BADLAND RISING - - Australia’s John Wick

Review by Steve Barton II

Keanu Reeves shocked the world with the 2014 surprise action-packed hit John Wick that has since spawned three sequels (so far) and a spin-off featuring the man himself. Since 2014, the action genre took notice and many imitations emerged, but rarely anyone even comes close to the magic that Keanu and his team creates. That is, until a couple of fellas around the Australian mixed martial arts scene decided to break into filmmaking. Blair Moore had directed one feature called Kane back in 2023 where he discovered his muse, former Australian Taekwondo national team member Jake Ryan. This dynamic duo reunited in 2025 to form the next John Wick “reimagining” with Badland Rising, but they have their fighting background to prove their worth. Badland Rising follows an unassuming working man, Dave (Ryan) who is embarking on a 19 hour road trip back home to see his family, but he has an odd encounter on his way out of town and finds himself being hunted by two psycho criminals. Once he figures out why they want him, Dave realizes that he’s now in a brutal fight to survive and protect his family.


The strongest aspect that Badland Rising has is the fight choreography itself. With Ryan being a seasoned fighter, making hand-to-hand combat look authentic is much easier than actual line delivery. He and his fellow cast mates deliver some brutal combat and stunts. The camera and editing shows more than most American productions. Action is often cut on impact in American cinema, so you think you're seeing the connection, but it’s the quick cuts and sound effects that create an illusion. In Badland Rising, we see more of the fight in camera and the cuts feel more motivated, rather than hiding mistakes. This film also has quite a smaller budget than most of the big budget action films we see in cinemas, so being able to pull off what they did is a feat in itself and should be commended.

Where Badland Rising falls short is in the story itself and some of the wooden acting. While it’s not a carbon copy of John Wick, they borrow several familiar elements from that and other popular action movies that came before. It doesn’t really find its own identity. By the time the first act concludes, most audience members can probably predict how things will play out and if you aren’t connected to the characters, you’ll probably check out. Unfortunately, while Jake Ryan can fight well and deliver on some brutal action sequences, his acting skills need some more in the training room. Even while talking to his wife who he hasn’t seen in awhile, he has no emotion to his face or voice and speaks with less emotion than a newscaster on the 5 o’clock news. The performance that truly steals the show is Nathan Phillips as the unhinged Morgan who is pursuing Dave while rocking an insane haircut that fits his character like a glove. His tenacity and charm really sells the layered personality that Phillips brought to the performance and becomes the star of the show. While he and his partner are in pursuit of Dave, it almost became a road trip movie in a similar vein to the beginning of From Dusk Till Dawn. 


In the end, Badland Rising isn’t the next must-see action classic but it’ll get the job done for fans of the genre. Unfortunately, some of the acting, simple story and cheap effects hold it back from being great, but the fight choreography is worth the rental price.


Badland Rising will be available on VOD starting June 12th! 


Rating: 3/5