The Fourth Annual Big Bad Film Fest closes out with screenings of Monde Match and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning.
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
Big Bad Film Fest’s final day truly summarized what this film festival was about: short films, new films and revival screenings of not-often-screened masterpieces. All curated by Patrick and Powell, the organizers of the Fest to the mission statement taken from their website:
A witty piece of action comedy about what it’s like to eat spicy food that literally and figuratively kicks your ass. The hardest part with any high-concept idea is in its execution. Vo and Thun manage not just to deliver on the premise but do so with style.
Match Monde (dir. Ryûsuke Kurahashi)
The concept of an app that matches people to fight rather than date is novel. What could have been a one-note high-concept action film manages to be a heartfelt look into friendship. Much like the Baby Assassins series (writer/director Yugo Sakamoto of the series also wrote the screenplay for this film, which is an adaptation of a Manga series by Shogo Horiuchi), the film is more than its high-concept and finds a way to speak to violence, friendship, bullying, and pancakes in a way low-key comedic way.
The action is uniquely Japanese in the way that action cinema in that country has evolved. Those who have watched in delight over the last decade or so as Japanese action films have quietly (and not so quietly) evolved into some of the best in the world will not be surprised to hear that Match Monde features some of the best fights of the year. The film features that unique quick hand-to-hand judo style that separates it from the grappling jiu-jitsu style of Brazilian MMA-influenced Western films (see John Wick). It should surprise no one (well, anyone in the know) that the film’s action choreography/direction was done by Naohiro Kawamoto, who has done amazing work on the Baby Assassins series, the brutally brilliant Bad City, and, of course, this year’s The Furious.
Though as good as the fighting is, it’s the interplay between Mikio (Kotaro Daigo) and Mahiro (Katsuki Masayoshi) that really elevates this one. The café scenes between the two as they inadvertently take jobs and find a passion for food and cooking are the lo-fi human comedy that manga excels at and is translated perfectly here. In fact, if this film had just been about the café, it would have been just as interesting. Luckily for action fans, it’s the added layer to the cake that is this film. This one is well worth searching out.
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (dr. John Hyams)
If you tell someone that Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning is a no-shit dead-serious masterpiece of filmmaking and a high watermark for action cinema of the 2000s … they may laugh. If they laugh, then they haven’t seen Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. This pure slice of insanity is what happens when inspiration and all the right circumstances occur in a production. It feels almost criminal that director John Hyams and company were able to get away with what they got away with.
The fourth film in the franchise (we don’t count the off-brand sequels that are in-name-only sequels) takes its cues heavily from Apocalypse Now. Even discussions of going “upriver” are had. The film is its own brand, unrelentingly bleak and cynical at every turn, and it separates itself from just about every movie in the franchise and DTV movie of the era. It begins with a man (Scott Adkins) watching his wife and daughter executed during a home invasion. What begins as a simple tale of revenge dives into an acid trip of a journey into deep state assassinations, cloning, and mind control; by the end, it becomes something entirely different: a dark, foreboding nightmare about identity and duality.
Though this is not a navel-gazing affair. Director John Hyams and action/fight choreographer Larnell Stovall (who also worked on the Undisputed franchise) have created a bone-crunching, thrilling action film that runs the gamut of set pieces. From car chases to close-quarters gunfights to an all-out to-the-death melee in a sporting goods store, there is no stone left unturned. Having star Scott Adkins at the apex of his career physically helps Hyams and Stovall push the limits of what can be done without the aid of trickery. Every action scene seems to be a holy-fucking-shit moment where they did something that looks like it could have ended Adkins’ life.
As good as Adkins is (and he’s very good in the film), Day of Reckoning is stolen underneath him from the bravado performances of the original stars of the first film, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. Lundgren goes over-the-top Spinal Tap eleven in his role from the get-go and only goes up from there. More is less, and more is more is more, in Lundgren’s performance, and we’re all better off for it. Van Damme has the less showy but by no means lesser part. The film transforms his Luc Devereaux from a robotic hero to a mythic Colonel Kurtz-like character. So much is the Apocalypse Now vibes; JCVD appears in full camouflage in the climactic battle.
There isn’t a more fitting description of Day of Reckoning than by the director himself. Hyams (in a post-screening Q&A) said he took inspiration from the films of Gaspar Noé and specifically Enter the Void (calling it a work of genius and one of his favorite films). If there ever was an action film equivalent to the work of Gaspar Noé and Enter the Void, it would be John Hyams’ Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. A dark and unrelenting work of genius.
I want to thank Big Bad Film Fest for having me out to cover the festival. Patrick and Powell have put together a truly impressive weekend of movies (both feature-length and shorts) that are beautifully curated. Anyone who loves action films, after spending a weekend at this festival, knows that there is a kinship here – like-minded souls – that see the genius, artistry, and hard work that goes into making these types of films.
I cannot recommend the festival enough, especially if you’re a fan of action films. In 2027, buy yourself a pass, as I have a feeling that the Big Bad Film Fest is not just going to continue to grow, but it’s going to be around for a while.
The Fourth Annual Big Bad Film Fest closes out with screenings of Monde Match and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning.
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
Big Bad Film Fest’s final day truly summarized what this film festival was about: short films, new films and revival screenings of not-often-screened masterpieces. All curated by Patrick and Powell, the organizers of the Fest to the mission statement taken from their website:
“Big Bad Film Fest enters its 4th year presenting a line-up of Independent and International Action Films in Los Angeles, CA focused on cultivating the indie filmmaking, stunt and action community all in one place. Our constant mission is to celebrate and promote the action films and stars we love from the past, present, and future.”
Lost in Spice (dir. Maryline Vo and Virak Thun)
A witty piece of action comedy about what it’s like to eat spicy food that literally and figuratively kicks your ass. The hardest part with any high-concept idea is in its execution. Vo and Thun manage not just to deliver on the premise but do so with style.
Match Monde (dir. Ryûsuke Kurahashi)
The concept of an app that matches people to fight rather than date is novel. What could have been a one-note high-concept action film manages to be a heartfelt look into friendship. Much like the Baby Assassins series (writer/director Yugo Sakamoto of the series also wrote the screenplay for this film, which is an adaptation of a Manga series by Shogo Horiuchi), the film is more than its high-concept and finds a way to speak to violence, friendship, bullying, and pancakes in a way low-key comedic way.
The action is uniquely Japanese in the way that action cinema in that country has evolved. Those who have watched in delight over the last decade or so as Japanese action films have quietly (and not so quietly) evolved into some of the best in the world will not be surprised to hear that Match Monde features some of the best fights of the year. The film features that unique quick hand-to-hand judo style that separates it from the grappling jiu-jitsu style of Brazilian MMA-influenced Western films (see John Wick). It should surprise no one (well, anyone in the know) that the film’s action choreography/direction was done by Naohiro Kawamoto, who has done amazing work on the Baby Assassins series, the brutally brilliant Bad City, and, of course, this year’s The Furious.
Though as good as the fighting is, it’s the interplay between Mikio (Kotaro Daigo) and Mahiro (Katsuki Masayoshi) that really elevates this one. The café scenes between the two as they inadvertently take jobs and find a passion for food and cooking are the lo-fi human comedy that manga excels at and is translated perfectly here. In fact, if this film had just been about the café, it would have been just as interesting. Luckily for action fans, it’s the added layer to the cake that is this film. This one is well worth searching out.
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (dr. John Hyams)
Note: I would strongly suggest reading Priscilla Page’s excellent [and far more insightful] review of the film. I have been a long-time fan of her work [read her articles on Shane Black and Michael Mann … you won’t be disappointed] and got to meet her at the festival during the screening.
If you tell someone that Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning is a no-shit dead-serious masterpiece of filmmaking and a high watermark for action cinema of the 2000s … they may laugh. If they laugh, then they haven’t seen Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. This pure slice of insanity is what happens when inspiration and all the right circumstances occur in a production. It feels almost criminal that director John Hyams and company were able to get away with what they got away with.
The fourth film in the franchise (we don’t count the off-brand sequels that are in-name-only sequels) takes its cues heavily from Apocalypse Now. Even discussions of going “upriver” are had. The film is its own brand, unrelentingly bleak and cynical at every turn, and it separates itself from just about every movie in the franchise and DTV movie of the era. It begins with a man (Scott Adkins) watching his wife and daughter executed during a home invasion. What begins as a simple tale of revenge dives into an acid trip of a journey into deep state assassinations, cloning, and mind control; by the end, it becomes something entirely different: a dark, foreboding nightmare about identity and duality.
Though this is not a navel-gazing affair. Director John Hyams and action/fight choreographer Larnell Stovall (who also worked on the Undisputed franchise) have created a bone-crunching, thrilling action film that runs the gamut of set pieces. From car chases to close-quarters gunfights to an all-out to-the-death melee in a sporting goods store, there is no stone left unturned. Having star Scott Adkins at the apex of his career physically helps Hyams and Stovall push the limits of what can be done without the aid of trickery. Every action scene seems to be a holy-fucking-shit moment where they did something that looks like it could have ended Adkins’ life.
As good as Adkins is (and he’s very good in the film), Day of Reckoning is stolen underneath him from the bravado performances of the original stars of the first film, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. Lundgren goes over-the-top Spinal Tap eleven in his role from the get-go and only goes up from there. More is less, and more is more is more, in Lundgren’s performance, and we’re all better off for it. Van Damme has the less showy but by no means lesser part. The film transforms his Luc Devereaux from a robotic hero to a mythic Colonel Kurtz-like character. So much is the Apocalypse Now vibes; JCVD appears in full camouflage in the climactic battle.
There isn’t a more fitting description of Day of Reckoning than by the director himself. Hyams (in a post-screening Q&A) said he took inspiration from the films of Gaspar Noé and specifically Enter the Void (calling it a work of genius and one of his favorite films). If there ever was an action film equivalent to the work of Gaspar Noé and Enter the Void, it would be John Hyams’ Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning. A dark and unrelenting work of genius.
I want to thank Big Bad Film Fest for having me out to cover the festival. Patrick and Powell have put together a truly impressive weekend of movies (both feature-length and shorts) that are beautifully curated. Anyone who loves action films, after spending a weekend at this festival, knows that there is a kinship here – like-minded souls – that see the genius, artistry, and hard work that goes into making these types of films.
I cannot recommend the festival enough, especially if you’re a fan of action films. In 2027, buy yourself a pass, as I have a feeling that the Big Bad Film Fest is not just going to continue to grow, but it’s going to be around for a while.
The Big Bad Film Fest will be back in 2027
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