can deliver individually, but together, having the perfect director to lead them down the right path was imperative, and to give a purpose to the unrelenting combat. Filmmaker Jesse V. Johnson was brought in to carefully orchestrate the insanity of Triple Threat, the martial arts/action extravaganza that just set the bar for which all others will be judged this year.
A group of mercenaries are led to a village on a mission. Payu (Tony Jaa) and Long Fei (Tiger Chen) were brought on the team under a false pretense and the leaders of the mission, Devereaux (Michael Jai White) and Joey (Michael Bisping), have used them to help free their leader, Connor (Scott Adkins), who was imprisoned at the camp they just destroyed. Caught in the crossfire is Jaka (Iko Uwais) and his wife. Payu and Long Fei are left for dead and the rest of the mercenaries have taken off to carry out their next mission, to kill Xian (Celina Jade), the daughter of a billionaire who just went on national television to speak of her intentions on bringing down a major crime syndicate. Payu, Jaka, and Long Fei have to team up in order to keep her safe and to get revenge for the wrongs that were forced upon them.
Triple Threat is everything that it should be and more. Knowing what it is, one shouldn’t expect some complex story to muddle things up. Everything is pretty straight forward, just enough narrative to keep the action moving, and that’s all we really need. From start to finish, the fists, feet, knives, and ammunition are in constant motion. It only slows down for a few character moments, and those are just as important as the rest, especially to see how these performers have grown as actors. They’ve all proven themselves time and again but, I have to say, Tony Jaa and Scott Adkins really stand out in that respect. Why Scott isn’t being courted for major Hollywood productions is beyond my comprehension. It doesn’t matter, though, since he and director Johnson have developed a rhythm over the last couple of years. Jaa, on the other hand, has unleashed this playfulness in his character (we glimpsed it XXX: The Return of Xander Cage) that brings out this whole new side to him and I appreciate that. Celina Jade is the target our heroes are protecting and she brings an extra ounce of class to the table.
You didn’t invest your time in reading this to hear just how good the acting is, you want to hear about the action as well, so here it is. Jesse Johnson successfully balances the larger-than-life personas of his highly skilled cast. Each actor is given a moment to show off their fighting styles. Individually, they are so unique in how they move, so Johnson plays to each of their strengths and the end result is exhilarating. Some actors get a little more screen time than others, but that was just a necessary evil in order to make sense within the context of the story. Personally, I was hoping to see more of Jeeja Yanin. She should be handed more leading roles. Coincidentally, her single fight scene in Triple Threat may be the most memorable.
Fight choreographer Tim Man may have had a huge undertaking with so much star power to work with, but he and Johnson make sure the action always thrills. Gorehounds will be pleased to know the film is very bloody, continuing the trend seen in Johnson’s own masterpiece Savage Dog as well as films like The Raid.
When you anticipate something so much, it’s easy to be let down when you finally experience it. Triple Threat far exceeded all expectations and is one for the history books. It’s ninety-eight minutes of pure escapist fun and explosive action. It must have been a little daunting for Jesse Johnson to tackle this film, knowing that fans can sometimes be brutal. He came out swinging just like his actors and has brought an epic like no one thought they would ever see to the big screen.
Catch Triple Threat in theaters for one night only on Tuesday March 19th. It will be available on VOD starting March 22nd, so don’t miss it!
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