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Back in the 90’s, it seemed that everyone was trying to take advantage of the VHS action film boom and it seemed that every time you turned around there was a new contender for action star of home video. Many did rise to the top, but the field was saturated with countless wannabes that it eventually turned the action cinema market into a satire of itself. Who remembers Black Belt 2: Fatal Force? If you haven’t, you’re not missing anything. You’re welcome.
I start off with this as it seems that today, we are getting the same treatment as there is a newcomer looking to take the crown of the now Digital and streaming market and since COVID ignited a powder keg of fans wanting more and more explosive content in their own homes, it’s been steadily on the rise. I don’t know about you, but it seems like it’s a time warp as there are new names to be had when it comes to lower key, indie action cinema on a budget. Some are more memorable than others of course but here is yet another new face throwing his hat into the ring.
Recently, the new action-thriller Black Lotus hit cinemas and Digital and with it the movie stars Frank Grillo who is in every other movie that is released, or so it seems. Here, Grillo doesn’t get much to do as he plays the antagonist named Saban who is a slimy businessman who will literally roll over on anybody to get what he wants. he’s the kind of guy that owns a restaurant but hates the food that is served there so he spends his days acting like the new Scarface of Amsterdam. Grillo always delivers a performance and even though this one is forgettable; he still does what is expected of him.
This movie is a vehicle for newcomer Rico Verhoeven who is one formidable and imposing looking dude. Verhoeven is a champion kickboxer so as the story goes, if the star is over six feet tall, is chiseled out of stone, and can kick ass with the best of them, then sign him up for an action movie. I was actually disappointed that his Karate championships credentials weren’t outlined under his name in the opening credits like Roger Corman did back in the day. That would have been retro awesome.
Here he plays Matteo who is a former special operations agent who quits his job when a mission at the beginning of the movie goes sideways. Hostages are rescued but Matteo’ impatience leads to the death of his best friend.
Fast forward to present day and Matteo is living out his days in guilt and tries to make amends to his slain comrade’s wife Helene (Marie Dompnier) and her little girl Angie (Pippi Casey). Matteo should have been at the funeral, but he felt that he would serve the situation better by staying away, Helene is mad at first but then she sees that Matteo is hurting and that he needs loved ones around him and allows him to stay with them temporarily.
Helene’s new husband Paul (Peter Franzén) is an accountant who doesn’t have the honorable traits of her last husband and unfortunately puts himself and his family in Saban’s crosshairs when an accounting glitch causes Saban to lose millions. You can predict what happens next as Angie is kidnapped as a result and Matteo must dust off his signature skills to save her and the day. Aided by a savvy local police detective named Shira (Rona-Lee Shimon), Matteo wages war on the streets of Amsterdam to get Angie back and bring Saban to justice.
Black Lotus is another breezy actioner clocking at around 90 minutes but unfortunately it feels much longer as the pacing slows to a grinding halt after the initial opening action set piece. The finale is pretty solid as well, but I was hoping that there would be a little more meat in the middle of the sandwich as well. The first half of the movie showcases Matteo bonding with Angie like Man on Fire with Denzel Washington, and I totally get that there has to be story to make you care about the characters but there are better ways of doing it and here director Todor Chapkanov wastes ample opportunity to solidify this film as a hard charging action pic. I was expecting more from the man who helmed the last Undisputed movie with Scot Adkins but with that effort, I think Isaac Florentine had a lot to do with making that one hyper-kinetic even though he stepped down as director.
As the lead, Verhoeven looks the part and has the physical capability to sell the action scenes but there is a little charisma lacking from the man that would make people remember him more. I’m not saying that he couldn’t get there someday but it won’t be with this movie. Rico definitely has the bad assery to ignite any fire fight or throwdown being that he is a legit champion but here he gets his ass handed to him and gets more than he gives. At least that’s what it seemed for me as they were likely going for a can’t stop him action mode to the game.
One sequence of note is where Angie gets kidnapped and there’s a very cool moment where you think that Matteo is finally going to pummel some scum but NOPE! He essentially gets his ass kicked after a very promising set up. I know that the girl had to get kidnapped for the plot to roll but come on, at least have the action star have his action star moment.
As Saban, Grillo is always dependable but as the baddie, he is not much for making the most of his screentime. Sure he comes off menacing just fine but there needed to be more visual aids at just how vile he was. Grillo is certainly taking advantage of the roles being offered to him these days but it’s getting to the point where he is going to have to take quality over quantity. Make no mistake, if his name is on the cover, I’ll watch it and him in literally anything as he is one of my favorite action genre actors but I’m hoping his future action projects like Hounds of War, King of Killers and Lights Out give us Grillo fans way more of what we want.
The last twenty minutes of Black Lotus did salvage a little of this review for me as Matteo, after countless scenes of bonding with the little girl, showcasing his guilt and performing construction with his shirt off, finally is able let loose where he executes his rescue mission and is finally able to use his lethal skills. There’s a satisfying shootout at Saban’s club that once again is infused with John Wick style fight choreography because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and Rona-Lee Shimon actually overshadows Verhoeven in the how much ass can you kick in one scene category. She dispatches her foes with an eclectic array of Gun Fu and Jiu-Jitsu and demonstrates that she should maybe headline her own action movie in the future. Simon Wan who plays Saban’s ruthless assassin Lo gets to shine as well as he uses his martial arts and knife skills to full effect in some serious and dazzling fighting prowess. He gets to take on both Matteo and Shira and the results are pretty brutal and extreme and it’s clearly the best part of the film action wise. It’s another case of me wanting to see more of him doing what he can do. The climax will definitely curb action fans’ appetites for onscreen mayhem, but they will just have to wade through a bogged down middle to get rewarded and rewarded you shall be so take it from me…stick with it until the end.
Overall, Black Lotus gets a C from me as a starring vehicle for new action star contender Rico Verhoeven. There are brief glimpses of what can be achieved if given the right material but here he is wasted through ninety percent of the film. When the action does come, he needed to be just a little bit more indestructible, but it was fitting to see the hero get owned so when he finally does excel it means more.
Frank Grillo is Frank Grillo and you know what you’re getting from him with his performance as he can play both hero and villain with his eyes shut. With this movie though it’s a wasted opportunity as all he does is bark threats at people and never really owns up to what he can do. His showdown with Matteo is lackluster and you’ll get a definitive bad taste in your mouth when it’s over and how quick it is.
Rona-Lee Shimon is a breath of fresh air and gets to strut her stuff and the finale showcases that she is a legit threat to action cinema. Let’s see if she gets the chance in the future. The opening and closing action set pieces will deliver with the finale being the true shining example of what could have been but the middle is bogged down by too much talk and not enough high-octane. This is a classic case of the trailer showcasing all the best parts with the actual movie being more filler than killer.
VERDICT: 2.5 Out of 5 Stars
Ricco Verhoeven deserves a better outing and Frank Grillo is Criminally Underused in the action film Black Lotus that is More Filler than Killer.
