SLJ Spy/Assassin Action Triple Feature: The Long Kiss Goodnight, Barely Lethal & The Protege (with Jon Mark)

[00:00:00] This podcast is a production of Unfiltered Studios. If you would like to know more about joining Unfiltered Studios, please visit our website at unfpod.com for more information. Aside from just kind of being in multiple different franchises and everything, Jonathan, how did you come across him and just say, wow, this is one of my favorite actors. I want us to check out all his other earlier and later work.

[00:00:24] My introduction was actually Jurassic Park as well. The first one I saw in the lead with him was actually my favorite of his, The Long Kiss Goodnight. He's good enough to be on your profile picture, the Hitman's Bodyguards up there. Oh yeah, that was intentional by the way. Kind of like with Schwarzenegger, for lack of a better comparison, he is one of those guys, I have to reevaluate a movie, because he's now in it, it's no longer just a movie, it's a Jackson movie. Yep.

[00:00:52] He can do action, he can do crime, he's been in some sci-fi and horror and mystery movies. He really cannot do any wrong at this point. I mean, he's been in some stinkers, yes, but never to the point where you're like, where any of us would dare say he was the worst part of the movie.

[00:01:09] If he's in a movie, you don't even really get a sense that he doesn't care. You know that he, much like Steve Buscemi, does not ever turn a role down because he knows that he respects both his brand, but he also knows it's a business. And so, if anything, he at least asks, you know, hey, he's been on the record saying, I don't ask for, you know, much, just a decent trailer, I just want you to give me a good role.

[00:02:01] You know? That at least made this, you know, one out of five star movie at least a one and a half, you know, just because he said something, you know? Mm-hmm. I have issues with the movie, but there's no denying the action and the lines are dynamite because they're by Shane Black, who had basically been instructed as like, you will do a lethal weapon type movie. And once again, like Die Hard, it's going to be set at Christmas.

[00:02:27] The opening quote, he says at the beginning, also made it onto his soundboard that used to be on Realm of Darkness, and that was a side use for celebrity prank calls.

[00:06:11] Mm-hmm. Woo! Woo! Woo! We're talking everything from two weeks of Stallone to one week of William Shatner. But I was just like, hey, what other celebrity has a name that starts with an S? Oh, well, it's got to be the beloved Samuel L. Jackson. So I figured, hey, I could have John back on. We could just discuss free of his key spy and assassin movies. There's plenty to discuss. There's The Long Kiss Goodnight from 96.

[00:06:41] There's Barely Lethal, a wacky, very, very, very, very wacky comedy. And then there's the recent The Protégé by James Bond director Martin Campbell starring Maggie Q and Jackson. Yeah. I think Jackson should totally be in more spy films. He usually gets, you know, reference for being in just, even if you want to consider the Avengers spies, which they kind of technically are, but like, even Triple X. But like, it's here and there. Like, those are ensemble movies.

[00:07:07] I'm talking like it would be cool to see him do like a straight up revenge film where he's like the main lead and he's like an old fashioned spy. I mean, I'd love to see that, but that's his choice. Yeah, I'm not. I'm not going to tell him what to do. What was your intro to Shane Black? You know, because he scripted Long Kiss Goodnight. And I always knew about this movie. And for some reason, I just always because 95 was at 96 was that huge blur for me just catching up on stuff.

[00:07:35] I always was getting it mixed up with like other stuff like Kiss of Death or just other movies that Jackson was partially in, you know, even if he wasn't the lead. And I was like, no, no, no. See, this is different. This is this is a favorite on TNT or TVS to have on at four in the morning with Geena Davis being a Lafim Nikita kind of assassin. Yeah. But yeah, what would Lethal Weapon have been your first Shane Black or was that?

[00:08:04] Yeah, that was my first one. Yeah, I can't think of any other movie. I like I knew he was a thing. I knew his movies were even liked by Tarantino, which is so funny because they kind of sound similar. Although Shane, you could say is a little more dry wit. He is all about the one liners. And he did apparently do some script doctor stuff on Predator, even though it's not talked about. He came up with the name for Die Hard, even though he had nothing to do with the movie overall. But so, you know, constantly brainstorming stuff in Joel Silver's office.

[00:08:34] And that was his go to producer. And I think it makes sense that he worked on other stuff that Fred Ducker is often associated with because you're just like, yeah, yeah. He did work on Monster Squad and he did like a pass at Robocop free that wasn't used. So it's like, yeah, but my action hero is not even credited. And you're like, oh, but it's totally his movie at least halfway. And they do have a script together that. You know, unfortunately never got made, but it's supposed to be John Carpenter directing.

[00:09:05] Whoa. It was called Shadow Company. Man, Shadow Company. Shane Black also apparently has a cameo in Hunt for Red October. Does he really? Yes. I'll link the Reddit to you. I'm just like, man. But yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. Josh Whedon had like a Die Hard on the San Francisco Bridge movie that was supposed to have Liam Neeson attached that never got sold.

[00:09:35] So or it just never got made. One of the two. So usually those words are kind of thrown together, kind of like considered for a role versus auditioned. This is like I need clarification. I'll keep it civil. You're you're the Renny Harlin guy. I'm not Renny Harlin guy. I I can totally understand, though, why this movie is popular. I think the main issue is it was just kind of lukewarm. It was either like it or hate it. It made business.

[00:10:03] This giant bridge explosion is used in a bunch of directed video movies. They love reusing that final shot, which is just so odd, especially since that's the money shot of the movie, basically. Yeah, it's a big one for five seconds on screen. I think I counted one time. But yeah, it's weird. People who I think would like this movie really love it. People who I think would love this tend to not care for it, you know, and it's back and forth.

[00:10:32] Like, I never know. And then I see the usual, oh, accepted as camp or accepted as clever. I'm like, well, is it both? Which is it? I've never seen it as camp, to be fair, at least not to me. I mean, I can't take it seriously just because the buildup goes back. So back and forth. But a lot of people love it. And so I'll give it to them. Hey, you love what you love. I don't know.

[00:11:01] I love all kinds of spying assassin stuff. I love a racer. I love ballistic. I love assassins with Stallone, Banderas, Tarantino. You know, stuff varies, but I can understand the appeal on a good day. So, yeah, Jackson's easily the best thing about it. I don't think it's his best role because I don't remember his character name, but he just has his character's name. Oh, okay. There you go.

[00:11:29] Sam Jackson's like, yeah, he's doing his best Sam Jackson because that's all he's got to do. And he's just, he's an ex-convict, ex-copper. He's like, yeah, he's. He just comes across this gal and he's like, who the hell are you? He's like, I'm a private eye now. Yeah, more or less.

[00:12:00] Young Yovani Zima. And apparently. Had an test screening, they killed off his character. I'm like, why the fuck would you kill this character, Alfs? It would have been so lame. Yeah, I never understood that to this day. And Rennie Harlan has a habit of this. He had like a rabbit's death in Cliffhanger. Stallone apologizes and reshoots it. L.O. Cool J originally died in Deep Blue Sea. You're like, what the fuck?

[00:12:31] Why would you kill any of these characters? Yeah, that does not make any sense. I don't think he takes movies all that seriously. So for me, he always just came off at. People love to bash Michael Bay for whatever reason. And I'm just like, oh, here's the thing. At least he doesn't just randomly kill off people. I think he takes it pretty seriously. He just doesn't care about if the story always clicks. Especially in his career.

[00:13:00] Yeah. So. Overall, I mean. It's interesting how. Yeah. Geena Davis. I like her as a dramatic gal. I've been a fan of for years of stuff like Tootsie. You know, she was in The Fly. So I guess she's a partial screen queen. And I mean, she got to play president on TV. So I can't always say that about everyone.

[00:13:27] The last thing I probably saw her in was the Exorcist TV show. She was the gal who was possessed. And we've seen her in plenty of other stuff. Stuart Little, Beetlejuice, League of Their Own. That one, Louise. So she was the 90s gal. I just don't buy her as an action star. She's very athletic and everything. It just doesn't really come off as. Oh, yeah. I mean, I'm physically intimidating. Oh, see, I actually bought her.

[00:13:56] Especially compared to some later on that would try that. Like Alice and Janie tried that later on. And that didn't quite fit. Yeah. Good actress, but not an action star. Almost said it was Lou for Netflix. That was just like a. That was a watchable movie, but it had some shit in it. Where I was just like, he's needed one more rewrite. And now she's the president on TV. So.

[00:14:27] Yeah, I mean, I liked her in all her comedies. Speechless. Hero. Accidental Tourist. Even Earth Girls aren't easy. And recently she was in Blink twice. But yeah, this is in Comfort Island. Don't get me wrong. Comfort Island is just a mess. This one. I can totally. See as. Like. As a drama star, I can totally buy her.

[00:14:58] Oh, well, to each of our. To me. It was. Way more believable. Especially compared to some. Like I said before. And. I don't. I think if they got like the wrong actress. It would have. Fallen flat. Completely. Yeah. I would have done one more pass at the script. I. There are things I like about it. It's just. I find all the villains. Just very, very lame. I just.

[00:15:28] They. See, dad. Disagree. Especially. Especially Craig Bioko. I always enjoyed his villain. The most. I'll see. I only know him. Outside of this for. Boston Legal. I. He didn't really. Appear in much. Other than like. Stuff like 13th Floor. And Scary Movie 4. Right. Yeah. Which is a shame. But. I. I just. Find him. So in love with his voice. It kind of just turns me off. In kind of a blacklist. Kind of way.

[00:15:59] I'm just. Yeah. And don't get me wrong. I'm not saying everyone has to be. Alan Rickman. Or Jerry. And Randy Irons. I was like. No. I just need. Someone who's really. If they're a man child. That would work. Like. You and I have less issues. With Iron Man. Free. Is like. I. The setup is kind of lame. But I understand. The appeal of Guy Pearce. Playing that character. Is like. I was bullied. And. Overall. I mean.

[00:16:28] The main issue. Is just all the other. Different villains. Like. David Morris. Is a great actor. But. His character. Is just so shallow. In this. Like. I don't. He can do the work. Like. He's great. As the. Person who you think. Is one of the bad mercs. Who turns out to be loyal. To Ed Harris. In. In the rock. And. Then he's one of the other. Snipers in the negotiator. With Sam Jackson. Quentin Lee. But I was like. Yeah. They gave him nothing here. That just made me. Just like. Come on. David Morris.

[00:16:58] Can do so many things. I will agree. I will agree with you on that. That's. One aspect. I wish. They would have written his role. A lot different. I don't remember. Which character. Melina. Kind of. Karate is. Played in this. She one of the best friends. Or. Bankers. I think she's one of the friends. Okay. Because I've always been like. What the hell does she play? Coincidentally. Edwin Hodge is in this. And. He already would have played.

[00:17:27] He plays the son of Sam Jackson. So there you go. This is. A year after he played his nephew. And die hard with a vengeance. Rex Lynn's in here. So cliffhanger reunion. Plenty of other stunts. I. Keep seeing Will Ferrell's in this. I'm like. Who the hell is playing this? That must be. That has to be. I don't. Google. What are you doing here? Larry King. Yes. He's on the newscast at the end. But. Yeah.

[00:17:59] So. Early role for Brian Cox. What was your introduction to Mr. Brian Cox? Well. This is going to show my age here. But it was X2. Time. As Stryker. X-Men 2. Okay. Yeah. Cool. I. I definitely knew him by X-Men. But I had. So like. But growing up. I was pretty much just always watching movies continuously. So like. When I'm into my teens. Like. I have already seen. Manhunter on UPN. I. You know.

[00:18:28] Braveheart and Rob Royer on TV a lot. And he has. Supporting roles in that. I didn't realize he was in Super Troopers. It just didn't really click. I always like to joke that his. Bad guy. Government suit. And born identity. Is the same person as Striker and X-Men. He admitted both. An unstoppable spy. And a mutant. That's true. But. Yeah. He's been in everything. He's been in every British show. And it's so cool that people were realizing. Hey. We did kind of. He's in.

[00:18:57] He's done other stuff. Nuremberg from 2000. Lie. The Ring. Even. Anna. Also known as Mindscape. And Ironclad. But I was just like. Yeah. I'm glad he's getting his due. After being in the Red Films. After being. On Secession. For as long as he has. But yeah. He was kind of the epic movie guy for me. Just by the time we got to Troy. I was like. Yeah. He's. That's where he is. That's where he feels comfortable.

[00:19:27] You've seen him in other stuff. Like the Corrupter. But. Oh yeah. Yeah. His character is very confusing. Because he's basically a turncoat. At first. You know. She's here to meet up with him. And then it's like. Nope. I'm here to betray you. Plagia. Yeah. It's like a great. Oh yeah. I would say. Yeah. We kind of forget about him. After a while. He's like. Wait. No. What have I done? It's like. You fucked it up for everybody.

[00:19:57] Is what you've done. Yeah. Yvonne Zima. Early. Early role for her. She's coincidentally. If I'm not mistaken. And. She's in. Iron Man Free as well. I think. Yeah. She is. So there you go. It's like. And a nice guy as well. Nice guy. So yeah. Shane Black likes using her. Her. I did hear a funny interview with her. On the Spy Hearts podcast. Where she talked about how. It's so crazy.

[00:20:27] I was kind of the hostage. Bait. First. My first role is being one of the hostages. Who Tom Sizemore holds up. And then we have to film that scene. Without. Without. You know. Me falling over. And getting hit. And then. Long kiss goodnight. Same thing. I'm the daughter. Of the protagonist. And they're having to save me. And I'm just like. She's. Yeah. It's been funny. Going back and forth. And seeing that. Probably your best known role.

[00:20:56] Outside of this. As being. The very stuck up. Daughter of Anthony Edwards. On ER. Rachel. Well that and probably Young and the Restless as well. I saw that. I'm like. See. I don't know. I don't watch any soap. So I couldn't keep up. My mom watched it. That's how I. That's how I knew her. I knew like. So. Basic people. Who have been on stuff like that. Just because they're in everything. Like Judith Light. But it was like. Yeah. As well as the one of the.

[00:21:26] Planet of the Apes. Bad guys from the 70s. It's like. Yeah. They're in everything. So. Surprise. It's like. Yeah. How do you keep up? It's like. Man. Like. She was just. You kind of liked. To hate her on ER. Just because she was such a spoiled brat. And then. Only. Finally realizes. Yeah. I'm being really. Just impossible. Even for a kid. Yeah. But I did see.

[00:21:55] She was in Shane Black's play dirty. So I was like. Yeah. He's. He's utilizing her. That's cool. Just. Highlights. What. Any pros. Any cons. Like. For me. Just the action. And tone. Just don't work for me. I just. I. I like. Gina's. Marksmanship. And some are one liners. But it's just. After seeing it three times. It's. It's just not for me. I need to just. Accept my failure.

[00:22:26] Oh. There's. Plenty I can mention. There's the window jump. The window jump. Which they. Did for real. And it actually. Well. Although they didn't entirely. The stunt themselves. But. I'm convincing enough. There's pirate mechanics. And. I mean. My favorite. Line. The whole film. And this is just. My opinion. So. Take it. For the grain of salt here folks. Hey. We have a lot of taste. Go for it.

[00:22:56] I mean. Especially. Once. She kills all. Craig. And she says. No. You know. Suck my dick. See. That. That line works better for me. With Demi Moore. In the training scene. In a G.I. Jane. There's even bigger. Irony. All these people. Who are mentally breaking her. As she's preparing. As a seal. But. Same difference. That just worked for me there.

[00:23:26] I don't know. Or I could go for it. When Sam Jackson. Burst out of the truck. And you think he's dead. And he goes. You can't kill me motherfuckers. Like. Gotta get in some F-bombs. It doesn't happen. There's so many. I could quote from this. I mean. The last one I'll mention. Is the Craig Bierko one. The one line. I always quote. Every time. Whenever I talk to some people. About it. Is. One of his. Henchmen is saying.

[00:23:58] You know. So she has a truck. You know. What you gotta do with this. He's like. I'm hurt. I think I'm dying. He goes. Continue dying. I love. I love that. Personally. I'll continue dying. So yeah. See. That's definitely. Where it goes into. Let's get even more. Over the top. We got 10 minutes left. Like that's. Like some actors. Would not pull that off. Well. Especially nowadays. They would. They would say it in a way. It's just aggravating.

[00:24:28] But. Yeah. You know. He. I'm looking at you. Anthony Hopkins. It was a good balance. Anthony Hopkins. Read it back in. You're not Billy Zane. Yeah. You're not Hannibal. Just stop. Yeah. He still tries to be. He still does. There's a funny scene. In that. Unofficial sequel. To. Seven. Which. Long story short. Viewers liked. Critics didn't give a fair chance. Salas.

[00:24:58] He plays a psychologist. And at one point. And he's like. What do you think? I'm going to do. Eat you. I'm like. Okay. I'm not going to lie. That's funny. That's too cute for his own good. But that's pretty funny. Hmm. Oh. So. I guess we're ready to go on to the next one. Yeah. Barely lethal. Which is actually the only one I have not seen. Oh. So much fun. So. This is so much fun. This is so much fun. This is like the substitute. With a spy element.

[00:25:27] It was one of A24's first movies. Much like many movies. DirecTV was doing video of D. Back in the. 2015. It was by Carl Newman. Who many will know for helming fanboys. Oh. Okay. He is all about just campy stuff. He's done some other. He's a big Star Wars fan. So he's done some other documentaries. But I was like. I was just like. Whoa. What the hell is this? I was just like. We joked about it with Braden D.

[00:25:56] White one day. And he's like. Yeah. There's some decent martial arts. Don't. Don't let the co-produced by. Brett Ratner credits scare you off. It's pretty well shot. It's. I mean. If anyone liked the red films. If you liked. Gross point blank. It's basically. Yeah. It's this. And the. In fact. It is almost semi like a parody version of Dark Angel. Come to think of it. Jessica. Almost in this. Because.

[00:26:25] Like there's young people orphans in a government run. Prescott Academy. Trained to become field ops. And. The number one. Stopped by trainer Hardman. To have no attachments. She. Goes just by the name. Agent 83. She's. Rivaled by Agent 84. And she's curious about the world. Because her only. Intro to this. Is just for teen culture. Is magazines. And watching movies like Mean Girls. In Beverly Hills. 90210. So. It's just a very funny. Okay.

[00:26:57] But yeah. Haley Steinfeld. You know. Actress. Singer. Anyone. Or Marvel heads. They know her from. That. Being Gwen Stacy. And the Hawkeye show. She was on Dickinson for Apple. She. Is in the pitch perfect films. You would know her from. Where she actually. Was to sing and act. And. End of 17. I've been a fan since True Grit. So. We're in Bumblebee. And Sinners. And. Begin again. And I was like. Okay. You know. I.

[00:27:26] Not. Not bad. Not bad. She's. I would have never known. She was a singer. I really wouldn't. Like. So. I only knew that. Because the pitch perfect. That was it. So. Yeah. She's still going. And. She has some good. Charisma here. And. Because it's over the top. I wasn't worried about. Whether or not. She'd be convincing. As a spy or not. That there's plenty of other actors. In here. There's Steve-O. There's Dan Fogler. Finish Mitchell. So. Plenty of stand-up comedians. Kyle Newman made this with his.

[00:27:56] Wife at the time. Jamie King. Who you know from Sin City. Yeah. And. Yeah. She did fine. Jessica Alba is just really hamming it up. One of the teachers is Rachel Harris. From. Suits and Lucifer. You might know her from. Night at the Museum Free. The Hangover. Right. Yeah. She's. Yeah. I always call her female Michael Scott.

[00:28:25] Because I never. Or female Steve Carell. Because she kind of has that similar. Kind of just saying stuff dryly. And then there's just a wacky. Just. Thing to it. Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones. Is in this. Again. Not. Not a fan. Congratulations on being married to a Jonas brother. And being on. The insufferable Game of Thrones. I. I'm not getting much acting inside that. Noggin of yours. Sorry. Sophie. It's not my choice. Sophie. Yeah.

[00:28:56] Thomas Mando's okay. Okay. Here's the boy next door type. But yeah. Sam Jackson has a lot to do as her handler. He definitely has. Even though it's PG-13. He gets his fair share of just kind of. What are you doing? What the hell? You know. Just. He's kind of like a parody of. The police chief type. Deal. And it's like. You know. I don't mind this. But. Yeah. This had a few other original songs made for it. And. 24%. 4 out of 10 on. I'm. IMDB. No. Actually. Yeah.

[00:29:26] Metacritic was way. Way more favorable. 44. Yeah. That's way more. On the time. What does it have on IMDB? Please tell me. It's a good rating. Jesus. 5.4. Okay. Way more reasonable. So. Since you like all kinds of other. Kind of cult spy movies. Anything from like. Gymkhana. To. Bad Company. I think this would be up your avenue. I really. I did. It's better than spy. By Paul Feig. My God. Look at that movie.

[00:29:56] Well. State has the only good thing about that. He was. But see. Then he didn't take. Make use of the. Comedy is like. He was already kind of doing. Then those guy. Richie and. What's the other movies? The crank films. So it's like. He needs to pick a lane for sure. He would not have been out of place here. Yeah. I think everyone was just grumpy. Grumpy. Hollywood reporter. Was kind of the only kind person do it. I'm. I'm sticking with that. Fun enough. Like. You know what? It was enough.

[00:30:26] I did. I. Again. I would totally compare it to like. A PG-13 version of Punisher Warzone. Or even the substitute. It's that same kind of just. Action happening in a high school. And trying to not get caught. And. The teen stuff is just very. Campy is not the right word. But it's just very. It's making fun of those stereotypes. Hey. The kid in class. You know. Wants to hang out with me. Okay. Like. I.

[00:30:56] I didn't find any of the parties. Or. Fashion to be. Not fun. It was just like. Yeah. It's. It's not brats with guns. It's not. Even a Lego movie type movie. It's just. Literally. In action comedy. With. Spy and assassins. And. I. I don't know. If you want to call this a. Comedy version of Nikita. I would totally understand that. It's like. Yeah. She's. Trying to. Actually become kind of human. And. It. It's.

[00:31:25] And Jessica Alva. Yeah. Definitely gets a cool fight with her. There's a lot of like. Grappling. Kind of like. Moves. And like. Kind of James Bond moves. Where we're fighting. While spinning in the air. On doppling wires. And everything's like. Okay. Yeah. That's. That's some expensive. Stunt double work. And it doesn't take me out of it. There is a helicopter. Scene at the very end. It's like. Okay. You know. There. I did miss the mid credit scenes. Apparently.

[00:31:57] God. What's her name? The. The Heather character. Meets a henchman. Of. Alva's character. And orders him to find out. Where Megan is going to college. Like. Yeah. So. I kind of liked how they kind of kept that open. It's like. Yeah. You took out the main big bad. But. There's still. Going to be looking over your shoulder. In between having fun. And finding your humanity. And. It's not preachy. It's not. It's not like Barry.

[00:32:27] Where it's both funny and dramatic. And action packed. So. Yeah. The closest comparison. Would definitely be the red movies. Well. I definitely have fun with that. Then. Since I enjoy those. Yeah. The same kind of. Like. It. The first. Opening scene. Acknowledges. Hey. That this is self-aware. Over the top. This isn't just. Dorky. And then you're forcing. Yourself to take it at. Can't value. At can't face. Because that's what I don't like too. When. You know.

[00:32:57] Like. There is an evil dead. Or. I don't know. So. So many other movies. Where it's like. Take it however you want it. It works. And it's like. Yeah. This is not that kind of movie. Where you got to do some extra work. And turn off your brain. This is not Independence Day. Where it's stupid. But. And the only way you can do. Is literally turn your brain off. So. It's just like. Yeah. No. This is kind of just. It's teetering on it. And. But. I didn't see anything wrong with. Again. The stunts. At the very end. Just live written free in my head.

[00:33:27] I would watch it again. I was starting to check it out. And then. Our favorite. Probably of this list. The protégé. Is like. When Martin Campbell was announced. It was like. Okay. Let's freaking go. Yeah. Saw this opening day. When it came out. Oh man. So excited. So. Just to follow up. For those who. Had kept up with him stuff. It was like. Yeah. He. You know. He had. The Zorro movies. He had two of the best. You know. The first. Brosnan. And the first. Daniel Craig. James Bonds.

[00:33:57] He remade his. Classic miniseries. Edge of Darkness. With a pre-scandal. A post-scandal. Actually. Mel Gibson. You know. He was still coming back. You know. Vertical Limit. Was a like it or hate it. And then Green Lantern. He kind of had to. Be in director's jail for a bit. And then started doing. Like TV pilots. Beyond Borders. Was a drama. And then. Yeah. By the time he gets here. It's like. Okay. He's. He's doing action. Revenge movies again. And. It's like. Foreigner. Was an awesome. Patriot Games.

[00:34:26] Mixed taken with Jackie Chan. And Brosnan. Yeah. And. It's like. Now he's doing all kinds of other. Special forces. And under the edge movies. But it's. Then he does. You know. All kinds of other stuff. But it's like. Whoa. Okay. Protégé would definitely be in his top 10. I was like. And. When you told me. On his Reddit. He just saw Maggie Q. In a New York. I love you. Anthology. I was like. Oh. But how. Surely. One producer. Must have seen the Nikita show. And said. Let's give her another movie. Being a similar role.

[00:34:56] But it's like. Yeah. Yeah. That's what surprised me. When he said that. Like. In a. Asked me anything for Reddit. It was. Quite shocking. To find that out. It's. I don't want to spoil it. So this is going to be a little difficult. Robert Patrick. Brief supporting role. Sam Jackson. Again. Very key role. He's basically the mentor. Of. The title. Protégé. And. Richard Wink. Is back. In action. You know.

[00:35:26] Having done. Made a living. Doing all kinds of. Drama. Comedies. Horror. And action movies. Everything from vamp. To 16 blocks. To the equalizer films. And. Mechanic movies. With Statham and. Denzel. Respectably. But. Yeah. I was just like. Well okay. You know. He's. He's working with other masters. Of the arts. You know. He's worked with. Anton Fuqua. And Philip Noyes. Other action suspense guys. I'll forgive him. For craving the hunter.

[00:35:56] And masters of the universe. Because you know. Those all could have gone downhill. And they did. Oh. I think you're the only person. I probably didn't like that. Oh. Masters of the universe. Yeah. Oh. It's getting bashed. Oh it is. I've had most of people. Praise it. So. Yeah. Well. Jedi mind tricks. Don't work on me. The clips I've seen. I'm like. I mean. It is 67%. But. It didn't make any money.

[00:36:27] Exactly. I was just like. Who is this for? This is like. Discount. Deadpool humor. With Thor like armor. For all these characters. And everyone's like. Oh. There's Easter eggs for the cartoon. I'm like. Maybe if you're a dad. And you just want to take your kid to something. You can see. But. These are all good actors. And they're. All their parts are just so flat. And. Especially Jared Leto. Who's not an actor. But. Yeah. No. Yeah. Richard Wink. I'm a fan.

[00:36:56] I really like his. Dramedy. Just the ticket. Andy McDowell. And Andy Garcia. Some of the stuff. That's on the blacklist. But yeah. 16 blocks. Was kind of the first thing. I saw by him. Same here. Right. What do we think is Maggie Q. As a actress. She's kind of atypical. And. She was always just atypical to me growing up. I was just like. Whoa. Hey. Okay. She's part Hawaiian.

[00:37:26] Part Vietnamese. It's like. Okay. Well. She always had like a presence to her. Every film she was in. Not like from. Live free or die hard. But. Nikita. As well. It was a shame for a while. Because like those. Those two big movie scenes. Sequels. Bishop. Ballsville free. I heard four. And it's like. Yeah. But she's. They're taking a while. To give her a role. That's not just. Sexy girl number five. Or. Ass kicking gal. Who doesn't have many lines. And you know.

[00:37:55] She had some Hong Kong productions. Like. I was a fan of. Jim Y cops. And dragon squad. But I was like. Then she had just. Terrible roles. In just bad movies. Like deception. And operation. End game. Didn't like it or hate it. Cult stuff. Like balls of fury. And you're just like. Ah man. And eventually priest. As well. Oh. Yeah. And yeah. The divergent movie.

[00:38:25] She was good in. But those are trash. I forgot she was in those. To be honest. Yeah. Forget about fantasy island. The horror remake. And. The con is on. But. I liked her in slumber. And. This. Cyber hacking movie. Called the crash. Frank Grillo. And Minnie driver. Her. Like was Amo. But. She was only a brief role. Where she's just one of the caretakers. Who's also married to one of them. But. Yeah. I. I dig her as an action lead.

[00:38:54] And a screen queen. It's just. At the end of the day. I'm just going to call her Nikita. Like when she got to. Designate survivor. I'm like. Oh. It's the president. Jack Bauer. And. Secret service agent. Nikita show. She's now on Bosch. It was a cool backdoor pilot. They gave for that character. Who was based off of real life. A homicide cold case. Profiler. So. Ballard. Yeah. I know. She's all popular. Just because.

[00:39:24] She's. Outside of this. Pretty cool activist. Animal rights. And. Always coming up with like. Weight loss. And. Fruit diets. So. I can love that. But. Yeah. No. I. Good role for her here. And. When this was announced. It was like. Yeah. Co-produced by the people. Behind John Wick. And you and I were both joking. It's like. No. It's. But it's not a John Wick movie. Like. Not even. It's really not. Not even the soundtrack.

[00:39:56] Soundtrack. It's not. It wasn't Neo. But John Wick is. I mean. If you like John Wick. You'll certainly like this. I wasn't. Oh yeah. With the British. Electronic composer. Rupert Parks. But. He's worked with Daft Punk. And scored stuff like. How to get away with murder. I. Wasn't familiar with him. I was like. I like how there's electronic. But it's not. Blaring. Non-stop. Blaring. Blaring. It's not trance music. It's kind of. I don't know how I would describe it. Probably just.

[00:40:27] Intense. Kind of. Electronic music. But mostly. Orchestral. And. Coincidentally. Like. Much like last movie. There is a lot of. Giant MMA fighting. And. Rappling down on ropes. To. Take out henchmen. Yep. You got me there. It was co-produced by both. Indigenous cinema. And Millennium Films. So. I knew I was in good. In a good spot. It. Made.

[00:40:57] 8.7 million. At the box office. The budget. Was. I don't see anything. On the budget. Ah. That's weird. Yeah. I remember. It was like. Up against like. Four other films. That same weekend. Yeah. Lionsgate. What are you doing here? Okay. Roughly around. 25 million. Estimated. In 90B. But the Stewie figures. Are not widely publicized. So. I think Lionsgate. Just was down. For the rental numbers. I gave it a watch.

[00:41:27] As soon as it hit prime. And I was just like. Oh. Snap. It's on. 64%. Rotten Tomatoes. So. Not. Not schlocky. He's interesting. How he approaches this. How. Uh. They do layer Michael Keaton. He's. I don't think he's wasted. At all here. And he does get a brief. Fight scene in. I like how he. Which is my favorite. Fight scene in the movie. Actually. Yeah. He's taken like. Silverware from the kitchen. He's like. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

[00:41:57] I made you. Yeah. So. Yeah. He's. It's tough to describe. It sounds like an over the top cliche. But he kind of just is more just. He's been doing this so long. That he has nothing but a cheating. Shameless grin. Mm hmm. And. Uh. Scream ran has a cool write up on that. And action scenes are crucial in shaping the story. I would definitely concur with that. They are definitely. Storyboarded.

[00:42:28] Definitely. I would go with that. Uh. Yeah. I mean. Sam Jackson. It's cool how he's also kind of an adopted dad. And he's got. Uh. A beanie hat on. And he's. Bearded in this. With the trench coat. And. It definitely looks like. Leon the professional at times. He's like. Yeah. It. You know that you want to do this. He's. Told her how to make this be. Second nature to her. Mm hmm. Uh. Forbes magazine.

[00:42:57] Actually had a good write up on this. And a B list thriller. From an A list action director. I'm cool with that. This puts the. Yeah. I'm cool with that. It gives it the A for the B. And. This isn't like one of those confusing reviews. Where they're saying. It's worth it for Statham fans. The Statham movie. But. Not a great movie. It's like. Well hold on. Hold on. You just said it was good. For Statham. Yeah. That's. Yeah. I hate when they do that. The pick of lane. It just. It's just be condescending for no reason.

[00:43:27] You or I. If there's a movie that's good. But it's not really our cup of tea. We're going to give it like a free out of five. Saying it's good for that kind of audience. Worth a watch. And it's like. Okay. Good. But. Yeah. Forbes described this as playful and satisfying. I mean. I. Good. That's how I would describe it. But unfortunately. A lot of the promo images show Maggie. In her dress up. You know. Sexy gear. It's like. That's one scene. That's one scene. That is one disguise.

[00:43:55] That's how she got into that VIP party. For that crime underworld. So. And. Yeah. I kind of dug how Robert Patrick. God. How would I describe him? He's basically one of the contacts they meet up with. But yeah. He's just like. I'm not sure. She's ready. I was like. Of course she's ready. I did see. Unfortunately. One of the first reviews for this on Letterboxd. I said. As a one out of five. I was like. I think you just hate action movies. And see.

[00:44:24] I've encountered a lot of. Horror fans who hate action movies. But they like it when it involves martial arts or wrestling. I'm like. Well. That's action. If you're fighting zombies. That's also action. So. Yeah. Whatever. I could go on the whole. I could go on the whole rant about. I'm not prejudiced against any genre. Unless you're. A schizo director. Who's holding up a crappy shaky cam. I don't.

[00:44:53] Or you're doing the dreaded torture porn with horror. I don't. I'm not going to fucking judge. So. How would we describe this assassin character? I guess just to wrap it up in a nice blanket. Because. I think it's different from Nikita. You haven't seen that show. I have. I swear by it. That was. That was. When that show premiered. It was like. Finally something worth giving a shit about. On the CW. I'm actually going to watch that soon. So. Oh man. But. That.

[00:45:22] That was stupid. Netflix to drop that. It's like. Well luckily it's on 2B. So. I can watch it there. Yeah. That's a good place for it right now. I mean. Because. Nikita came out at the right time. Like. A year later. We had stuff like. Person of interest. We had all kinds of other stuff. It was like. Yeah. But. It was kind of appropriate. Richard winked is here. Because like. Those were kind of variations. On the. 80s. Equalizer TV formula. Is like. Have a spy.

[00:45:53] Or assassin. Turn vigilante. Who's writing a wrong. And. You didn't have to be familiar. With the Nikita formula. But no one was dreading it either. It's like. Did the role so well. I don't want to see any other take on it. That's true. But yeah. The Nikita character was all about. Find my humanity. Find out who raised me. Although her version.

[00:46:23] You know. In the Luke Besson version. It was all just. Find out there's an afterlife. And be kind of a noir. Looking romantic drama. In the. 90s TV show. On USA Network. Or by the. Pre-24 creators. It was definitely. More humane. And it was. And notoriously said. We weren't crazy about the movie. But we love the premise. So we did our own take on it. And. It was playful. It had a good soundtrack. That you can listen to. And yeah. Maggie Q's version.

[00:46:53] Uh. In some capacity. Much like the protege. Like. The protege is all about. Like. I just need the revenge. I will. Decipher. I will find a profile. On all these. Different higher ups. Who basically. Will make me wanted. For the rest of my life. Because of their CIA connections. Uh. On Nikita. It was pretty much. Similar kind of. Just tactical. Playfulness. And it was like. Yeah. We're. We're gonna. Do our best. To just. Always. Uh.

[00:47:23] You know. Just. I. I gotta. Unconvert all these. Brainwashed soldiers. And use them. Against the program. To take it down. And all the. People who wronged me. I was like. Okay. Cool. So. I. There she has an army. We'll do in her own ass. Kick in. And self-discovery. Here. It's kind of more of a. Just. Uh. You know. They fake you out. With a few different plot points. But at least. They kept that. Deliberately vague. And it's like. Okay. Cool. I don't feel cheated. Or like. Oh. It's another.

[00:47:53] Formulaic spy movie. And that's the other thing too. It's both spy and assassin. And so. Yeah. Fans of Jason Bourne. Fans of. Taken. Fans of. Trying to think from their spy franchise. Strike back. Definitely 24. She totally get along perfectly with Jack Bauer. You know. It's not. A comedy like Burn Notice or Chuck guys. Sorry. There's moments of it. But it's not a full on comedy. Yeah. It doesn't have the Michael Weston narration.

[00:48:24] I had to get my ass kicked in order to get in with this crew. Um. Yeah. I. I didn't feel like any part was wasted. I. They do kind of hint that there's some other traffickers. That she takes down. But it's still fun. So the only thing I would say. Well. Negative is relate. But the villains being sold off underwritten. It is weird. It's like. They do more with it. But yet. They do kind of all blend together.

[00:48:54] All the other European trash. Euro trash guys. I guess. Because. Like some of the other revenge movies. They. Ah. It's like some of the Scott Atkins. Or Antonio Banderas ones. That have come out. Recently. It's like. They're. They're organized enough. I'm okay with it being underwritten. Like. A similar movie like this was bent. Uh. With Carl Urban. As a. Ex-con turned private eye. Using his unusual connections. For a crime underworld.

[00:49:24] It's like. You're making use of the stunts. And MMA fighting. So that's good. But yes. Unfortunately. The Euro trash. Yeah. That. Once you see him in suits. I do feel like. Both the screenwriter. And director. Were aware of that. But they were just like. Yeah. But. They matter. Until they don't. And we're still gonna. Have you find a cool discovery. So. Yes. There's a bit of video game logic to it. Which I'm okay with. And then. Michael Keaton. As Rembrandt. Is just.

[00:49:53] Having the time of his life. It's like. He's basically. A little twisted. He just. Has no remorse for this. And. So. I guess. American Assassin. For instance. That was more popcorn than this. This was. Yeah. More like the Equalizer movies. And Taken films. And. Even though it was by the John Wick guys. It did not have any of those. Crime Underworld. Neon lights.

[00:50:24] You know. American Assassin. Was a like it or hate it. But. Straightforward revenge movie. I like Michael Keaton. In both of those. But I guess. American Assassin. Is just more. Just kind of the B. Or C crowd. And. This I would still put in the A crowd. Just because it's. There's enough. Grounding in this. I like how they cut back and forth. Between her. Getting disciplined. Into this. And. I guess. I don't know. It just. It had enough slam bang stuff. To where it's like. It's pretty hard for me.

[00:50:54] To fucking hate this. I don't go out of my way. To hate something good. God forbid. But it's like. Yeah. I just. It's like. Pretty above average. Even for Millennium Films. Usually. Likes to. Harken back to their. Canon films roots. Yeah. It really depends with them. Sometimes. Bulgarian assassins. Assassins. Okay. They're not assassins. They're just. People probably. Doing Ponzi schemes. But anyway. I.

[00:51:24] Yeah. So. Uh. There's lots of bombs in this. So I guess this movie is. The bomb. You could say. Good dialogue. I like how there's some. Standoff. And. Other movies. Like. Of this ilk. That. People did not care for. But I liked. Were. The November man. And. Uh. God.

[00:51:53] What was that other spy assassin movie? There's this one with Jamie King. And. Banderas. Yeah. Codename Banshee. And. So if you like some of the other. Like Frank Griller. Scott Atkins movies. If you like. Definitely. Some of those other spy. Assassin franchises. We've discussed. Uh. Lock and load. Uh. Overall. I mean.

[00:52:22] I was just glad that Jackson was well utilized. In all three of these. It's like. Yeah. It's pretty hard to see him. Poorly used in any of these. Unlike. Other people. I like. In some films. I don't. Mind him in the Star Wars prequels. Even though those are like it. Or hate it. I do feel like he's been wasted in. Uh. The Avengers movies. Way too much. And. He should have been in another diehard movie. That would have been. So there you go. Two diehard movie. Sequel actors. Um.

[00:52:53] Uh. Yeah. I mean. He should have already gotten an Emmy now. With his latest TV shows. But. Yeah. I mean. I can always say. Hey. He got to play Coach Carter. He was in Jurassic Park. He was. He laughed. That's true. Plenty of butter underappreciated stuff. Like unthinkable. Man. Uh. Yeah. No. I don't. I don't have any issue with.

[00:53:23] Sam Jackson. In any of these. And. He did get some action. In this one. Uh. And. Yeah. Yeah. Some very brief action. But. Yeah. It works. No. I mean. A good revenge movie. He had. Was the Samaritan. And no one saw that. Because it was a limited release. And I was like. Oh. Man. And. One critic. Had the nerve to say. Oh. Yeah. How dare he.

[00:53:53] Uh. Rip off old boy. I'm like. Oh. Come on. That can't be the only movie. To have an incest. Uh. Subplot. Anyway. No incest in this. So. That's good. Um. Thank God. It's not seen. It's just you find out later. And he's like. Oh. I know. That's sad. But. Yeah. I mean. I mean. I don't. I don't have any issue with. Sam Jackson. I don't. I don't. And.

[00:54:22] I hope he never has a day. Where he has to fire his agent either. So yeah. Give Maggie Q some more roles guys. Please. Please. She's been at this business way too long. And. Don't be wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if they want her to be a best friend or something. And she's like. No. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to do a crappy role. I actually would like to see if they do it. Get out. Like spend the bills. If they do. Make that happen. I mean.

[00:54:51] They better do it right. Have Linda Hamilton be the CIA gal who hires them. Well. This has been a delight for Sam Jackson. It's in September. And. You motherfuckers keep listening. Peace and love. We'll return after these messages. All right folks. How's that here? We got a 90 minute weekly shack stop. It's growing all over the world.

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[00:56:20] 9 p.m. Central. 1077 K-Twins. Find everything on HalShack.com. HalShack. If you like small town mystery, crazy news, and wild history, then the Florida Men on Florida Man podcast is for you. Each week, Josh Mills and Wayne McCarty bring you the absolute best Florida has to offer. So if you're looking for a show that's safe for the family, but funny enough to help you escape everyday life,

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