loevw After watching two Steven Seagal movies this weekend, I have a basis for comparison to say that this is fine action entertainment. Surely, the plot/story could have been better, but it's far from boring, and one does get to care for the characters. Most of the actors playing Brazilian didn't quite speak proper Brazilian Portuguese, but unless you speak Portuguese you won't notice it, and I didn't care that much, although it does take away some of the authenticity. There's some predictability, so if you're expecting something very original, you'd be disappointed.This movie delivers different scenes and locations, a story that makes you wonder a bit what's going to happen next, great martial arts fighting from Michael Jai White and even some cool Capoeira moves from Lateef Crowder. The gun fights are also pretty good. If you love action, this movie is fun and leaves you wanting more. Wish there was a sequel...

Gino Cox "Falcon Rising" is an enjoyable action film with outstanding fight choreography and reasonably complex characters. It is a relatively low-budget (essentially) direct-to-video potboiler and is not in the same league as "Spectre" or "Furious Seven." The plot is fairly thin and it's not too terribly difficult to predict which characters will eventually be revealed as villains. What it has is an abundance of competently choreographed and adroitly executed fight scenes and fairly consistent quality in scenes involving unarmed combat (including capoeira), knives, swords, improvised police batons and firearms. The scenes are shot in a way that showcases his skills and those of his adversaries. Michael Jai White (Chapman) may not win any awards for his dramatic skills, but his martial arts skills are top-notch and he does a credible job with the dialogue he is given. Lighting is fairly good. Camera-work suffers from noticeable over-dependence on jiggly-cam shots, particularly in shots that should be rock solid. There is not much in the way of a moral or character growth. There are no car chases and no romance angle. It's shot in Rio de Janeiro, but we don't see much of the city. The script has a few too many coincidences, contrivances and tired tropes, but the script is really just there to provide an excuse for the fight scenes. Chapman is haunted by memories of his past which are shown in brief series of memory flashes that could probably be less frequent and about a quarter as long in duration. However, there are some nice touches as well. It opens with what has become a ritual for Chapman that is embellished with a few innovative details that make it particularly disturbing. The scene is bookended with a symbolic action that is eloquent in its simplicity. As a modest-budget potboiler, it gets the job done. The fight scenes are done well enough that one can overlook weaknesses in other areas.

pal05052003 Falcon Rising is a movie that aims to be a franchise but fails to be interesting enough. It had many elements to help it get right. It had the martial arts talent of Michael Jai White and Lateef Crowder, the plot sounded like a no-holds barred revenge flick and I can imagine White wreaking vengeance on all the bad guys. Sadly, the story has a weak script, poor action choreography, and bad acting. This is a movie that tries to be a drama, thriller, and action but failing on all counts. The only parts that are enjoyable are some of the fight sequences. In fact, MJW fails to shine through in the fight scenes and seems to hold back a lot. When you see him effortlessly wield two sticks against a sword, and how he dispatched off a goon who was choking him, do you remember how talented a martial artist he is. Lateef Crowder on the other hand does not seem to be able to stretch his skills enough. If you had seen him in Ong Bak, then you would know what I mean. However, I blame the script and direction for this mess. When two of the most talented on-screen fighters cannot shine in an action movie, you know there is a problem.

stinemonster I grew up watching Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Harrison Ford action films. All of those guys are old and so we don't see too much from them anymore. We need some new and younger guys to come out and take over for the old timers.I liked this movie. It was a good old typical action flick and the action was good. It didn't have the story behind it like Indiana Jones or Rocky. It was a lot more like Rambo but it was still good. I hope they come out with more sequels to this.The acting was good. The action was good. There was enough explosions and fire fights to keep you entertained. They even threw in a little sword fighting. They covered just about everything.For everyone giving this a low rating, you must have hated Rambo, grew up in a different time or just don't like good action flicks. If you don't like the good old action flicks, then please don't rate them.