Max Zhang (who you might recognize from Ip Man 3 and the Ip Man spinoff, Master Z) has done some of his best work in Chinese tv shows. Here he is giving off Iron Monkey vibes in the Chinese drama, South Shaolin (2013)
While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...
I must be completely fair in my review of Escape Plan: The Extractors by admitting I saw it by mistake. I thought I had selected the first movie on my player, not the third. If this picture redeems itself by completing nuanced character arcs or tying up previously-introduced loose ends in a way that pleases fans, I can’t say. What I can tell you is how forced a sequel this feels. Did this movie begin as something completely different? Was it tweaked in post-production to trick audiences into watching it? Sure feels that way.
Daya Zhang (Malese Jow) is kidnapped by mercenaries. Her bodyguard (Harry Shum, Jr.) seeks security expert Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) for help. Daya is indirectly familiar to Breslin. He knows her lover and former bodyguard, Shen Lo (Max Zhang). The kidnapper is a familiar face from Breslin’s past as well: Lester Clark, Jr. (Devon Sawa) is the son of Breslin’s corrupt ex-business partner. He wants revenge for his daddy’s death and the captured heiress is just the thing to lure Breslin into a trap.
It takes a long time for what Escape Plan 3 is actually about to become clear. We have… how many heroes? There’s Daya’s current bodyguard and her former bodyguard. Why they want to save the woman is pretty straightforward. Breslin's name was on the flash drive left behind when Daya was kidnapped so obviously, he's invested too. As for the villain, Lester Jr. wants money. That's why you kidnap people - at least, most of the time. Eventually, it’s revealed Lester Jr. doesn’t actually care about any ransom. He just wants Ray to come and face him. See what I mean about two random plots stitched together? This is made more obvious when Lester Jr. kidnaps Abigail (Jaime King), Breslin’s girlfriend 37 years his junior. Breslin has never met Daya before. If he gets to her before the kung-fu bodyguards do, she’ll have no idea what’s going on.
While I haven't seen Escape Plan, I know the premise from the trailer. This is NOTHING like it. There’s no prison to escape from, unless you count Lester Jr.’s base of operations: a dank, rusty, run-down prison with no guards - but inmates in every cell. It’s hard to believe this place would have running water, much less an internet connection, which makes a scene in which the baddies take one of Daya’s employees, hand him a laptop and instruct him to hack into her family’s financial account particularly hilarious. And they just leave him in the room alone! He could be doing anything on that computer!
None of the film's problems feel as brutal as the camerawork and direction. Any potentially exciting scenes are transmogrified into eyeball garbage by the confusing camerawork. You can’t tell what’s going on half the time and the editing makes it unclear whose objectives are what. You’re bored, just hoping this catastrophe will end soon. Suddenly, there’s a big fight. You think the movie’s over. Escape Plan 3 has you fooled. That guy who just died? It wasn't the main boss. It was some henchman the camera made you think was important… by accident!
I once dated a woman whose father would watch any movie starring Steven Seagal. He didn't care that the former action star hasn’t had a movie worth mentioning since 1992. He was a fan and would make it a priority to watch any Steven Seagal movie. If you’re that sort of person, then Escape Plan: The Extractors practically has your name on it. Otherwise, this is a movie you’ll be unsure actually exists even after having finished it. (March 27, 2020)
September 6, 2023 (NYC)–Wolf Pack is a Fun Time. A Look at Wolf Pack, an action film of Chinese origin available now on Digital. Here is a synopsis and review of this Well Go USA Entertainment release.
SYNOPSIS:
While seeking answers about his father’s suspicious death, a tactically trained physician infiltrates a mercenary group and soon uncovers a dangerous international conspiracy that…
For the Street Fighter Reboot movie or TV series, I nominated Max Zhang as Lee, Emmett J Scanlan as Eagle, Jack Kesy as Joe, Hosea Chanchez as Mike, Nonso Anozie as Birdie, Takayuki Yamada as Adon, Mark Dacascos as Retsu, Kristofer Kamiyasu as Gouken and Patrick Kwok-Choon & Rhydian Vaughan as Yun and Yang and Katrina Bowden as Eliza.
At this point if I'm starting a new cdrama and I don't hear either Liu Yuning, Zhou Shen or Hu Xia singing one of the OSTs, it just feels like there's been a disturbance in the void. Something is out of place.
Bao Gu (l鮑姑), was a Chinese Taoist physician. She is the daughter of accomplished Taoist practitioner and governor Bao Jing and the wife of Ge Hong who is the author of Baopuzi. She is also known as one of the famous four female physicians in Chinese history, along with Zhang Xiaoniang of Northern Song dynasty, Yi Xu of the Western Han dynasty, and Tan Yunxian, who was active during the Ming dynasty. She was active during the Eastern Jin dynasty.
Zhang Xiaoniang (11th century), was a Chinese physician. She is known as one of the famous four female physicians in Chinese history, along with Yi Jia of Western Han dynasty, Gu Bao of the Jin dynasty and Tan Yunxian, who was active during the Ming dynasty. She was active during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song.
Yi Jia (Yi Xu, 2nd century BC), was a Chinese physician. She is known as one of the famous four female physicians in Chinese history, along with Zhang Xiaoniang of Northern Song dynasty, Gu Bao of the Jin dynasty and Tan Yunxian, who was active during the Ming dynasty. She was active during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.
Tan Yunxian (Chinese: 談允賢; 1461–1554) was a Chinese physician during the Ming dynasty in China.