Protection Detail is a generally well made indie American Triad gangster film that wears its influences on its sleeve. In large part, the film owes a heavy debt to Johnnie To's 1999 Hong Kong crime masterpiece The Mission. While they do say to "steal from the best", there are some beats that play a little too similar to said earlier film which is always a risk for a film of this size to take considering it draws the fire of inevitable comparisons (fair or unfair) to a bigger movie many consider classic. That said, the movie is by no means a remake and shows off plenty of its own courage and ambition. Director Michael Fredianelli deserves praise for insisting on an entirely Asian-American cast and keeping the action mostly confined to San Francisco's Chinatown. It doesn't go for any safe "fish out of water" tropes and instead works to immerse the viewer in a culture and community very much present within the US, but seldom explored without compromise in American cinema.
As it goes, there are a few glaring flaws present in the film such as strangely unprofessional hitmen bad guys, a sloppily staged gun skirmish or two, and some other leaps in logic. However, action is one of director Fredianelli's strong suits and he makes up for some of these lesser realized moments by delivering in spades during some of the film's other set pieces-- one such highlight being a well choreographed warehouse shootout heavily inspired by the work of director John Woo.
The movie's actors headlining the film should also be commended as Boynton Paek excels as the unhinged bodyguard called Knife and Michael Nosé proves excellent as the loyal soldier type nicknamed Pinball. James Aaron Oh is another standout playing a rather sinister villain with a vicious nature and commanding presence. While it might not be directly on par with all its influences, Protection Detail is a solid indie crime film with plenty of flavor that ends on one hell of a bang.
