Displaying items by tag: Henry Golding

THE OLD GUARD 2  

US, 2025, 107 minutes, Colour.

Charlize Theron, Kiki Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Veronica Ngo, Henry Golding, Uma Thurman.

Directed by Victoria Mahoney.

Audiences who enjoyed the original The Old Guard will be eager for this sequel. Those who come across the sequel first may well be puzzled about who the characters are and what is going on.

The original film explained the old guards, old godlike characters from mythologies of the past, coming alive, missions in the present, champions, clashes, action adventures.

This follow-up has much more of the same – much more, and fairly complicated plots, the return to the past and the origins of the immortals, some steps back into more recent centuries and the plights of some of these old guards, successes, failures, disappointments, retirement.

And, a visit to Korea to consult one of the old gurus and to discover what is really happening – and who is behind a lot of mysterious and complicated goings-on.

The film has a very strong cast, some from the original, and the presence of Uma Thurman as Discord, a malevolent power behind the goings-on.

And, there is a lot of costume drama from the past, some down and out misery in the present, some travel to a range of countries in the present, a mixture of drama and escapism.

The ending and resolved – expectations for the next film?

1. Popularity of the original film? Welcoming this sequel? Its ending in mid-plot and the need for the third film?
2. The characters from the original film, the situation of the immortals, the origins of their immortality, the range of cultures, legendary backgrounds, no religious backgrounds, working together, clashes? Flashbacks to sequences in history? The surviving, the possibility of dying? Andy and her losing her immortality? Nile and her capacity for injuring people and their losing their immortality? Quynh, partnership with Andy, the battle, Andy and her decisions, Quynh and her imprisonment, the opening of the film and her being drawn out of the sea?
3. The range of locations, the Adriatic, Paris, Rome, Italian cities…? The touch of the exotic? And the quick ability to move from place to place! The musical score?
4. The situation, the arms dealing, the mysterious identity, the initial action in Croatia, the CIA connection with Copley, his role in the previous film, now aligned?
5. The action sequences, the fights, Andy and her martial arts skills? And the later fights with Quynh? The determination to find the mastermind?
6. Audience surprise that the mastermind was Discord, the tradition of immortality, her power, vengeance, losing immortality? Her lurking in pursuing? With Quynh, winning her to her side? The buildup to destroy Andy?
7. Booker, the past separation, alone, drinking, in Paris, Discord tracking him down, setting him up, his going back to Andy, the message, his change of heart, rehabilitated? Joining in the quest? His wariness of immortality, the fencing sequence, the three, wounded by Nile, willingly losing his immortality, his participation in the final confrontation, his death?
8. The visit to Korea, the character of Thua, immortal, his vast library, his activities, Discord stealing the books for studying, Thua and his joining the group, participation in all the activities and fights?
9. The buildup to the confrontation with Discord, her plans, the bomb, the plant, the timer?
10. Quynh, the sequences with Andy, the explanations, her non-forgiving, siding with Discord, with the timer for the bomb, the meeting and their talk, the decision against Discord?
11. The fights, the split second timing, the bomb, the various immortals involved? Andy regaining immortality because of Booker’s sacrifice? Nicky, her powers, not realising them?
12. The sudden ending, unresolved, need for a third film?

ASSASSIN CLUB

US/Italy, 2023, 111 minutes, Colour.

Henry Golding, Noomi Roopace, Sam Neill, Daniela Melchior, Jimmy-Jean Louis.

Directed by Camille Delamarre.

This is an action show, rather complicated, which serves as a pastime.

There is an interesting prologue, a scene between a father and daughter, then his assassination and her escape. Towards the end of the film, the audience will understand the significance of what happened, the assassin, the motivation, political repercussions in the Czech Republic.

However, the main focus of this film is on Morgan, played by Henry Golding who made such an impression in Crazy Rich Asians. Formerly in active service, he has been recruited to be an assassin, killer of evil people whom the law cannot touch. An orphan, he was to befriended by Caldwell who trained him and then is his controller. Caldwell is played by Sam Neill at his most British urbane style.

We see Morgan on the job, failing, attacked, almost killed. He has visits with Caldwell, is informed about a plan whereby a rich client has targeted seven assassins. We are soon informed that each of the seven assassins has been commissioned, with promise of $1 million per assassination, to eliminate the others. Morgan has encounters with various assassins, killing them, fighting them, making the agreement with a more sympathetic assassin who lives with his young daughter in Barcelona.

In the meantime, this seems to be a special secret government squad, led by Falk, Noomi Rapace, who has all kinds of agents at her control, all kinds of technology, and a link with police official played by Jimmy-Jean Louis.

One of the credibility drawbacks of the film is the comparative ease with which Morgan can move from assassination scene, from one country to another, and come back to his girlfriend in Rome. But when he has to disappear, he also has a secret apartment in Rome, which, with a eye identification, also holds a huge arsenal as well as an extraordinary amount of surveillance screens.

He is in contact with the leader of the official squad and they play cat and mouse interactions.

Eventually, the villain starts to be unmasked, the confrontation, very urbane then deadly, with Caldwell, the abduction of Morgan’s girlfriend, tied up in a bath with the tap on, and explosives with a timer

Since Morgan is the hero, and wants to avenge Caldwell’s death, as well as to rescue his girlfriend and defuse the explosives, there are some deadly fight sequences with the villain – but a final shot in the street, the bullet seen in close-up slow motion as the villain is killed.

Critical and blogger response to the film has been quite negative – but, as was said, it is an action-thriller, reminiscent of many other films, a time-passer.