Striking Rescue

I feel like I've used that headline so many times. If these foreign martial arts movies could better figure out the non-fight scene aspects, these movies could be great. When they don't, it's just bad.

I have massive respect for Tony Jaa as a martial artist, so I give most of his movies a shot. And while the overall fight scenes are not memorable or anything I would rewatch, the artistry on display is apparent. It's always clear, easy to see and creative.

And many of the hits are ACTUAL HITS. They'll show it in slow motion or repeat the shot from a different angle. And it's warranted because I think they really punched/kicked a guy in the face. We've seen this before in other Tony Jaa movies. They intentionally get hurt for the sake of realism in the fights.

Everything else is bad. The story is generic and useless. And the dialogue is atrocious. It feels like a direct translation instead of converting it to the way an English-speaking person would say it.

Overall the movie is not worth your time. Maybe just watch the fight scenes.

(1 viewing, 6/28/2025)

This one is one where you can see the end from its opening, but it's well worth your time if you enjoy other action movies.

Feels very much like old school Hollywood action film that rarely got made nowadays. Some of the special effects is a bit weak but doesn't take you out of the film.

Fighting choreography is excellent, each hit feels connected. And most importantly, no crazy jump cuts on every moves, it does have a bit too much slow motion shots in my opinion, since it mostly a repeat of a previous move that's played in normal speed.

Story is fine, as it serves the action, what more do we need really?

Terrible direction, terrible acting, terrible voice lines. Decent fighting. That's the gist of it.

Don't try to understand the plot. Don't question the character's actions. Don't listen to what they say. Don't pay attention to the plot development and pacing. Then you'll be fine. Better yet, keep your hand on the keyword to fast forward to fight scenes.

My grandma would've made a better movie with half the budget. This movie would've been better as a fighting scene montage where all characters are mute. The visual looks too good for a movie this bad.

Tony Jaa managed to salvage the movie a bit, but he can only do so much.

Where to begin... The whole production looks cheap, actors don't know how to act, whole storytelling is a mess. The director may have wanted to make a fast paced film but what it really became is garbage. Even the action sequence looks like it was filmed by a monk/ey. I usually enjoy Tony Jaa films and I believe this film could have been tolerable is the director had any skill or competence. Not much else to say here. The background music, the dialogue, the filmography, every single thing in this film is wrong. Like there's not one thing in this film that I could say I liked. Even India makes better and coherent action flicks than this. What happened to Chinese action films?

Tony Jaa is a legendary martial artist and film star. He secured his place in martial arts film lore with the 2003 International sensation, Ong Bak. While he has done a number of other films since then, including having roles in Jesse V. Johnson's Triple Threat and one of the Expendables franchise films, none have quite achieved the acclaim of his launching pad. Striking Rescue (2025) marks his triumphant return, and demonstrates he hasn't lost a beat in the past twenty (20) years.

Striking Rescue is a low budget, revenge driven martial arts with a lot to offer. Its story of a man whose wife and daughter are murdered by a large corporation with ties to the underworld, and his pursuit of revenge, are time honored martial arts movie themes. However, what makes this one stand out from so many of the ordinary films in this genre is the execution. The execution here is very good. Director, Siyu Cheng, does a good job making the final product greater than the sum of its parts.

Jaa does an admirable job in the lead role. His acting is passable, but his fight choreography is unique and riveting to watch. He captivates the audience in every one of the many fight scenes that populate this roller coaster ride of an action film. Jaa does for the knees and elbows style of Muy Thai what Steven Seagal did for Akido; he uses his martial art to carve out his unique identity in the martial arts film world. Like Seagal, Jaa is super fun to watch.

The film has a very strong supporting cast. Jaa is not afraid to share the screen with talented martial artists and film fighters, and that is one of the strengths of the film. Jaa's climactic fight scene with co star, Xing Yu, is one of the highlights of the film; however, one of the best fight scenes in the movie is, undoubtedly, a tribute to Ike Uwais's The Raid. There also appears to be some influence from Timo Tjahjanto, who is, in my estimation, the most important martial arts Director in the world today.

One of the most interesting elements of this film is that it is Chinese in origin. It does not have many of the structural, thematic, and cinematic elements of a modern Chinese made martial arts film. It has a true independent feel, and I can't help but wonder if that is the beginning of a trend in Chinese cinema.

Sticking Rescue is a surprisingly good movie and worth watching. I highly recommend it.

Watch it in Mandarin, with English subtitles.