Home Media Magazine - April 13-19, 2008 - (Page 28) REVIEWS www.homemediamagazine.com I EL EVANGELISTA Street 5/20 Laguna, Drama, $19.95 DVD, NR. Stars J. Salome Martinez, Nicolás Guzmán, Esmirna Garcia, Angel Valdés. In Spanish with English subtitles. I LAST HOUR Street 4/15 Vivendi/CodeBlack, Action, $19.99 DVD, NR. Stars DMX, Michael Madsen, David Carradine, Paul Sorvino, William Baldwin. he French-made actioner Last Hour revolves around five characters: Monk, Casino, Black Jack, Shang and Poker. All five have something in common: they are bad men, with bad names. (Michael Madsen can add bad hair to his credit as well.) T Some of them aren’t so bad, though. Black Jack (DMX) shares a nice “stay in school” message in the beginning of the film. This, of course, comes right after polishing off a diamond heist. One other thing the five share is a letter from beyond the grave, instructing each to show up at a house in China to claim their riches. Instead, they are just treated to a police-infested party on the front lawn, while a psychotic killer seeks to pick each one off on the inside. The movie might try a little too hard to be all things to all people. Last Hour doesn’t burden itself with a thoughtful story or good dialogue, sacrificing both for the sake of the blood bath. It immediately kicks off with a kill count and plenty of kung-fu fighting. Madsen’s and Carradine’s presence should entice some fans, and the film combines elements of Kill Bill, Cradle 2 the Grave and even a bit of Scream. The movie also plays on the real-time gimmick, which should key some viewers in on the meaning of the title. – Rachel Cericola I TKO Prebook 4/16; Street 5/13 Lionsgate, Action, $26.98 DVD, ‘R’ for strong violence, language and some nudity. Stars Daz Crawford, Samantha Alarcon, Paul Green, Dianna Agron, Anthony Ray Parker, Heidi Marie Wanser, Andrew “Chyna” McCoy, Christian Boeving. itter rivals Mick (Crawford) and Martin (Green) have one day to find a winning fighter for an underground competition and get one step closer to inheriting an illicit empire in this brisk action movie directed by Declan Mulvey. With a group of crooked cops and no scruples, Martin goes to extreme measures to win “The Tournament,” such as freeing a serial killer (aptly nicknamed Vicious) to use as his fighter. The slightly naïve Mick gets help from his boss’s fight-crazed teen- B age daughter (Alarcon) as he discovers that shady, no-holds barred fighting isn’t exactly an honorable vocation. While the two foes race against time and each other, legendary fighter Zendo (McCoy) returns from a self-imposed exile to avenge his brother’s murder and, of course, break people in half like graham crackers. TKO is an unabashed guy movie, and Mulvey gives that audience what it wants: loads of well-choreographed violence (complete with amplified sound), cool cars and a smattering of bare breasts. It’s also very entertaining as the director keeps the movie tight and lean, uses his stuntman background to create splashy and authentic fight scenes, and gets two solid performances from burly leads Crawford (Blade II) and Green (from the Mulvey-produced Game Over). Despite some unpolished acting from key players and a too-neat ending, TKO will satisfy action fans’ blood lust. Anyone looking for sophistication or tact should either avoid the movie altogether or watch it with their hands over their eyes. – Pete Croatto uan Daniel Zavaleta makes his directorial debut with El Evangelista, a riveting work that explores the concept of religion and the obstacles people face when attempting to make positive changes in their lives. Pablo (Martinez) and his partner, Pedro (Guzmán), work for Martin, an infamous drug lord who rules their town. Their job is simple: kill people in debt to the boss. Pablo goes through life holding and quoting the Bible as if his life depended on it. The duo finds delight in making victims beg for mercy and forgiveness from God. They seem to believe they are accomplishing some divine work; however, their work is more along the lines of the dark side. The storyline takes an interesting turn when Pablo is faced with the assignment of murdering a pastor at the local church because his work is negatively affecting the drug trade. Pablo is hesitant about the assignment, and his second thoughts take him back to church, a place he has neglected to visit for almost 20 years. A conversation with the pastor allows him to find it in himself to recognize that his real dilemma is that he knows right from wrong, but he is unsure how to escape the contradiction that has become his life. The film’s moments of humor, mixed with serious sermonical bits, make it unique in its approach to reach out to audiences about a hotbutton topic such as religion. It was a participant in several film festivals and took the “Audience Choice” at the Chicago Latino Film Festival 2006 and “Best Foreign Feature” at the WTSIWYG Film Festival 2006 in San Francisco. – Ruby Cardenas J 28 Home Media Magazine April 13–19, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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