MANDRILL (2009)
March 21st, 2012 by Mr. C
Director: Ernesto Diaz Espinoza
Fight Choreographer: Marko Zaror
Stars: Marko Zaror, Celine Reymond, Alejandro Castillo, Luis Alarcon, Juan Pablo Aliaga, Miguel Angel De Luca, John Francis Meany
Genre: Martial Arts/action/thriller
Mandrill is a fun filled martial arts – action flick set in Atlantic City – Lima, Peru directed by Ernesto Diaz Espinoza from Chile. I think all old school kung fu/karate/action film fan hobbits would appreciate this one! The film feels and flows with a 1970’s like vibe, but the background and dress would make us believe it’s from the current times. Although our protagonists and antagonists threw us off by inserting a cassette tape into their BMW 540 car stereo! I’ll compromise and say modern times with a 1980’s spirit!
Marko Zaror, the fight choreographer and lead actor in this film is one big-badazz mutha that showcases his kicks and flips being almost as nimble as Jackie Chan despite his large size. His spinning somersaults and backflips usually has a deadly end result with a footprint being engraved onto someones face!
Mandrill (Marko Zaror) plays a rico-suave hitman who is focused on getting revenge on the person that murdered his parents when he was a child as he witnessed the whole ordeal unfold before him while hiding in the bedroom closet. Now trained as an assassin himself while idolizing the great TV show personality – John Colt (James Bond wannabe), Mandrill would meet formidable mob bosses like Waldo and other hitmen such as Felipe Wasca before finding out that Cyclops would be the man responsible for his parents’ death!
You kind of want to hate on Mandrill’s mr. smooth persona but you know underneath it all, he’s just a deadly nerd looking to get blood in the name of his parents! In the end, you really do care about the character that he portrays and the love that he has for this certain lady. But enough with the sappy stuff and onto the fights!! The choreography of the fight scenes looked very appealing to the eye with great technical execution by very skilled combatants led by Marko!
Fight #1 : Takes place in a bathhouse/jacuzzi as Mandrill dispatches 2 goons with one swift backflip turned kick that immobilizes both of his opponents in one shot! Really brief but neat sequence! This scene will show that Marko Zaror has the goods!
Fight #2 : vs Wasca . Not a great fight but Mandrill still displays awesome technique. He lashes out some quick spinning back kicks and back fists. Atlantic City in Lima, Peru will have a big shoutout in this scene!
Fight #3: Mandrill quickly dispatches 3 easy opponents en route to the villains home, but the one on one rumble in the garage is a tough opponent! Zaror shows his long range fighting techniques with nice footwork, kicks, & boxing techniques while eventually closing the gap into a takedown, then joint locks before finishing the deal with a choke! Really nice choreographed fight!
Fight #4: While in the apartment, he dispatches a few easy foes with one swift signature backflip turned into a knockout kick!
Fight #5: A neat but quick barrage sequence in a stairwell that has Mandrill all fired up and of course finishes off an opponent with an aerial – body twisting somersault with that crazy kick of his!
Fight #6: vs a Goliath bodyguard. Mandrill’s opponent is a strong, gigantor, but the fight itself was very sloppy on the Goliath’s part. Mandrill was finally able to get the beast with a choke out and an armbar.
Fight #7: vs the 3 amigos was my favorite fight sequence in the film! The 3 all take their turns offering a nice beatdown for Mandrill. The trio combined their aerial assault with a hybrid half-capoeira/half-karate standup style. The 3 amigos didn’t have the rhythm that you normally would see fom Capoeira fighters but they had some awesome looking aerial techniques of their own in a more direct way without the indigenous brazillian one-two step! Mandrill closes the gap by taking the fight to the ground as armbars, takedowns, and that twirling flip kick he does puts the icing on the face!
If you appreciate well designed, thumping martial arts action in a B-movie setting then this film is for you, my friends! The stylish slow motion, stop & go camera techniques executed during the moment of impact in the fight scenes enhanced the art of the kill! Say Hella yes to John Colt and Mandrill!
Tags: chile, mandrill, marko zaror
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