He just reviewed Furie (a still of which is shown left), one of the movies I managed to binge somewhere and now hold in high esteem.
You’ve no idea how much this makes me happy. Like, Furie? Maria? Holy fucking hell, I watched them back-to-back and I adore them to bits. I’ve been all about them in conversations both on and offline but haven’t really found a way to see them all at once, but after a lucky binge weekend I preach these movies like they were gospel.
And then there’s BuyBust.
I would say that this is a movie I would recommend first over Maria, and not just out of topical value. It’s grittier, more effed-up than slick, closer to Furie but with a more insanely macabre feel that nicely, beautifully exaggerates everything that’s wrong with the drug war here. This pretty much saved me so much time writing up a redesign of the lone Filipina in Tekken...
..a character I wish wasn’t designed with such an obviously pandering motivation (not gameplay, no—she managed to sort of be better than the character whose function she now fills while keeping her vulnerable).
(I’ve been meaning to turn that particular tournament final into some sort of fictionalized animated documentary but haven’t had the time investment or basis in reality through actual MMA and boxing documentaries to fully flesh out. Besides the HBO Boxing 24/7 films, what other documentaries centered on fights can you recommend? Sorry for the segue.)
Buy-Bust is a comparatively low-budget, rowdy, unpolished Sicario, but one that hits a lot closer to home with an impact comparable to a shot to the head. I love it, and while I wish they didn’t get Anne Curtis and instead casted a more typical-looking Filipina actress (like local indie darling Mercedes Cabral or Alessandra de Rossi), it’s a sick, fun flick to see. The Villainess is also neat, and with We Will Not Die Tonight (another brash Pinoy indie action flick that’s a lot like Furie)...
...they pretty much form a nigh-unbeatable all-Asian quintet that I swear I will recommend till my dying breath. Thank you for putting Furie in this and reminding me of equally good local action films.
And now, time for Synthwave.