30 reviews
Zoe Bell brings a good fight...that's it.
I was expecting more when the synopsis of the movie mentioned that Lucy Lawless was also going to star with it along with Zoe Bell, but after the fact I realized that that makes little sense, cause outside of Xena warrior princess I've never seen Lawless do action and the chick who actually did her action on that show is starring in the film.
I thought this was an good starting Vehicle for Zoe Bell. It was a decent story about a emotionless hit man hunted by her victims after getting a knife to the head.
Zoe did her best, showing her capable acting skills, and most importantly, showing her fighting skills, which I felt were top notch. Bell's got the action down pack, her fight scenes were impressive. Lucky for her, to be an action star, there's not much more you need.
I did not see this as the original web series it was, I saw it as a full feature. From what I herd this is a better way to do it.
I thought this was an good starting Vehicle for Zoe Bell. It was a decent story about a emotionless hit man hunted by her victims after getting a knife to the head.
Zoe did her best, showing her capable acting skills, and most importantly, showing her fighting skills, which I felt were top notch. Bell's got the action down pack, her fight scenes were impressive. Lucky for her, to be an action star, there's not much more you need.
I did not see this as the original web series it was, I saw it as a full feature. From what I herd this is a better way to do it.
- bbickley13-921-58664
- Nov 11, 2014
- Permalink
Imitation "Alias"/"La Femme Nikita" vehicle for Zoe Bell
Angel of Death
- Scarecrow-88
- Aug 9, 2009
- Permalink
a great fun flick
I enjoyed this. I have the all i can rent blockbuster membership so i see A LOT of flicks. And many only the first chapter, then skip to last to see f/x or finale. This was thorughly enjoyable. Zoe did a kick booty job. She was hot, acted well, even the tough scenes, I never cringed at all. I sort of cringed in 'Death Proof' at the acting she did, which was non per Quentin's direction... but in this, she did it. she delivered her lines. Her acting, and her fight sequences were great. Hard, gritty, sexy but not SEXY ridiculous, but sexy hot gritty cool, you know what I mean. Her moves looked & felt real, like, oh yah, that's how a women can fight a big dude, like me, I'm buying it. gun play was excellent too, as in, no gunplay, just solid use of guns, knives, fists, mirrors, ground, ...great! story was simple, straightforward & well paced. direction was solid.
kudos to the Director of photo, i really liked the lighting, the contrasts, the light/shadow, the silhouettes, really done well. i think i'm buying this one. something i can enjoy watching every few years along with Leon/the professional, seagal's first 4 movies, bruce lee, streetfighter, old boy, & pink panther.
kudos to the Director of photo, i really liked the lighting, the contrasts, the light/shadow, the silhouettes, really done well. i think i'm buying this one. something i can enjoy watching every few years along with Leon/the professional, seagal's first 4 movies, bruce lee, streetfighter, old boy, & pink panther.
- Worldofgrim
- Aug 22, 2009
- Permalink
What's bad about modern comics is what's bad about this film
A Fun movie in need of a real lead actor
You know from the beginning this is not Quentin Tarantino nor is it trying to be , it's just a fun popcorn movie, but the main thing that ruins the movie is choosing a stunt woman as a lead actor. She just doesn't have the chops to pull this off. Even the third stringers out-act her here. She's not horrible, but she definitely can't pull off an ensemble part , and doesn't have one redeemable character trait she can use to make her character even slightly real. The movie is over the top violent and ridiculous, with a fun twist, but any other real actress would have solidified the movie. It has all the cliché elements you need for this type of flick, and good production values, but when the extra on the phone in the elevator delivers her lines better than the lead, there's a problem.
Absolutely No Realism
I realize that the whole idea for this movie comes from a comic book. Even so, in order to follow this film it requires a person to turn off his brain and accept some totally ridiculous scenarios. For example, the main character is an assassin by the name of "Eve" (played by Zoe Bell) who has a 6-inch knife embedded in her skull during an assassination attempt. She manages to complete her mission and stumbles out to a waiting get-away car all the same. She is taken to a mob doctor who performs the very delicate surgery by simply pulling the knife out by hand. She then recuperates for a few days and within no time is falling from a high-rise building onto a car and, apparently because there was another body underneath her to absorb the shock, gets up and walks away. Not long afterward she is involved in several fights which include having her head slammed repeatedly on a floor. All of this just after having a knife pulled from her brain. Yeah, right. At any rate, while there is plenty of action I would have preferred less quantity and more plausible quality. The characters were established well enough but the acting left much to be desired. Essentially, this is a film that has no humor and absolutely no realism. Everything hinges on hand-to-hand combat and even the pauses in between are only there to set the stage for the next violent sequence. No doubt there are some who enjoy this kind of movie and probably can't wait for the inevitable sequel or television series. Personally, it doesn't matter that much to me.
a neo-noir/action flick treat for fans of Brubaker and Bell
Ed Brubaker is a name to know in comics, but it should also be known in movies. Hopefully this will be a good calling card for him to get more work, or for more of his comics to reach the screen. While he's usually known for his spin on Captain America, he also has a series of hard-hitting hard-boiled comics called 'Criminal' (at the moment, I think, there's three volumes in all). Angel of Death follows along on the heels of those latter comics, and what he delivers here with this script is like an updating of a pulpy story that might have been found back in the 1950s put to film - only, of course, far less violent and expletive or on occasion trippy. It's like a Sin City yarn if it took itself not quite as much as a parody. And it works, mostly.
And another good thing about it, with its story about a hit-woman (Zoe Bell) who after getting a knife stabbed in her head and surviving- and becoming a loose cannon and seeing visions of a young girl she accidentally killed "telling her" to hit the entire mob organization around her- is that it leads on tough-movie dialog, kick-ass fight scenes and a really superb leading lady. Previously one could see Bell as a stunt-woman in Kill Bill or as herself, sorta, in Death Proof. But here she proves she can hold her own in dramatic scenes (maybe not quite her Uma Thurman counterpart but close enough) and seeing her fight is really extraordinary.
In fact, if you're just looking for a better-than-average direct-to-DVD action flick that chalks up a load of mob-movie/detective clichés, and don't know or care about Brubaker's name on the DVD, it's still worth watching. The fights are gritty and realistic, and the direction compliments these moments of torrid psycho-drama with Bell's knack for knocking someone's head in or any other kind of clever way of killing at a moment's notice. The film sometimes goes into a comic-book-panel kind of mis-en-scene, like if Zoe Bell's character is in a room walking around we'll see three different 'panels' of this. It's creative, if a little overused (and not so original if one's seen Ang Lee's Hulk). And, as a more obvious complaint, with the exception of Doug Jones and Lucy Lawless most of the cast is just 'meh', not terrible but nothing special.
But pick it up if you're roving around your video rental or if netflix gives the recommendation. You'll be surprised how much 78 minutes can go in delivering a hard-knock story of hard kills and harder consequences.
And another good thing about it, with its story about a hit-woman (Zoe Bell) who after getting a knife stabbed in her head and surviving- and becoming a loose cannon and seeing visions of a young girl she accidentally killed "telling her" to hit the entire mob organization around her- is that it leads on tough-movie dialog, kick-ass fight scenes and a really superb leading lady. Previously one could see Bell as a stunt-woman in Kill Bill or as herself, sorta, in Death Proof. But here she proves she can hold her own in dramatic scenes (maybe not quite her Uma Thurman counterpart but close enough) and seeing her fight is really extraordinary.
In fact, if you're just looking for a better-than-average direct-to-DVD action flick that chalks up a load of mob-movie/detective clichés, and don't know or care about Brubaker's name on the DVD, it's still worth watching. The fights are gritty and realistic, and the direction compliments these moments of torrid psycho-drama with Bell's knack for knocking someone's head in or any other kind of clever way of killing at a moment's notice. The film sometimes goes into a comic-book-panel kind of mis-en-scene, like if Zoe Bell's character is in a room walking around we'll see three different 'panels' of this. It's creative, if a little overused (and not so original if one's seen Ang Lee's Hulk). And, as a more obvious complaint, with the exception of Doug Jones and Lucy Lawless most of the cast is just 'meh', not terrible but nothing special.
But pick it up if you're roving around your video rental or if netflix gives the recommendation. You'll be surprised how much 78 minutes can go in delivering a hard-knock story of hard kills and harder consequences.
- Quinoa1984
- Aug 17, 2009
- Permalink
Terrible acting & just plain bad script
Ugh. This movie was pretty bad, but if you like B or grind-house-style movies then it might fit your taste. I don't mind the occasional B-flick, but grind-house/70's-era cheap pulp don't satisfy. The storyline of this movie was terrible and the acting was straight-up high school special! The way Eve carries out her hits is laughable and the fight choreography is wooden and contrived. Then there's the knife-scene... come on, really are you friggin kidding me?!?! Terrible and boring movie.
Save yourself the time, get a different movie from the bargain-bin this will be in and save yourself the time/$5. Also, ignore the 10-star ratings, they must have some kind of invested interest in the film or are stuck back in the cheap cinematography days. Note to self... If all of Ed Brubaker's films are this bad, I need to remember to pass on any films bearing his name.
Save yourself the time, get a different movie from the bargain-bin this will be in and save yourself the time/$5. Also, ignore the 10-star ratings, they must have some kind of invested interest in the film or are stuck back in the cheap cinematography days. Note to self... If all of Ed Brubaker's films are this bad, I need to remember to pass on any films bearing his name.
Good Female Kick-BLEEP-Action.
I guess I have to disagree with the comment that this is in league with but a few female warriors, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The fact is, this movie is in league with a great MANY other movies that I am reminded of including but not limited to the TV sensation Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Femme Fatale, Little Nikita, Elektra, Mr. & Mrs.Smith, Point of No Return-INDEED-, Aeon Flux (2005), Ultraviolet-BLAH-UNDELICIOUS-, Underworld, Just to name a couple. ;) Oh yeah, yikes, I almost forgot, KILL BILL VOL 1 & 2!!!!! The reason why there are so many of them is because women kicking serious be-hind is always a great theme especially when they come in the form of a Beatrix Kiddo - "Black Mamba." So my apologies for my eulogy, but as far as this movies goes I also believe that it is one of those gems that get tossed out because of a couple of bad scenes. Not that I haven't dismissed a great movie that had a crappy ending, but I felt that this movie should be viewed and enjoyed for the rest of its content, forgetting those bad scenes.
Big bad Zoe
Zoe Bell will never be the action star that Angelina Jolie is, but that shouldn't keep you from watching her in action.
She plays a mob hit-woman that has a change of heart after an on-the-job accident. She decides to get some justice for those she has wronged. I know, it sounds a little hokey, but no more that surviving a knife stuck in your skull.
There are a lot of fights here. Of course, Bell is the star and should win, but, come on, win a straight fight against someone twice her size> Well, that's what you pay your money to see, so that's what you get.
Will the Angel of Death return? They left the door open.
She plays a mob hit-woman that has a change of heart after an on-the-job accident. She decides to get some justice for those she has wronged. I know, it sounds a little hokey, but no more that surviving a knife stuck in your skull.
There are a lot of fights here. Of course, Bell is the star and should win, but, come on, win a straight fight against someone twice her size> Well, that's what you pay your money to see, so that's what you get.
Will the Angel of Death return? They left the door open.
- lastliberal
- Sep 8, 2009
- Permalink
Well Beyond My Expectations
Some so called critics may give this flick a couple of stars but truth be told, I went in with low expectations and came out pleasantly surprised. Had never heard of the movie or even Zoe Bell for that matter but she was in fine form here and her acting was quite sufficient for the lead role. Except for being a story about a female assassin, this really has nothing in common with "La Femme Nikita". What it does have is dark humor, plenty of action, and very good fight scenes. Even martial arts fans like me won't be disappointed. I feel lucky enough to have watched it with a few friends (one of whom brought the movie to my attention), and we all enjoyed it. If I give out any kind of spoiler it might ruin the fun so go take a look, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
- tropicvibe
- Jul 26, 2009
- Permalink
Kick ASS Grindhouse Female Assassin delivers the goods
A small-budget exercise in what can be accomplished in on-line video, "Angel of Death" is startlingly effective as a full-length product.
Starring near-legendary stunt performer Zoe Bell ("Kill Bill," "Death Proof" and others), this action adventure never pulls its punches. Every shot hits - and some very bloody hits they are. It creates some of the same energy and electricity as "Wanted," with mordant humor and wonderful guest performances from brilliant mime Doug Jones (who created Abe Sapien in "Hellboy," the Silver Surfer and others) and the woman for whom Bell doubled for years, Lucy "Zena" Lawless.
Terrific editing suits Ed Brubaker's potboiler plot, with camera angles and scene framing joyfully celebrating the story's hard core comic book feel. Darrel Herbert's music is derivative but effectively enhances the over-the-top approach of the action.
To paraphrase Ordell Robbie, "When you absolutely, positively want to watch a warrior woman take out every m*-f* in the room," check out Zoe Bell as Eve. "Angel of Death" delivers the goods.
Starring near-legendary stunt performer Zoe Bell ("Kill Bill," "Death Proof" and others), this action adventure never pulls its punches. Every shot hits - and some very bloody hits they are. It creates some of the same energy and electricity as "Wanted," with mordant humor and wonderful guest performances from brilliant mime Doug Jones (who created Abe Sapien in "Hellboy," the Silver Surfer and others) and the woman for whom Bell doubled for years, Lucy "Zena" Lawless.
Terrific editing suits Ed Brubaker's potboiler plot, with camera angles and scene framing joyfully celebrating the story's hard core comic book feel. Darrel Herbert's music is derivative but effectively enhances the over-the-top approach of the action.
To paraphrase Ordell Robbie, "When you absolutely, positively want to watch a warrior woman take out every m*-f* in the room," check out Zoe Bell as Eve. "Angel of Death" delivers the goods.
Comic book style wannabe
Despite the comic-book style editing and the way the film skips from one scene to the next with the aid of animated borders, ANGEL OF DEATH is really nothing more than yet another story about a female assassin out for revenge. It goes for a gritty, SIN CITY style moody look, but to be honest this has all been done so many times before that it feels rather passe.
ANGEL OF DEATH features stunt-woman turned actress Zoe Bell (DEATH PROOF) as a professional assassin who's out for revenge against the people who betrayed her. Along the way, she suffers the effects of a traumatic wound, as well as fighting her own conscience. The plot is light and the script lighter, as this is merely an excuse to string together a series of hard-hitting fight sequences.
The good news is that the fights are well staged, thankfully avoiding the dodgy shaky-cam work often used these days; they're also pleasingly violent. However, that's pretty much the only decent thing about ANGEL OF DEATH. The script is sub-par, the direction tries too hard to be atmospheric, and Bell just doesn't cut it as a leading actress. The producers win points for casting some B-movie favourites such as Lucy Lawless (SPARTACUS), Doug Jones (PAN'S LABYRINTH) and Ted Raimi (DARKMAN), but it's not enough to make this a good movie.
ANGEL OF DEATH features stunt-woman turned actress Zoe Bell (DEATH PROOF) as a professional assassin who's out for revenge against the people who betrayed her. Along the way, she suffers the effects of a traumatic wound, as well as fighting her own conscience. The plot is light and the script lighter, as this is merely an excuse to string together a series of hard-hitting fight sequences.
The good news is that the fights are well staged, thankfully avoiding the dodgy shaky-cam work often used these days; they're also pleasingly violent. However, that's pretty much the only decent thing about ANGEL OF DEATH. The script is sub-par, the direction tries too hard to be atmospheric, and Bell just doesn't cut it as a leading actress. The producers win points for casting some B-movie favourites such as Lucy Lawless (SPARTACUS), Doug Jones (PAN'S LABYRINTH) and Ted Raimi (DARKMAN), but it's not enough to make this a good movie.
- Leofwine_draca
- May 19, 2014
- Permalink
Middling Zoe Bell vehicle
- gridoon2024
- Nov 7, 2014
- Permalink
There are worse ways to spend 77 minutes.
- tarbosh22000
- May 26, 2020
- Permalink
What a piece of Rubbish
I cannot believe the previous comments. This Movie, is rubbish. Although it has some good action and the Zoe Bell character Assassin has a fantastic figure. Each of these qualities deserve 1 star for each. Zoe Bell is apparently a busy stunt woman. This I can believe and she is great at doing this but her acting is terrible. It was like finger nails down a black board, a horrible hard Kiwi Accent & Lucy Lawless's character with the Southern accent, particularly painful. They should be taken out the back and shot. Looks like an el cheapo film made in the warehouse district of Auckland. Nice legs, shame about the...... But hell, looks like somebody thought it was great?
if you liked kill bill you will like it
Ok the actings are not so great but it is a good action flick.
- kalimera54
- Jun 7, 2020
- Permalink
Knife to Head
A career assassin becomes haunted by one of her victims following a near fatal injury to her brain. Becoming a rogue assassin settling the score with her former mob employers, chaos and power struggles ensue.
I watched this on Crackle as a series of 7 or so minute clips that add up to the feature. It sucks. While the female lead may have a hot bod, she's got a severe butter face that really distracts you from the show.
Also it's filled with really bad driving music that is annoying as all hell.
I must say, however that the very first episode is worth watching for the ending when she gets the giant (and I mean GIGANTIC) knife in her head. How she walked thru this with a straight face is beyond me.
God this was such a bad show.
I watched this on Crackle as a series of 7 or so minute clips that add up to the feature. It sucks. While the female lead may have a hot bod, she's got a severe butter face that really distracts you from the show.
Also it's filled with really bad driving music that is annoying as all hell.
I must say, however that the very first episode is worth watching for the ending when she gets the giant (and I mean GIGANTIC) knife in her head. How she walked thru this with a straight face is beyond me.
God this was such a bad show.
I liked it, but I have no idea if you will.
- lemon_magic
- Jul 6, 2021
- Permalink
Zoe Bell is great, this movie is not
Zoe Bell is great and i see good things in her future BUT starring in poor movies like this is not a harbinger of good things to come. She is a natural. She delivers evenly poorly written lines well. This movie, unfortunately, contains many poorly written lines. The screenwriters must have been about 12 years old as the dialogue is at that level of sophistication. Lots of swearing. No professionalism. They tried to emulate a lot of other movies and you can see it in the cinematography and soundtrack. A good showcase for Zoe's talent as she rises above the dreck. Watch it for her role as that is the only shining spot in this movie.
Don't mind the bad reviews
If you're looking for a new and original million dollar film that will sweep you away into a world of movie-magic- This isn't a movie for you. This is the kind of movie you rent when you just wanna get cozy in the couch watching some violence. This is not an exceptional movie, but it's a good and simple movie for anyone to watch when in the mood of something not too heavy.
It is indeed a grind-house B-style flick, and I can see how anyone who's not read-up on the genre might find it to be an awful movie. Truth told it is a great movie. The whole concept is simple as well - And the script being bad because the plot is too plain? It's the whole point. Anyone can watch this because it doesn't bind you to more than a few key events- Making it possible to summarize the entire movie in a sentence or two.
It is indeed a grind-house B-style flick, and I can see how anyone who's not read-up on the genre might find it to be an awful movie. Truth told it is a great movie. The whole concept is simple as well - And the script being bad because the plot is too plain? It's the whole point. Anyone can watch this because it doesn't bind you to more than a few key events- Making it possible to summarize the entire movie in a sentence or two.
Solid action film – better than most
There are two really good things here. First, the facilitating idea, which is way more interesting than the stock revenge theme (as you get in a million other films from Conan to Colombiana). Contrary to other reviews here, it's entirely possible to get an injury like this and survive. Quite often happens in fact. Not surprisingly it can cause mental problems thereafter, not necessarily these particular mental problems, which I won't go into to avoid unnecessary spoilers, but trust me, there's nothing unbelievable about this aspect.
Second really good thing: Zoe Bell. Yes she's not going to win a best actress Oscar, neither is she a poor actress. What's needed in a film like this is not Meryl Streep, but someone who looks like they can do the fighting/action stuff. Bell looks like she can because she actually can, and she does the acting bits in between just fine. Way more convincing in a part like this than skinny female stars like that other Zoe, Ms Saldana (again in Colombiana) and yes, more convincing than a lot of male actors who get called on to do this stuff.
Other than that, the support acting is only OK, the dialogue is average to uninspired, and the film is very short, but the story's fine and the fights are well-staged. It's all-around competent enough and a lot more convincing and enjoyable than all-action movies (with both male and female leads) with far higher IMDb scores. Well worth a watch if you like this kind of thing.
Second really good thing: Zoe Bell. Yes she's not going to win a best actress Oscar, neither is she a poor actress. What's needed in a film like this is not Meryl Streep, but someone who looks like they can do the fighting/action stuff. Bell looks like she can because she actually can, and she does the acting bits in between just fine. Way more convincing in a part like this than skinny female stars like that other Zoe, Ms Saldana (again in Colombiana) and yes, more convincing than a lot of male actors who get called on to do this stuff.
Other than that, the support acting is only OK, the dialogue is average to uninspired, and the film is very short, but the story's fine and the fights are well-staged. It's all-around competent enough and a lot more convincing and enjoyable than all-action movies (with both male and female leads) with far higher IMDb scores. Well worth a watch if you like this kind of thing.
Implausible and kind of silly
Zoe Bell
i was looking for more action, and more sense, in short - more fun.
getting blade into a middle of one's brain makes no sense. following action is an implication of that lack of sense.
whoever directed that flick had no "fun" among the highest priorities. and it's too bad, since directors like that tend to fade to gray.
PS. Minimum comment length must be 10 lines?! Just in what cinematography class does one learn a BS like this?
oh, i forgot, they're self made IMDb men.
PS2. They are now grammar Nazis as well.
PS3. Will this PS3 be enough to post a comment?
getting blade into a middle of one's brain makes no sense. following action is an implication of that lack of sense.
whoever directed that flick had no "fun" among the highest priorities. and it's too bad, since directors like that tend to fade to gray.
PS. Minimum comment length must be 10 lines?! Just in what cinematography class does one learn a BS like this?
oh, i forgot, they're self made IMDb men.
PS2. They are now grammar Nazis as well.
PS3. Will this PS3 be enough to post a comment?
- reservoir_cats_1989
- Aug 14, 2009
- Permalink