For those who object to the dialogue (being unrealistic, "girls don't talk like that") in "Death Proof", they could still enjoy the film's FYR element of a real stunt woman being the lead character thus making the experience of sitting through the film's first half and "Planet Terror" a worthwhile one. In an industry that is more faddy than NFL offenses, it was only a matter of time for another director to try and capture what carried the last two acts of a Quentin Tarantino film. Sadly, "Angel of Death" did not have the means to capture all of Zoe Bell's awesomeness, but it's a start, and well worth my waiting for a month for it to enter the "5 Day" rental category.
Eve has been the best hit person for the Downes Family because she does not question the orders her agent gives her and she won't take time for regrets. This all changes when she takes a four inch blade into her skull. No seizures, no sever headaches, but she starts to experience hallucinations of her past assignments. To put an end to these demons, she is going to try and set all her wrong rights by stopping those who put the innocent at risk.
This
maybe the nerd in me, but any film that features an awful demise to a
Ted Raimi character is worth seeing. When will they start putting that
on the box art? If anyone was considering renting "JCVD" before they saw "My Name is Bruce", the fact that they off two of his characters would change their mind."Ed Brubaker's Angel of Death" was the perfect script for an actress just starting her career. Memorize some dialogue. Show some visceral emotion. The performance should be golden. If you followed Marilyn Monroe's career, her scripts may have been simpler than that. The supporting cast is able to show their want for the project to work, and Bell's fight scenes are wonderful and adhere to the limitations of reality.
There is no "Wire Fu" and most importantly if follows this rule:
If a girl gets hit by the guy, the tide of the fight totally changes. So if you are the girl in an inter gender brawl, DON'T GET HIT!If there is anything unrealistic about the film's fights, it is why do all these Italians have Japanese body guards? Japanese body guards who are proficient in Kung Fu. Of course, we accept the premise that one will survive taking a knife to the top of the skull, so we are best to ignore the comic book elements in Brubaker's script.
And when it comes to comic books, director Paul Etheridge is able to capture the feel of one like the 80's Hasbro Boy Toys cartoons did. The editing effects seem appropriate, and the color schemes seem like they are pulled out of a pulp fiction magazine. They seem tacky at times, and perhaps this film should have just been shot in black and white, but this is a film directed by an art department guru, so it is to be expected.
The main flaw of the direction is that it does not make the performers seem alive. This is what a live action motion comic would look like. If it wasn't for the fight scenes, Zoe Bell's starring role would have been wasted.
Ed Brubaker's Angel of Death is an adequate start to Zoe Bell's acting career which is worth seeing if you are a fan of the legend. The technical qualities can drag the picture down, but the intent to create a comic book like character is apparent, and the efforts by the crew can be appreciated.
If a director can capture the good things that Angel of Death did well along with the few good things about "Ultraviolet", we should get a great movie. Or set of movies. I guess Angel of Death shows me why I like Timur Bekmambetov films so much.
So if you cannot stand subtitles or Angelina Jolie and Common, Angel of Death might just be the film for you.
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