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James Couche’s thriller Lost Phoenix attempts to modernize the drug era of the 90s in a way similar to mid-budget action indie films from the 90s. It depicts the political as well as racial rebellion that took place during the year 2020.
Now, the narrative starts at the heart of a global pandemic. From a self-induced coma, a Haitian immigrant (Dral Wan) wakes up with amnesia. To help him remember his true past, he calls himself Isaac.
Sinister groups try to fuel disorder by setting off a car bomb during a Black Lives Matter protest in Isaac’s city. Isaac meets with a former associate turned conspirator, who was supposed to have perished. For the first time, he gets to know that Isaac is alive, but only to death. As they begin battling, a muscle memory-induced power struggle begins turning deadly. Just as the man draws close enough to finish him off, a rogue sniper, Layla (Kelley Eliza) starts shooting. She has a score to settle with Isaac. More of the old Isaac.
As Isaac pieces together his history, he learns that it all leads to Richard Talbott, the architect of America’s downfall. Talbott aims to destroy the United States with a Civil War and a top-down approach.
“Couche’s film is undeniably an action movie and appears to be a collection of fight scenes bound together by a plot. Couche’s film represents the last genre of cinema that the indie film market has captured. Lost Phoenix demonstrates that until now, indie filmmakers have not been able to capture action movies.
a medically induced coma with a severe case of amnesia. Our hero, Isaac, embarks on a quest to figure out who he really is.
“Lost Phoenix” is fairly entertaining from a story standpoint. The prostrated candidate, this is not, but it manages to hold the movie together remarkably well. There are hidden elements that seem to be undermining America by lighting a spark to the already burning racial and cultural war within the nation. That is the central idea.
What makes the movie interesting is the character of Isaac. As the narrative unfolds, it explores the conflict between the cold-blooded assassin he used to be and the soft-hearted man he has turned into. Without revealing too much, it is fair to say that Talbott, in an attempt to fulfill his plans, erases everything that has happened in the past and uses it to his advantage to aid his evil schemes.
Indie Action Exploration always seems to turn out intriguing as I am under the impression that indie action revolves around hand-to-hand combat along with gunplay. Let’s be real, explosions are ridiculously expensive, and I am solely referring to insurance. In addition to this, New Hong Kong implies fierce fist fights and hand-to-hand knife fights are a true spectacle to watch. The first Burning Chases has a wide set of actions that demonstrates tight choreographed martial arts with sophisticating and erratic cuts along with the camera angles.
In my perspective, if this indie action had a flaw, it’s that it seems like this was filmed with a much less stringent guideline regarding COVID. The pandemic greatly altered the way filmmakers approached borderline-aggressive action sequences and modified their tactics in action sequences that appeared in films. Unlike other films, the battle occurs within expansive settings where the fighters are few and far apart. The final scene was most remarkable in illustrating this point. It’s always bothered me that Hong Kong-style fighting should feel somewhat self-contained, and placing it in such an open area is truly bizarre.
Like how Issac, Wan Dral was cast purely for his dance moves. Wan Dral is an imposing character. From a professional perspective, his speech delivery can be improved a lot with some proper training. I was anticipating the moment when Isassc suffers between his past and current self and I did not find it.
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