Eyes of the Roshi

Eyes of the Roshi

Casting a martial artist for the lead character in a film is definitely a difficult task. It is the kind of decision that has a lot of weight and is guided by the type of movie that you want to create, and Jon Mark Nail’s latest feature film, Eyes Of The Roshi, certainly has one in it. Is it the kind of vision one expects? Again, that is completely within your right to decide, but there are some criticisms worth reading if you care to check this movie title when it is available.

Although it is being marketed as one of the tributes to Tarantino’s and the Coen Brothers’ cinematic style, the film actually deals with a grand narrative with clear themes of tragedy, revenge, and redemption as well as incorporating several philosophical and spiritual elements as well. We finally meet Adam, a Vietnamese American drifter with amazing fighting abilities and a very strong accent who more often than not avoids conflict except for when he is pushed to it. One such event early in the movie acts as a trigger for the character as our hero is thrown headfirst into a confrontation with a ferocious business entrepreneur who has established a contract on his head, a scarred Viet who is trying to locate an American POW who is still very much insane and hungry for blood.

Over the years, we have noticed similar films, series or plots in movies or television dramas. Which to be fair does not take this picture down, I believe. It is quite entertaining to follow some of the development of the characters and the film’s star, Adam Nguyen was especially interesting in a role that is somewhat reminiscent of Kwai Chang Kain; select the for the character, who would rather live a peaceful life, relaxed around friends and working within one’s edges as well as activities such as learning the use of tools such as a lawn mower or a truck. Of course, Raja Yoga as well; A very impressive sequence and more so as they are greatly in line with his art as a Yoga-master in the real world and a Karate-do professional.

That, however, is not the case with most action scenes. There are some fight sequences that look good on screen, but as a martial arts film, the fights and action scenes do not excel above all expectations. Most of the cutting did not help in any regard as its usually employed as a means for directors to cover for an actor’s shortcomings in the area of undertaking action themselves, even here as Nguyen tries his “best” as someone well past sixty and without a single experience in screen fighting that makes the legends of Jackie Chan, Kwan Tak Hing or even Bruce Lee somehow lost in the shroud of a great deal of advertising for the film. This brings me back to my main point that I made at the very beginning, which leads us to the next point of contention in this particular case the acting.

To start with, the ensemble cast of the movie’s supporting characters appears to be doing their job adequately for most part of the film in making sure that the audience does not lose interest in the film, although it is not till the second half that things finally get somewhere. Chris Van Cleave, the actor who plays Hogan Dodd, brings the energy that the film requires as Dodd is a criminal businessman and the self proclaimed ‘God Father’ of the town where he enforces the law with an iron fist.

Amanda Dunn, as always, is a delight in this movie because she gives the audience a strong heroine to root for as Daryl Adam’s own tragic tale of love, loss and betrayal gives him the opportunity to rescue Dunn’s character in the film at just the right moment. Eric Roberts appears to be in this role long enough for Booker, a bounty hunter who shares a little of the film’s dark humor and charm, appearing with his co-stars Jonathan and Seth Marten however apart from this, I quite honestly wish to say more knowing the fierce sort of actor that he is.

The former soldier was best described as a grumpy, menacing man with lots of scars. He appears on screen in the film as Carey, a hitman for hire whose two true passions are vigorous flossing and killing. He is the co-star and his character Carey’s sources are a producer and a musician. The writer encumbers Carey with routine tasks and obnoxious habits, but later, when love or some interesting tasks should have been loaded, mistakes on all sides emerge. The music and the script plentifully allow for Coen/Tarantino imitations, but not fully without the superficiality of trying to kung-fu the progression.

With that said, it is clear that it is only the services of a few that get the movie Eyes Of The Roshi the accolades that it rightly deserves, but considering it is a film that was supposed to be centered around its lead actor, what we are left with is a film misses its mark, and all this with a principal performance that seems to be brought in at the last minute for every single line.

Nguyen is effective in his portrayal with an affable demeanor that is well placed on screen. However, his performance is virtually monotonous and robotic. To sum it up, a lot more could have been achieved with a more talented lead actor, more exciting choreography and cuts, and even less filler in a plot that did not need to be three in one.

Following a number of short films from 2009 and on, Nail who is now making his feature debut boasts of being bold with ideas, being crazy and reckless as he puts it. It is all good philosophy to live up to and build from as he puts it, when one takes into consideration the nature of his work. But with this acknowledged, it is works like Eyes Of The Roshi that fit the bill and should be the reason why other filmmakers are willing to step outside their own filmic Dao.

Going against the odds is not devoid of its advantages but this is especially true when it comes to the industry of power martial arts which has turned into a subculture followed by a small band of enthusiasts and physically demanding activities have no separation at the thrillers now. It’s films like Eyes Of The Roshi however, that you would like to root for without the hindrance of fighting through the “good parts” to get to the bottom of the film.

This crime film, which is comedic and indifferently independent, earns its R rating with its peculiar sensibilities, yet exudes sophistication. It can be recommended to all loyalists in search of historical dramas painted with visceral awe, as the shocking content in the latter part of the picture works wonders.

As my wife has learned the hard way last Thursday, do not expect much of the Eyes of The Roshi, which she mistook for a half-truth about the realistic nature of karate actions set inside a feasible plot angle, you probably won’t be able to believe your own mind’s eye.

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