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The time has almost come for fans of old school, bruising martial arts epics and who better to deliver it than The Hulk himself and one of the best martial artists in the world. Jino Kang, the martial arts action star and filmmaker behind the Fist2Fist films, and bodybuilding and action icon Lou Ferrigno are going to school the bad guys and teach them a punishing lesson they won’t forget in the new action-thriller Hard Redemption. Even the title screams throwback VHS action goodness, and we have a new trailer to check out featuring some of the legit and fierce action design fans are in for with this one. Scroll below for the new look because when you’re searching for redemption, you got to go all in hard!
The plot for Hard Redemption tells the story of “Bryan, a Korean American teenager who wants out of his ruthless gang the Goblins, setting the stage for gang retribution against him. On his first day of GED summer school for at-risk students, Bryan meets his new teacher, a tough ex-con and ex-gang member named James Park, a middle-aged man on a positive new course in life. When the Goblin gang invades the school to kill Bryan, they accidentally trigger the school’s prototype preventative protocol measure, the Hard Lockdown Security System, locking everyone — and every door — in the school. The Goblin assassins take hostages but can’t get to Bryan unless they find a way into his classroom, but Mr. Park and a seasoned security guard named Rico will risk their lives to save the students and stop the Goblins by any means necessary. A final confrontation between Mr. Park and the leader of the Goblins reveals a startling revelation as to the Goblins’ true intention of invading the school. Mr. Park will have to decide his fate: Run and save himself or fight in a do-or-die match against the boss and skilled assassins of the gang.”
Kang portrays Jim Park with Ferrigno taking on the role of security guard Rico. They star in the film along with Jessie Pettit (Double Agent in Passion), James Aaron Oh (Protection Detail), Mikaila Maei (Refuge), David Kurzhal (The Last Kumite), Preston Yeung (Staycation), and Alyssa McCullough who is essentially a newcomer to films.
Hard Redemption is a bone shattering love letter to the video store action era with legit talent that can bring it when it comes to extreme fight and action design. Kang not only stars in the film, but he also co-produced and co-directed the film with Christine Lam. The two are also responsible for penning the script along with Dustin Leimgruber and resident action cinema expert and author David J. Moore who is responsible for the essential reading books World Gone Wild: A Survivor’s Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Movies and The Good the Tough & The Deadly. Both are required reading for any serious hardcore fans of these genres.
This is maximum damage for only the most serious fans of action cinema, and I have no doubt that this one is going full throttle when it comes to delivering the goods. Ferrigno is still a force to be reckoned with, and his presence elevates the film while Kang certainly knows how to shoot and edit the adrenaline in front of and behind the camera.
With Kang and Ferrigno dishing out the punishment, expect some crafty action design and close quarters mayhem to ensue throughout the film’s running time. Ferrigno is, of course best known for playing The Incredible Hulk in the popular TV series that ran from 1977 to 1982 and was followed up by movies, but he has starred in a slate of action films as well including the old school genre favorites Cage, Cage 2 and most recently Instant Death which was essentially his homage to Death Wish. Why Ferrigno never became a bigger DTV action star is a question, but he has solidified his status as an action star none the less.
Kang has parlayed his sick martial arts skill set into a blossoming indie action movie making career and all of his films and subsequent fight sequences radiate bad ass realism mixed with extreme moves for an entertaining and sweat inducing effect. Kang is a master, and he knows how to shoot the action which is unfortunately rare in the genre these days. Fist 2 Fist 2: Weapon of Choice contained one of the best action drenched finales seen in indie action cinema of recent years with Kang carving his way through a gauntlet with devastating speed, accuracy and power featuring some intense and unflinching fight choreography and action design.
Be on the lookout for my exclusive review of Hard Redemption hitting soon and center the ring right here for all future intel on the release of the film and exclusives right here at Action-Flix.com!
