Showdown In Manila

Showdown In Manila

Alexander Nevsky is back, with a bang, aiming to revive the action genre with ‘Showdown In Manila’ – an action comedy movie featuring some of the most formidable characters from the video age. People such as Casper Van Dien, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock and Olivier Gruner come along for a tale of one man’s quest to take down an international criminal sore in the neck of this nation for far too long. Narrating the story, Alexander plays the character of Nick Peyton.

During the first act, he is introduced as the chief of the violent crimes unit strike force who raids a known associate of the Wraith criminal. That unfortunately leads to a lot of bloodshed. Turning the focus to the wrongdoing, the story depicts a cover up situation where Nick, the lone survivor of the operation, is blamed for the mass failure despite being the target. So, two years pass and we meet Peyton again, who now conveniently has the title of Private Investigator in the judicial system of Manila. Now collaborating with ex-American policeman Charlie, the duo tackles white-haired scams and marriage fraudsters.

During the course of the film, Mrs. Wells (Carrere) seeks out the two gentlemen to find out who killed her husband, Matthew Wells (Dacascos), an FBI agent. When it is revealed to Peyton that The Wraith is in the foreseeable future, the two agree to the case. In turn, they are now out to look for those behind the scenes in Manila and bring them to book. However, they will need assistance and assistance comes in the shape of some of the most recognized action heroes ever to have graced a B movie.

A few years ago, when I first saw the trailer for Showdown In Manila, I knew right away that this was a movie I would definitely want to watch. Having viewed it, I was hopeful because it appeared to be an homage to all the action movies from the 80s and 90s, movies that I enjoyed watching. In addition to that, the cast was composed of superstars and I wanted to watch the film immediately.

I finally got the opportunity to watch the movie and was my assumption right? Little did I know that it would be exactly that! Showdown In Manila is a crazy 90 minute action spectacle with a great final showdown in which the good guys take on the bad guys in a spectacular finish that involves gunfire and hand to hand combat. I am a huge supporter of everyone who takes part in this film, and witnessing them all in one place, putting up a great performance was the icing on the cake.

It has been said that Showdown In Manila is a lower budget version of The Expendables. While it is indeed in the same category, it is a movie that tells two stories. The first part features Nevsky and Van Dien as two cops disguised as best friends searching for the bad guys in the film.

At this point, it is worth mentioning that Showdown excels in that area because the two men get along so well. It is clear from the very beginning that they have known each other for a while and they assist each other very well. As for Van Dien in the role of Nevsky’s partner Charlie, he certainly does bring the comic relief.

As it turns out, it’s Van Dien who delivers some of the best lines in the movie. Van Dien, how does he answer when asked why he does not remain a cop anymore: ‘Because he f*cked the capitan’s wife,’ to which Van Dien instantly says, ‘I used to have a problem.’ There’s no doubt that Nevsky has a fantastic grasp of the stoic face, and the way he speaks to Van Dien during their quarrels is a thing of beauty. I look forward to watching them again together in a sequel or anything else for that matter.

The last part of these films is where The Expendables would most certainly not hesitate to show off their powers. After Peyton and Benz manage to find The Wraith as well as his followers in a jungle stronghold, they ask for help from some of Peyton’s old movements. In the Sweeney Todd movie, Dillon is played by Wilson, Haines by Rothgrock and Ford by Gruner.

What’s even more interesting now is that they all wipe out the villains with extreme zeal. The characters brought in each have their time to shine, and I was pleased throughout. The Dragon gets in there and kicks up quite the storm while Gruner sees some rather unfortunate goons and proceeds to close quarters combat like it is art.

Rothrock fully enjoys herself as she hands out punishment to a bunch of bland evildoers wielding large sticks. Again, she shows that she easily deserves to be crowned the queen of the unarmed combat. Nevsky walks through everything and Van Dien shows some other very nice skills. Just on its own, the ending was well worth the price of the ticket. For fans of action, this is the Holy Grail.

Mark Dacascos makes his first attempt as a director and I must say he did well and would give his film an A+. Having been in the action film scene for decades, Dacascos manages to come up with an action-packed film even though it had a small budget. The action doesn’t get lost in shaky camera work and is edited well so that the viewer knows what is going on. Dacascos is the epitome of coordination and in his film makes it a point to give all the actors a chance to shine at some point. I can understand that he had a lot of actors to work with but I feel he could have featured more especially since he has a good presence.

Tia Carrere looks fantastic as usual and veteran slimeball Matthias Hues does not disappoint. And Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa: if there were a time when he wasn’t the bad guy in an action flick, I wouldn’t immediately believe it. And bad guys? Very scary indeed. From the first moment, you hate him and only wait for revenge.

Casper Van Dien should be mentioned among the greats. The man can do no wrong.

It is certain that this man can fulfil any role perfectly. For example, if one needs a cop who must catch a serial killer then Casper is the man. He is perfect for a romantic drama, cast Casper. If one has a comedy, put in Casper. Is there a need to cast a soldier from an alien race who has to save the human race from a swarm of alien bugs? Call Casper. I’ll simply watch what this man is part of, even if the concept is revolting. There are no complaints ever

Showdown In Manila isn’t any different for Alexander Nevsky because it demonstrates that he is indeed a threat. One of the film’s best lines occurs when Van Dien refers to him as the ‘Russian Hulk’ and boy, does those two words hit the mark. That is how I imagine him. He is an upsetting action lead, or rather an action hero. A man you pray for when the chips are down, but he is someone you can depend on every day. Even when he walks into a room and faces opposition, they stand down. You could be stern, you’re definitely polite, one of the nicest people you’ll ever come across.

It seems that he has a lot of talent and I can only imagine the next surprise he will bring.

In case there is still any doubt, Showdown In Manila is exactly what it’s made out to be. It is pure, 160 minutes of solid action that will definitely not disappoint action fans. The true action stars of the movie, Nevsky and other wrestling actors, honored the best traditions of the action genre. I came to the picture expecting to see my screen idols thrash the villains to pieces, and that’s what actually happened! Thank You to All the People involved, and we can only look forward to the day when these Action Men and Women come together again.

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