Review by Chadd Clubine

If you grew up on action-packed martial arts movies in the 2010s, chances are you came across The Raid: Redemption and its acclaimed sequel, The Raid 2—two films that remain modern love letters to the genre. Fortunately, two actors from that franchise headline The Furious, making comparisons to The Raid almost inevitable. It has been 12 years since the last Raid film was released, and since then, many standout martial arts movies have flown under the radar, whether buried on streaming services or denied a proper U.S. theatrical release. The Furious breathes new life into the genre, finding a clever way to appeal to American audiences, even if some of its choices can feel a little tacky.

The story is arguably the film’s weakest element, but it’s easy to forgive when such an exhilarating action spectacle unfolds on screen. In many ways, the premise feels like something straight out of a Jason Statham vehicle, though it also serves as a reminder of how films in that mold can be elevated with the right execution. There are plenty of narrative beats that don’t entirely hold up under scrutiny, particularly when certain character motivations lack the development needed to make them convincing. What ultimately carries the film, however, is not just its expertly crafted action, but its larger-than-life sense of cheesy fun—a quality that embraces and honors the genre traditions that came before it.

While many viewers may be more familiar with the supporting character played by Joe Taslim, Xie Miao firmly takes center stage as the film’s protagonist. Despite never speaking a single word throughout the entire film, his character remains compelling and expressive. Whether his silence stems from a disability or a personal choice is never explicitly explained, but that ambiguity ultimately matters less than the emotional weight Xie brings to the role. Through his physical performance and dramatic presence, he becomes an effortlessly sympathetic hero and an easy character to root for. Paired with Joe Taslim, the two form a dynamic duo whose chemistry and combat prowess make them feel like an unstoppable force whenever they share the screen.

The action is the primary reason to see a film like this, and The Furious delivers in spectacular fashion. Few American action movies can match the impact, intensity, or creativity on display here, with every fight feeling visceral and every set piece designed to leave an impression. Just when it seems like the film has exhausted its arsenal, it finds inventive new ways to escalate the chaos, culminating in a wildly unpredictable third act. While some sequences can feel a bit excessive or repetitive, the relentless energy and adrenaline-fueled pacing make it nearly impossible to look away. The film maintains a genuine sense of danger throughout, as no character ever feels truly safe and the brutality of the carnage is felt in every blow.

For a film like this to succeed, it needs to immerse the audience in the action, and the camerawork does exactly that. The camera feels like a character in its own right, weaving through the chaos and placing viewers directly alongside the fighters. Combined with sharp sound design that emphasizes every impact, crack, and painful blow, the film effectively conveys the physical toll endured by its characters. The score, however, is less successful. While the rock-infused riffs occasionally enhance the film’s energy, they can also make certain sequences feel more like a video game than a cinematic experience. More importantly, the music lacks the distinctive identity that helped define films like The Raid and The Raid 2. Rather than elevating the action or reinforcing the film’s personality, the score often feels generic and, at times, leans too heavily into the onscreen absurdity instead of grounding it.

The film also takes an interesting approach to its dialogue. Despite being an international production, much of the spoken dialogue is presented in English, a choice that appears designed to make the film more accessible to U.S. audiences. It’s an understandable decision, but one that can occasionally feel distracting. The lip-syncing is seamless, and even elements such as newspapers and on-screen headlines are presented in English, creating the impression that the entire world of the film naturally operates in the language. At times, however, the presentation is so polished that it almost feels as though the film has been expertly dubbed rather than performed in English from the outset. While the approach undoubtedly broadens the film’s appeal, its commitment to English-language accessibility can sometimes come across as more conspicuous and over-the-top than necessary.
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Overall, The Furious is a nonstop thrill ride packed with bone-crunching fights and relentlessly entertaining action. While its story often plays things safe, the film more than compensates with its willingness to embrace larger-than-life spectacle and unapologetic absurdity. As the chaos escalates, many of the narrative shortcomings fade into the background, overshadowed by the sheer excitement unfolding on screen. For fans of martial arts cinema, The Furious is not to be missed. It feels like a genuine resurgence for the genre—a reminder of how exhilarating these films can be, especially when experienced on the big screen.

The Furious releases in theaters June 12th!

Review by Steve Barton II

Review by Chadd Clubine

Backrooms is many things at once, and it’s all the more compelling for refusing to provide easy answers. Designed to leave you questioning what you’ve seen, the film showcases extraordinary talent across the board, from its cast to its production design. Its abrupt ending lingers long after the credits roll, inviting reflection and debate. It’s best experienced with others, as the film practically demands discussion and interpretation. More unsettling than outright horrific, Backrooms leaves behind a creeping sense of unease that burrows into your mind and stays there, regardless of how you ultimately feel about the experience.

Four years ago, YouTuber Kane Parsons released The Backrooms on YouTube at 16 or 17 years old. Now, after being hired by A24 as the studio’s youngest theatrical director, he has expanded his vision from a viral web series to the big screen. What’s remarkable isn’t just that someone so young created something so conceptually unique, but that he infused it with genuine thematic depth. Even if the ending leaves you wanting more, there’s no denying the care Parsons brings to the film, communicating crucial information through visual storytelling rather than exposition. It serves as a compelling reminder of why cinema works best when it shows rather than tells.

Parsons balances his two leads, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, with sharp precision. Although Ejiofor receives top billing, both performances carry equal weight, and there’s a strong case to be made that Reinsve is the film’s true protagonist. While the film’s themes are open to interpretation, obsession emerges as its clearest throughline. Both characters enter this newly discovered space with seemingly noble intentions, yet neither truly needs to be there. Their pursuit of something greater—meaning, purpose, fulfillment—ultimately reveals the hollowness of their ambitions. The liminal spaces become more than a mystery to solve; they act as mirrors, reflecting the characters’ deepest desires and the emptiness that lies beneath them.

For such a young director, it’s especially impressive to see the performances Parsons draws from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. In fact, both actors may have delivered some of the year’s finest performances. While portions of the first act feature dialogue that can initially feel somewhat unnatural, those choices ultimately serve a larger purpose, deepening our understanding of the characters as the story unfolds. It’s in the later stretches of the film where both performances truly come alive, revealing new layers as the characters become increasingly shaped by the strange world they’ve entered. By the third act, the tension is almost unbearable, with Ejiofor and Reinsve delivering emotionally charged performances that will leave your palms sweating.

It should come as no surprise that the film boasts exceptional production design. Every detail suggests that Parsons and his crew had a complete understanding of this world, even if they wisely choose not to reveal all of it. The film offers only glimpses into its mysteries, rewarding attentive viewers with subtle details that heighten its sense of unease. Miss a moment, and you may miss something genuinely unsettling. The cinematography is equally effective, carefully controlling what the audience sees—and, more importantly, what it doesn’t. Sounds often emerge from beyond the frame, creating a constant sense of dread as you wait to discover whether something is actually there, mixed in with the creepy and effective score. The handheld POV sequences add another layer of immersion, placing viewers directly within these disorienting liminal spaces. The result is a world that feels hauntingly tangible, one that captivates on screen, but is clearly a place no one would ever want to encounter in real life.

Overall, Backrooms feels like exactly the kind of film modern cinema needs—a bold, thought-provoking work that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. Parsons crafts an experience that invites reflection rather than providing easy answers, trusting the audience to engage with its mysteries. From its assured direction and exceptional production design to the outstanding performances at its center, the film showcases remarkable craftsmanship in every department. Its ambiguous ending raises more questions than it answers, but that uncertainty is precisely what makes it so compelling. Backrooms is the rare kind of film that demands discussion, interpretation, and revisitation long after you've left the theater.

Backrooms is now playing in theaters!

Review by Chadd Clubine

Many viewers may feel that World War II stories have been explored from every possible angle. What sets Pressure apart is the way it reframes history through a perspective many audiences likely haven’t considered before. Backed by a talented cast, meticulous production design, and a brisk runtime, it initially feels like essential viewing. While the film is undeniably tense and entertaining, it ultimately lacks the lasting impact of the genre’s most memorable World War II dramas.

Seeing Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser featured prominently in the marketing was an easy draw, and somewhere within Pressure exists a far more compelling film told entirely from his character’s perspective. Instead, the story unfolds through the eyes of Andrew Scott. Scott is every bit as talented as Fraser, but the issue lies in how the screenplay handles his character. He’s given little meaningful development, making it difficult to fully invest in his motivations or emotional state. Beyond the fact that he’s leaving behind a pregnant wife, the film leans on familiar and predictable dramatic beats. Ironically, the narrative seems far more interested in helping the audience understand Fraser’s perspective, which only highlights the lack of emotional connection at the story’s center.
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While its lean runtime may appeal to audiences looking for a quick, efficient watch, there ultimately isn’t enough substance to justify the film’s constant sense of urgency. Much of the story boils down to men arguing over weather forecasts, elevated primarily by the strength of the cast and the film’s meticulous production design. To its credit, the film drops viewers directly into the situation without overexplaining the historical context, but anyone familiar with the events being depicted will likely find it easy to predict where the story is headed.

The film’s third act finally underscores the true significance of the events unfolding. Rather than ending where Saving Private Ryan begins, it revisits the battle itself with striking visual and sound design. As with the rest of the film, the production design is deeply immersive, and experiencing the devastating consequences of these men’s decisions on the battlefield carries real weight in a theater setting. Yet the emotional impact never fully lands because the film offers little to no meaningful characterization for the soldiers fighting on the ground, diminishing the human cost of what they endured that day.

The film succeeds in exploring a largely overlooked perspective of history, and its exceptional production design creates an impressively immersive atmosphere throughout. However, the lack of meaningful characterization among the supporting cast is hard to ignore. Kerry Condon continues to elevate nearly every project she’s part of, but here, her character feels underwritten and ultimately unnecessary. The film also misses an opportunity to explore the unique challenges she may have faced as a woman in that environment. Chris Messina is given a more intriguing arc, though his performance occasionally feels overly aware of the film’s dramatic weight. If anyone feels truly underutilized, though, it’s Damian Lewis, who brings a compelling gravitas to the role despite being given far too little to work with.

Overall, Pressure will likely appeal to history enthusiasts and fans of the cast involved, even if it falls short in developing the kind of rich characterization needed to create a stronger emotional connection. Still, the film’s immaculate and deeply immersive production design helps elevate it into a compelling new perspective on World War II that remains worth experiencing.

Pressure releases in theaters May 29th!

Review by Chadd Clubine

At this point, Ladies First holds a 13% score on Rotten Tomatoes. That may sound brutal at first glance, but considering it’s based on only 15 reviews, the number feels slightly less damning. Still, the lack of press screenings ahead of release was an early warning sign, as studios often avoid screenings when confidence in the final product is low. That was especially disappointing given the film’s cast and premise, both of which suggested the potential for a sharp, worthwhile comedy. The themes the film attempts to tackle feel timely and relevant, but unfortunately, the message comes across as muddled, and the humor rarely lands.

Sacha Baron Cohen seems to be entering a new phase of his career, one defined by physical transformation and a string of increasingly bland comedies. While his filmography has always varied in quality, he’s consistently been able to make a lead comedic role work through sheer charisma and timing. Rosamund Pike, meanwhile, remains one of the most compelling actresses working today, partly because of how selective she has become with her projects. On paper, pairing the two together felt like a perfect fit. Instead, the film awkwardly tries to convince the audience by the third act that their characters are essentially the same person — a revelation that feels unearned, nonsensical, and ultimately hollow.
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There are brief moments where the humor works, but whenever the film leans too heavily into absurdity, it falls flat. The comedy isn’t outright cringeworthy; it’s simply ineffective. Much of the film’s humor depends on portraying the female characters as exaggerated versions of stereotypically dominant male personalities. While that idea is clearly central to the film’s premise, relying on it repeatedly for laughs makes the comedy feel shallow and uninspired rather than clever or satirical.

Another issue with the film’s humor is that it constantly reminds the audience of the real-world behavior and societal problems it’s trying to satirize. Rather than turning those observations into sharp comedy, the film repeatedly beats the audience over the head with them. If the takeaway is simply, “This is how men act,” the joke quickly loses its impact and starts to feel repetitive instead of funny. By the time the film reaches its conclusion, it attempts to frame Cohen’s character as changed because he finally sees Pike’s character as someone just like himself. However, that revelation undermines the very message the film seems to be aiming for. Instead of suggesting genuine equality or understanding, it unintentionally implies that men can only view women as equals when they mirror male behavior exactly. As a result, the film’s themes collapse under their own contradictions, leaving the ending hollow and ineffective.

The film is never outright terrible in the way its Rotten Tomatoes score might suggest. It’s simply dull, uninspired, and painfully forgettable. Thankfully, the relatively short runtime prevents it from becoming an exhausting watch. For a Netflix comedy, it also avoids the aggressively cringe-worthy style often associated with a Happy Madison Productions release, which at least keeps it from feeling unbearably long. Still, just as the story begins to gain any momentum, it abruptly ends, leaving behind little more than disappointment.
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Overall, Ladies First completely wastes its potential. The premise and cast are strong enough to support a genuinely clever and meaningful satire, but the film leans too heavily on cheap jokes, a paper-thin story, and themes that never fully come together. It had the opportunity to say something insightful about gender dynamics in today’s world, yet it ultimately settles for surface-level commentary with little lasting impact.

Ladies First is now streaming on Netflix!