1. ‘Beast’
A decade ago, Patton (Daniel MacPherson) and his trainer Sammy (Russell Crowe) ruled the mixed martial arts world. But after Patton went to prison and was released, he left the sport, finding solace and a family as a fisherman. After nearly killing Patton’s younger pugilist brother in the cage, Xavier (Bren Foster), the new champion, wants to face Patton. Years earlier, Patton had knocked out Xavier, the lone blemish on Xavier’s record.
In that regard, Tyler Atkins’ “Beast” recalls “Rocky III.” Like that boxer, Patton has lost his will to fight. The only reason he is coaxed back into the cage, in fact, is to repay a debt his brother owes to a local gangster. Consequently, Patton spends the film repairing his frayed relationship with Sammy and rekindling his competitiveness. The action within the cage has a bruising, survivalist energy, where it’s not about how hard the hit is, it’s about whether Patton can pick himself up. (Rent or buy on most major platforms.)
2. ‘Dongji Rescue’
Based on the true story of the Lisbon Maru, a downed Japanese cargo ship carrying more than 1,800 British prisoners of war, Guan Hu and Fei Zhenxiang’s historical epic “Dongji Rescue” dramatises the bravery of two fictional brothers: Ah Dang (Lei Wu) and Ah Bi (Yilong Zhu). They’re scavengers living on Dongji Island, who, while fishing, discover a British soldier floating in the water. Dang wants to help. Bi is apprehensive about upsetting the vengeful occupying Japanese force.
“Dongji Rescue” is about a people learning to overthrow the yoke of their oppressor. The islanders, led by the example of Dang and Bi, find their freedom in the water. A climactic extraction of the prisoners, led by locals, shows small Chinese fishing boats fighting against a mammoth whirlpool and drowning British soldiers battling gunfire and waves to defend themselves against the armed Japanese. For a touching finale, the film’s credits feature interviews with real-life descendants of the survivors. (Stream in on Hi-Yah!)
3. ‘Mexicali’
Bren Foster is Joe, a former special forces soldier living in Mexico, in Luke LaFontaine’s “Mexicali.” Joe tranquilly works for and dates Estrella (Tania Raymonde), whose avocado farm has been in her family for generations. Joe’s relative peace is broken when the son of a local gang leader threatens his friend Marco (Daniel Enrique Montilla). Joe kills the scion, causing the fixers Baptiste (Plutarco Haza) and Ruthie (Kris Van Damme) to be assigned to his trail.
“Mexicali” often recalls works like “Commando,” where the desire for a high body count overrides logic. Joe will engage in underground brawls and leave a path of blood and destruction if it means he can continue farming. The final shootout at Estrella’s ranch, which features her and Joe firing a barrage of bullets at a cartel army, is so aimed for carnage that the goons seemingly jump in the line of fire, with little rhyme or reason, solely for our entertainment. (Rent or buy on most major platforms.)
4. ‘My Dearest Assassin’
Taweewat Wantha’s “My Dearest Assassin” follows Lhan (Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul), a girl rescued by Poh (Chartayodom Hiranyasthiti) from bounty hunters led by Pruek (Toni Rakkaen). Lhan’s rare blood type, Aurum, is coveted by a wealthy man. With Poh, who runs an underground assassin ring, Lhan forms a new family that includes Poh’s son Pran (Thanapob Leeratanakachorn) and his friend M (Sivakorn Adulsuttikul). Both men have a crush on her.
Two exceptional set pieces are the film’s highlights. The first has Pruek and the flamboyant killer Chaba (Chanudom Suksatit) raiding Poh’s hideout. Easeful whip pans flip viewers from one assassin to the next as they slide across the floor and spin around one another. The second fantastic sequence happens toward the end of the film at an abandoned warehouse whose multilevel courtyard becomes a natural shooting gallery. Together, with the film’s charged teenage courtship, “My Dearest Assassin” is a romantically angsty blood bath. (Stream it on Netflix.)
5. ‘Dead of Winter’
It’s rare to see an action movie led by an older woman. But Brian Kirk’s icy film “Dead of Winter,” possesses the gift of Emma Thompson’s heartening presence. She plays Barb, a widow who ventures to a frozen lake in northern Minnesota to scatter her husband’s ashes. While there, she encounters Leah (Laurel Marsden), a girl in need of rescue from a woman known as Purple Lady (Judy Greer) and her husband, Camo Jacket (Marc Menchaca).
By virtue of Barb never learning the names of these kidnappers, the morbid subject matter of Kirk’s film manages to feature some levity. This is a Liam Neeson-coded survivalist work that features Barb’s ingenuity — like stitching a wound using a fishing line — and idiocy by the outsiders who try to help her. While Thompson shines as the sanguine hero with a melodic Minnesota accent, Greer is as unhinged as they come. Together, they make for a grounded winter showdown whose excitement arises from an intense cat-and-mouse dynamic. (Stream it on HBO Max.) — The New York Times.
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