One year ago Wesley Snipes and helmer Abel Ferrara decided to reunite on action-thriller The Game of Death, it could be their second project together since Ferrara’s 1990 cult film King of New York, but suddenly Ferrara hop off and Giorgio Serafini finished this project.
Plot: Secret Ops agent Marcus is sent to Detroit to take out an arms dealer and the head of the hedge fund that is financing him. His CIA backup has other plans and turns on him and it’s a fight to survive in a hospital.
I see theme of ex-agents is very popular for old-school martial artists like Wesley or Steven Seagal in Born To Raise Hell movie.
Tough music from the beginning of the film made me feel thrilled and awaiting for another real action with Wesley Snipes and Gary Daniels. Special undercover CIA agent comes to a Church and starts his story about betrayal and corrupt agents.
Wesley is always Wesley, he is a real action star and his fighting skills always work on the screen, but brutality of The Game of Death fights reminded me Steven Seagal. Snipes, please, do not be another Seagal breaking every leg and arm on his way.
I liked fighting choreography of Simon Rhee and Chuck Jeffreys, but guys stop with brutality, Wesley looks perfect with his fast and unforgettable technique without all these tricks.
I know Gary Daniels since year 2000 and follow his career, but probably it is not a good step to play the same bad guys staying with a gun and talking some stuff or smoking like it was in Hunt To Kill with Steve Austin, a really funny and cheap movie. Gary, I know, you can much more and like somebody said “He has a kind face, why he is playing so stupid bad guys?”
On my opinion, the main bad guy (girl) in this martial arts movie was Zoe Bell, who tried to show skilled woman-agent hunting for millions. Sorry, but she did not buy me and just took attention from Gary who supposed to play a leader of corrupt team. And why two so skilled agent took some strange big guy walking on the back stage and saying “Yes, Sir”?
Robert Davi is a great actor and in his 60 looks not bad, but deserves much more like any other talent from old school so dishonestly forgotten by Hollywood.
I can call The Game of Death film The Art of War 4 because it is very close to a story about an operative agent for the United Nations who coverts dirty-tricks squad, using espionage and quasi-ethical tactics to secure peace and cooperation.
This movie in no way related to Bruce Lee‘s Game of Death, so if you want to see some new kung fu master stuff please read our review on Green Hornet Movie before.
Simon Rhee
Better known as Dae Han from the Best of The Best classic martial arts movie. Master Simon Rhee is a 7th-Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and a 4th-Degree Black Belt in Hap Ki Do. He is a World-Class Martial Artist known for his beautiful kicks and incredible forms, and is a many-time Grand Champion of the tournament circuit. Some of his students have included Marcus Allen, Faye Dunaway, Heather Locklear, Lorenzo Lamas, A.C. Cowlings, Beau Bridges, Jay Leno, and Eric Roberts, among many others. Simon Rhee has acted, fight choreographed, performed stunts for, and stunt coordinated in the motion picture industry for over 15 years, and continues to work in the industry.