Mandrill

I caught this film at Fantastic Film 2009, and was completely surprised by the kudos it got. While I'm all for a good fun ride of a film, this movie was at times so purposely campy & cheesy it was painful to watch. On top of that, the plot was paper thin, and the acting mediocre. The filmmakers stated during the Q&A that they whipped this film together so quickly they didn't have time to write a script - and it shows. The only thing making this film worthwhile to watch is the performance of the lead actor Marco Zaror. His martial arts skills are phenomenal, and under the supervision of a competent director he could become the next big action star. Should you run out and see this film? No. But is it worth a rental on a rainy day when nothing else good is available? Sure.

A Dollar Tree exclusive. Hey! For a dollar, this movie was more than worth it. Cheesy action from Chile with an above-average performance by the male lead turns this type of film into an entertaining blast.

Sadly, the film is a wee bit behind the times. I wonder how this movie would have been received in the 1980s.

It's still a great action film. I wasn't bored.

"Revenge is a vicious circle, once you start you can't stop." After Antonio's (Zaror) parents are killed when he was young he turns into a ruthless bounty hunter named Mandrill. He is obsessed with finding his parent's killer and when he finally does he also meets Dominique, who could be his downfall. Going in I was expecting to see a Latino James Bond type movie. What I got was a Latino James Bond type movie that is also a 70's Kung-Fu type thing. The fighting was a little cheesy and the music and editing were very much like a 70's TV show. All that said, I was very entertained throughout the entire movie and I recommend this. The ending is great and the last scene leaves you wondering...which is rare for this type of movie. Overall, much better then anticipated and worth a watch. I give it a B.

Marko Zaror stars in a somewhat stylized James Bond type film about a hit man seeking revenge against the one eyed man who killed his father. This film reunited Zaror with the Director and Producer of Kiltro, but it is a much better film. It is shot well. It has a cool feel, although sometime like a Jose Cuervo commercial. Zaror is sleeker and cooler in this one. The look and feel are good. The story and action are well done. I would love to see this remade. There are many of the cast members of Kiltro in this one and the parties reunited this year for the award winning Fist of the The Condor. Now it is understandable why they have a natural fit in that one; from working together several times. The fights and fight choreography are very good.