1
0
It’s only March and we already have our first try and beat film for best action pic of the year and it’s no surprise that it comes from the likes of veteran action masters Luke LaFontaine and Jesse V. Johnson with one of action cinema’s premiere stars in Bren Foster headlining. The film is Mexicali and it has essentially taken its place among some of the greatest bruisers of adrenaline cinema even before it has been released. I was on board with this movie even before it existed on celluloid and with the talent involved, they did not disappoint but they managed to raise the bar for action cinema to a whole new level.
Mexicali infuses extreme martial arts action featuring several combat disciplines with body shredding, gun blasting firepower for one hell of a visceral and immersive experience and Foster is in full on one man army mode here and he is set loose to reinvigorate the action genre the likes of when Van Damme did it back in the late 80’s. That pretty much sums up what I feel for the movie, but I will elaborate as to why so buckle up because when Foster does his thing on camera, action afficionados know that they are going to get their money’ worth in spades!
The movie sees Foster playing a relative sympathetic and good-hearted character named Joe who is currently helping to run an avocado farm with his girlfriend Estrelle (Tania Raymonde, who also starred with Foster in Deep Blue Sea 3). There is an underlying dark side to Joe however as we learn that he was once a former soldier for hire AKA mercenary and this foreshadows a change in character when the going gets rough.
The current season for avocado farming has been rough to say the least so Joe does what he can to keep the plantation afloat which includes participating in brutal and unforgiving pit fights to make enough money to keep things afloat. this piece to the plot serves as a hard-hitting intro to the film as the first 10 minutes features Foster’s Joe running a savage gauntlet of elite fighters so he can leave for the day with enough greenbacks to secure success for the farm. LaFontaine, who is making his directorial debut here after having successfully serving as one of action cinema’s elite fight choreographers and stunt designers, sets the tome right away with a succession of chest thumping matches utilizing Foster’s special skill set from the get go.
It turns out that pit fighting isn’t the most dangerous thing Joe is going to face as with a trip to the local town for groceries with his friend Marco puts them in the crosshairs of a brutal cartel that holds that area in their fists, and they bring the hammer down hard on a daily basis. When Joe encounters Chavez, who is the pompous and extremely vile son of the crime boss known simply as The General, things do not go well, and the altercation ends with Joe’s spec ops training coming to light as he executes Chavez and his goons in self-defense.
After Joe and Marco bury the evidence, Joe hopes that things will quietly go away but that is not the case as Baptiste (Plutarco Haza) appears and begins to ask a lot of questions of Joe. It’s clear that Baptiste is in cahoots with the cartel and this is even more evident as he has brought his muscle with him in the form of Kris Van Damme, the son of action icon Jean-Claude Van Damme, and during a tense but quiet conversation, Joe learns that trouble has found its way to the farm.
From here Mexicali goes full throttle as Joe breaks into action to save everyone and the farm and with that, the movie serves as a nonstop ride of crowd pleasing beatdowns and ultra-violent standoffs with an arsenal of heavy weaponry and shootouts that would make John Woo grin from ear to ear. There is no time to catch your breath as Joe is unleashed on the cartel and with that we discover his darker side as he turns a 180 and highlights what made him so good at his former job.
I’ve been a champion of Bren Foster for years now and if you follow my website then you will know that he is the best and most underrated action star working in the genre today. Foster owns the screen in each and every role he plays, and he has even turned into a fantastic filmmaker in recent years with 2024’s Life After Fighting where he not only starred in, but he also wrote, produced and directed as well. With Joe, Foster has taken on probably the best character he has played yet as there are so many layers to him. Before you can blink, Foster transforms Joe from a quiet and sympathetic man into a cold-blooded and ruthless killer who might just be worse than the men he is going after. This nuance to Joe gives the character a throwback essence to the action heroes (or anti-heroes) of the 80’s and 90’s and it’s refreshing to see. Oh, and Foster is just plain bad ass in the action sequences per usual and it’s like watching a martial arts master class when he moves.
The supporting cast all deliver as well with Tania Raymonde’s Estrelle playing just as rough as the boys that surround her. She is hardly a damsel in distress, and she is able to showcase just how killer she is too with the highlight being her letting loose with one massive machine gun. Her scenes with Foster radiate a sincere and warm aesthetic and it was nice to see that she was all in with Joe and didn’t fight him when things went sideways.
As Baptiste, Plutarco Haza is a scene stealer, and his entrance is one of the best parts pf the movie. He plays Baptiste with a quiet menace and his table conversation with Joe is just as good and satisfying as any of the physical beatdowns that fill the running time. Kris Van Damme also makes the most of his running time as Baptiste’s right-hand man and you can see that the apple doesn’t fall from the tree as he looks and moves just like dad. Kris has been featured in many of his father’s films and with this performance, he clearly shows that he deserves to headline his own movies as well. My only gripe is that he isn’t able to full do what we all know he can when the fists and feet fly.
Now here’s the part of the review where I show mad respect once again for action star and indie filmmaker Louis Mandylor. Although he has but a small role or cameo, Mandylor makes the most of it and his scene with Foster is as advertised. I will say that I caught on to what LaFontaine and Johnson were doing as his character is named Sue. I don’t think that was a happy accident and it was by design and I smell a crossover lurking with another set of films that these two have done. At one point, when Joe lays out a really huge opponent, Sue even says that he reminds him of somebody. Spoiler alert…I’m pretty sure he was referencing his buddy French from the Debt Collector played by Scott Adkins. I see what you did there fellas and I approve if you so choose to team these three characters up in a future movie. Just saying.
Like I mentioned before, Mexicali is easily a top contender for nest action movie of 2026 and it’s going to be hard to beat it as the action is tier one bad assery with numerous sequences featuring savage martial arts action design, various types of bladed weaponry and sick looking guns. Foster is clearly in his element and when he deploys his skills it really is a brutal and bombastic ballet of bone crunching goodness. Foster moves like water and it was exciting to see him transition from extreme aerial choreography to more intricate ground and pound MMA style combat. What can you say when an action movie gives you not one but two machete fights in it and that right there should be worth the price of admission alone.
This is LaFontaine’s debut as a director, but it clearly shows how long he’s been in the business of action as this effort makes him look like he’s been helming these kinds of pics for years. LaFontaine has the knowledge, skill set and most importantly the eye to showcasing different types of action sequences so fans can see what is happening and relish in all the mayhem. the action is practical and throws it back to the heyday of the 80’s and 90’s with elite stunt work and blood squibs that spray the camera. I hate to say it but after this debut, it’s going to be hard to top it for the next one, but I have all the faith in the world that he will do just that.
In terms of backup, LaFontaine has veteran action filmmaker Jesse V. Johnson in his corner. Johnson wrote the script which pays homage to the films of the yesterday and the lone hero with a past who must take up arms again. He also serves as executive producer along with Foster and his fingerprint is on this one from start to finish but we all know that this is LaFontaine’s time to shine and shine he does.
Overall, what else is there to say about Mexicali except make sure you support it when it drops this Friday, March 13th. This is the type of film we crave. the type of film that satisfys on every level. This is blood, spit and sweat covered action cinema at its finest and Bren Foster is without a doubt an elite action star that deserves to be mentioned with the same breath as JCVD, Stallone, Arnie, Statham and Norris. Luke LaFontaine and longtime collaborator Jesse V. Johnson have a passion that is undying for action cinema, and it shows here just like it always does and it just warms my heart when experts such as these are able to paint their blood-soaked canvases especially while using muses like Foster. This is in your face, visceral and brutal in the best ways possible and the action is legit. Mexicali is everything old and new action fans could hope for, and it pays homage to the past glory days of action cinema while paving its own path at the same time. Mexicali is action cinema at its best.
VERDICT: 5 Out of 5 Stars
Mexicali Cements Bren Foster as the Ultimate Action Star in a Film that Takes No Prisoners!
MEXICALI is in Theaters and on Digital March 13!
