Lets start with the positive: the cast are really good. They weren't boring or trying very little. The fighting is also very good, its not shaky cam, its steady and you can clearly see the fight. The best fight is actually between Long Fei (Tiger Chen) and Jaka (Iko Uwais). This movie is also one of the most beautiful martial arts movie, not because of the quality but because you can clearly see the difference between kung fu and silat when fighting against each other.
The negative: the fights were good. yes. However, compare to the Raid or Ong Bak, or even the Protector they were okay. Don't get me wrong, the fight scenes are so much better compared to most Hollywood movies (except John Wick). However, due to time constraints they have to make the fights at most 3 minutes, which is a shame because these guys are great fighters. Also, the plot was confusing. Jaka hates Collin for killing innocents, but Jaka's plan involve killing innocents. Also, he calls people who don't have a name, so we have no idea who they are. Also, I was kind of bummed out that Iko Uwais loses most of his fights (he does win one). He is my favorite martial arts actor, so I was kind of bummed out. Most of the action is gun shooting (however its steady and not disorienting).
In conclusion: Its better than the Expendables for sure. However, the plot is a little messy, theres almost no character development. But it has great hand to hand combat. If you're judging it as a martial arts movie, its a 7/10 for me.
The negative: the fights were good. yes. However, compare to the Raid or Ong Bak, or even the Protector they were okay. Don't get me wrong, the fight scenes are so much better compared to most Hollywood movies (except John Wick). However, due to time constraints they have to make the fights at most 3 minutes, which is a shame because these guys are great fighters. Also, the plot was confusing. Jaka hates Collin for killing innocents, but Jaka's plan involve killing innocents. Also, he calls people who don't have a name, so we have no idea who they are. Also, I was kind of bummed out that Iko Uwais loses most of his fights (he does win one). He is my favorite martial arts actor, so I was kind of bummed out. Most of the action is gun shooting (however its steady and not disorienting).
In conclusion: Its better than the Expendables for sure. However, the plot is a little messy, theres almost no character development. But it has great hand to hand combat. If you're judging it as a martial arts movie, its a 7/10 for me.