What was supposed to be a dream come true moment for action aficionados around the world turns out to be such an enormous waste of talent & potential that it is no less than a fucking travesty? Boasting an ensemble of some of the finest martial artists working in the film industry today, Triple Threat is still unable to provide the adrenaline-fuelled & pulse-pounding extravaganza that was expected from it and is a forgettable & mediocre actioner.
Set in the fictional city of Maha Jaya, the story of Triple Threat is set into motion after a major crime syndicate places a hit on a billionaire’s daughter who intends to end all the corruption in the territory. Targeted by an elite assassination squad, she ultimately finds unlikely allies in a small band of down-and-out mercenaries who team up to protect her at all cost, and fight tooth & nail in order to stop the assassins from reaching their target.
Directed by Jesse V. Johnson, it really is a shame that despite such kinetic firepower at his disposal, the director fails to put together a breakneck action feature that utilizes the cast strengths to their full potential. In fact, it doesn’t even contain a sturdy narrative but one that’s paper-thin, barely serviceable & unnecessarily muddled. More impressive from afar than it looks from close-up, even the action scenes aren’t wholly embraced and fail to live up to the hype.
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Starring the trio of Tony Jaa (Ong-Bak & The Protector), Iko Uwais (The Raid & The Raid 2) & Tiger Chen (Man of Tai Chi), with other well-known martial artists like Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping & Celina Jade in supporting roles, it’s even more frustrating to note that the film restricts them from doing what they do best, and is more concerned with the drama which neither carries any dramatic weight & emotional depth nor is as brisk & gripping as it needed to be.
While there are a few fight sequences that impress in bits n pieces, it’s all short-lived & scattered all over the place. The action choreography is a letdown too, for a majority of the combat scenes fail to stimulate the senses and don’t pack the required intensity or adrenaline rush. It just isn’t merciless or savage enough, and it really is a shame because these actors are known for delivering that with effortless ease. Obviously, Johnson didn’t know how to utilize them best, and it shows.
On an overall scale, Triple Threat is an incompetently directed, inconsistently scripted & shoddily edited martial arts actioner that fails to deliver what its casting power promised and is unworthy of the trio’s talents. Focusing more on trivial matters and failing to make the most of what was up for grabs here, this action flick could have been one of the finest examples of its genre and even had the ensemble to pull it off. But thanks to the filmmakers messing up big time, it finishes as an exceptionally average & moderately entertaining action thriller that in all honesty isn’t even worth your time & money.
★★
Triple Threat Trailer
