SMP Reviews
 An increasing number of faith-based films have come onto the scene over the past ten years. While they started out being debate films filled with exposition of opposing views and retelling of biblical stories, they have since branched out into the horror and action genres. One recent film fits into the later category; Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace from Director Ali Zamani which is a follow up to Angels Fallen. Gabriel, a soldier who was wounded in combat, is called by a higher power to help save the world from being overrun by an army of demons led by the archangel Michael. Gabriel assembles his old team for the mission but realizes they cannot do it alone. They soon join up with a group of warriors who are experienced in demonic warfare. It will take everyone’s strength and faith to save the world.  Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace is a melodramatic and cheesy action film with a campy spirit that is rooted in faith. It is a mixed bag of good and bad. I enjoyed the world-building in the story, from the rules the Warriors of Peace follow to the existence of demons to the production design. All of it was a fun world to experience. I particularly enjoyed the “Q” scene where our heroes are called to an armory full of demon fighting weapons which is run by Deborah, well played by Denise Richards. Richards looked like she was having fun and even got a chance to spill some demonic blood. I also enjoyed Balthazar, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., taking over the role played by Michael Madsen in the previous film. He gets to flex his muscles a bit in a flashback scene fighting demons on a really cool stone bridge. The action scenes are well choreographed and involved. Both the fight scenes in the strip club and a motorcycle chase had decent stunts and were well directed. Even the fight with the CGI demons was not half bad. Then there was the unexpected blood and nudity that made it a bit edgier than many other films of this type.  All of these positive elements were not enough to cover up the roughest aspect of Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace: the screenplay. It really could have used more work. The dialog was uninspired and very on the nose. The majority of the characters were one note with very little distinguishing one from the other. This impacted the performances of the cast which ranged from decent to ok. Josh Burdett plays Gabriel with the weight needed for the character. You can feel his struggle with his faith, beliefs, and see him being a leader to his squad. Michael is played by Michael Teh and his performance is the best, possibly because he has some of the better dialog. Teh plays the heavy with the right balance of confidence and darkness. The rest of the cast do well enough with the screen time they have, but they all could have used better written characters and dialog. The CGI looked far better than many indie films with the same budget but when it was bad, it was very noticeable. The music could have also been better, but when working on smaller budgets score usually takes a back seat.  Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace is one of the better faith-based films to come out in recent years. It’s mature edge helps make it more accessible to adults and it never gets too saccharine. The preachiness is still there but it at least wears its beliefs on its sleeve and isn’t trying to convert its audience. The production value is high, and it had a bit of a Buffy The Vampire Slayer vibe to it. Overall I was more entertained than I thought I would be. I think if you enjoy this genre of film, you should seek it out.
1 Comment
 A new independent neo-noir murder mystery is out that combines classic mystery elements with social commentary. King Saud is about two detectives who have to put their differences aside to solve the murder of a Saudi prince who was killed along with a high-priced sex worker. The two are pressured to solve the case before it becomes a national incident. As they draw closer to the answers, dark secrets about the department begin to surface, as well feelings between the two detectives. The question is, are they just playing each other to uncover secrets? Is there more to the murder than what it seems? Is there a chance for redemption among any of the characters?  Director and writer Mark Toma brings us an interesting murder mystery that has more layers than expected. Putting the story on an international scale raises the stakes and is a great additional knot for the detectives to unravel. There is not a lot of action going on as this is a character-driven piece. A lot of scenes are conversations that range from police corruption to gender inequality to class warfare to name just a few topics. Outside of one or two scenes, it doesn’t get preachy, and the conversations are woven into the web of standard murder mystery inquiries. The conversations are kept interesting thanks to the performances of the talented cast.  Kate Orsini plays Detective Lynch, a new detective to the department who is paired with the seasoned veteran Detective Wolfe, played by Mark Toma. They start off as the good cop bad cop dynamic, but it soon develops into more. Orsini portrays Lynch initially as the straight laced cop but you can tell that she is carrying a secret. She is a tough, no BS character who turns her frustration over how she is treated into a strength. Detective Wolfe is one who wears most of his feelings and frustration on his sleeve though you can tell he also harbors some secrets. He is not all bad though, and there is a soft heart under his hardened, I-am-getting-too-old-for-this-shit exterior. Two of the suspects end up being the most interesting characters. Rachel Alig is Carlucci, the madame of the high end sex worker service. She is a strong, complex, dark character who you will love to hate. Just when you think you have her figured out, another layer is added. My favorite character is the servant of the prince who was killed, Al Mahir, played by Mike Saad. I loved every scene he was in. His personality fills the screen and is the most entertaining. He gets some of the most meaty dialog, which is deserved. I love where they took this character by the end.  There is a lot of social commentary which might turn some viewers off. I feel that this could have been trimmed down. We are able to pick up what the director is laying down in most scenes rather quickly and do not need them to linger as long as they do. Towards the end, some character decisions felt forced. These are minor faults in an otherwise interesting film.
If you enjoy a dark, gritty slower burn murder mystery you will enjoy King Saud. The larger statements the director is trying to make about politics and people are not distracting at all. The performances really drive this story to a satisfying ending. I give it 3.5 stubs. |
AuthorI have been reviewing films since high school. I love discussing films with those who share my passion for them. I also do video reviews on YouTube and on my podcast. Archives
October 2024
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