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Actor and blossoming action cinema star Jack Kesy has been quietly amassing quite the filmography arsenal in recent years and the actor who was last seen as Hellboy is starting to win me over when I think of old school, throwback one man army stars who take no prisoners and makes no excuses. Kesy has been seen in some of the finest that adrenaline cinema has offered like The Outpost, 12 Strong, Bruce Willis’ Death Wish and most recently Hellboy: The Crooked Man which saw him take over the mantle from Ron Pearlman and David Harbour. Kesy is a man’s man action star and is quite the imposing figure and in his latest action vehicle, he pulls no punches as a hitman who has a change of heart when he is ruthlessly gunned down. To add the legitimacy of director Wych Kaosayananda’s (One Night in Bangkok, Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever) newest offering, RoboCop himself, Peter Weller, also stars in the noirish thriller that is loaded with brooding atmosphere and a chaotically, glorious finale that is essentially all-out war with a fitting body count.
The new film is called fittingly enough Bang and Kesy stars as elite hitman William Bang who is the best at what he does and that’s exterminate with extreme prejudice. Bang works for sociopathic criminal archetype Morgan who runs his lucrative assassin business out of an antiques store of all places and when it comes to finishing the job, Bang is the best there is.
Things turn a 180 when Bang is mercilessly gunned down at a cigar bar by another criminal extracting revenge for a hit that bang had executed flawlessly earlier and near death, Bang is given a heart transplant in the eleventh hour which was unceremoniously donated by an unfortunate father to be who died in a car crash while rushing his pregnant wife to the hospital. When Bang wakes up, he discovers what has happened and that fate delves a cruel blow at times and he finds out who the wife is who is now a new mother. The woman of the hour is Gwen (Marie Broenner) and upon meeting her, Bang immediately looks to turn around his life and, in the process, betrays his former gang in an effort to find forgiveness. The only problem is, this infuriates Morgan who is a firm believer that no one retires especially from him, and he seeks to take out Bang at all costs thus making Bang a target himself.
If you follow Wych Kaos’ career like I have, you will find a creative filmmaker who looks to instill feverish noir like tropes into his movies and also highlighting his native Thailand. Wych’s native homeland is always its own character in his films, and this one is no exception as the backdrop offers bright lights and foreign aesthetics. Wych first came onto the scene when he directed the big budget actioner Ballistic: Ecks VS. Sever and while that film was a box office failure, it still holds up today as cult classic and just a sampling of what the filmmaker can do when set loose. Wych has since been dabbling in the indie action market churning out low scale thrillers like The Driver and One Night in Bangkok which both star martial arts icon Mark Dacascos as well as Zero Tolerance with Scott Adkins and he is a filmmaker that believes less is truly more as most of his films are now slow burn potboilers that erupt with savage beats of unflinching and unforgiving action.
Bang, in this regard, is no exception and this time Kesy is Wych’s instrument of destruction and a one-man army muse at that and Kesy gives a subtle and unnerving performance as the anti-hero who is looking for something better in life and is willing to put his life in danger to connect with Gwen who he has drawn closer to. Kesy magnificenly is able to show two sides of the same coin with Bang, going from merciless killer to savior and watching him transition is what is essentially at the heart of the movie. Make no mistake though as Kesy brings the swagger, bravado and intensity in the film’s last 30 minutes as he unleashes his inner Schwarzenegger and proceeds to eradicate a fleet of faceless goons with a haelstrom of bullets, rocket launchers and icy cold tactical precision.
Bringing up the rear is Hollywood icon Peter Weller and even in his twilight years, Weller still has it and the gravitas and attitude to fill two actors of equal caliber. Weller showcases Morgan as an unhinged crime boss who delights in seeing photos of the kills that Bang has executed and in some ways, thinks of him as a surrogate son that means more to him then his real son Johnny played by Steve Bastoni. When Bang goes against him, Morgan views this as the ultimate betrayal and makes it his life’s mission to kill Bang which drives him deeper off the ledge. Weller always delivers when it comes to performing and whether he’s the star or a supporting player, he proves that he is still one of the best at what he does and that’s acting the hell out of every performance he gives.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Kane Kosugi, son of legendary 80’s Ninja Sho Kosugi and an excellent action star in his own right, show up in a smaller role as a criminal that Bang is supposed to kill but doesn’t due to his change of emotions. Kosugi is utilized in the movie and is quite visible in the climax where he gets his chance to shine in a short but brutal empty-handed fight that is enhanced by his sick skill set. Kosugi has also worked with Wych prior on Tekken 2: Kazuya’s Revenge so it’s a treat to see him throwdown once again in a film that is mostly firepower and explosions.
Bang will not appeal to everyone, and the slow burn first half will surely turn some hardcore action fans looking for instant gratification off but I’m here to tell you that if you stick with the film, you will be rewarded with a ferocious final act that contains a massive body count and some stellar practical stunt work laced with military style action design and theatrics. The ending is pretty much everything I could have hoped for in a low budget indie action flick and Wych assembles a standout set piece with all the tools at his disposal. Kesy gets to show off his tactical prowess and arms himself with the finest in hi-tech automatic weaponry and when it finally comes time, he delivers the adrenaline junkie goods. All I know is I was entertained so that’s all that is important in my little world.
All in all, Bang won’t win any awards, but hardcore action cinephiles like myself will find much to like about this one including the film’s lead, the iconic co-star and a finale that is non-stop savagery and ferocity. When I review a film, I take into account what the filmmakers had to work with and it’s clear here that Wych and crew know what to do with little. There’s some character development with Kesy getting to show off his range and enough action and violence to check all the boxes for fans looking for something a little different.
There’s no denying that bang isn’t going to reinvent the wheel, but it contains enough surprises and some standout performances from Kesy, Weller and some of the supporting cast to warrant a watch. The final sequence is filled with gunfire and martial arts coupled with gratuitous carnage and quite frankly, what more could you want out of an indie actioner?
VERDICT: 3.5 Out of 5 Stars
Bang may be small scale, but it oozes atmosphere, violent action and a bruising new anti-hero in Jack Kesy!
Available in Select Theaters, Digital and On Demand on July 11th
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