User reviews

At least we know who should play in the life and times of Imelda that being Tia Carrere (Ms. Wells) who all of a sudden is looking a bit maidenly. Ms Carrera however was by far the best actor in this mess. Alex Nevski (Nick) should stick to being a thug rather then a depressing leading man. Even Veteran Casper Van Dien (Nick) was off key in a part that only Dirk Benedict could love. Everybody else was forgettable and struggling with a script that could have used a couple of rewrites. Nick's girlfriend Sofia (Maria Bravikova) pop's in from time to time and seems to be from a different movie, it is weird. The only good things about Showdown in Manila are - the music is not bad, the ending had some finality, and sniper Victor (Dmitriy Dyuzhev) looks a lot like a young Martin Landau, but other then that don't waist your time.

Right, well the reason for why I picked up this movie was because it had Mark Dacascos in it. Boy was I surprised to find out that he had less than five minutes of screen time in the entire movie.

Well, this 2016 action movie definitely bears traces of wanting to pick up or cash in on the success of "The Expendables", by trying to put together an all who-was-sort-of-semi-big-in-the-late-eighties-action-stars. But these were not the blockbuster stars of the late eighties action movies, but the ones from the lower rated and smaller budgets. This includes Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock and Olivier Gruner. But honestly, it was actually a blast to have these former semi-big action stars come together in a movie such as this.

As for the lead cast of Alexander Nevsky and Casper Van Dien, well I was familiar with Casper Van Dien of course. But Alexander Nevsky I have never heard about, and he fared well enough, despite only having one expression for most of the scenes that he did. But a movie such as this runs on action and adrenaline, so the inability to put on a thesbian performance was sort of alright here.

There is a good amount of action throughout the movie, which is also what keeps the movie afloat. As for the storyline and plot, well it was entertaining, but it was on the simpler side, so don't expect to be mentally challenged.

It was also nice to see Tia Carrere in the movie as well as Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

An entertaining enough movie for what it turned out to be. Worth watching once if you enjoy a good old action movie.

I saw this movie via my satellite TV's movie package, and it was such a waste of 90 minutes of my life. The movie drew me with its cast of former action stars Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock and Oliver Gruner plus Tia Carrere but gosh, the (lack of) acting, plot, flow and everything else made it one of the worst movies ever. Please do yourself a huge favor and avoid this turkey.

Ok. The middle part of this movie was terrible. I even considered turning the movie off. But aside from all of that, the beginning and the end (the first 25 minutes and the last 30 minutes) were pretty good. Those scenes were not too boring, included lots of action, and the acting wasn't that bad. A lot of the time. Keep in mind that I said a lot of the time. Because there was one actor (the main actor in the movie, Alexander Nevsky) who was absolutely horrible. He has only been in a few films ever, does not even speak good English (he has a Russian accent so it is occasionally difficult to understand what he is saying), and simply looks bored when killing the bad guys. On the plus side, he is not seen much in the action scenes, only moreso in the middle of the movie. To conclude, I think this film should be watched at least once, as some parts of it were very enjoyable, and at the end, the fifteen minute long fight scene with guns and explosions is one that I just can't stop watching.

first of all trailer and actors the style of movie looks like cheap version of Expendables movie. Mark Dacascos as a director is terrible. as a actor doing Martial Arts and action everything is great !! about what is most terrible thing about movie is writing of movie sucked is only thing is cast in movie are not really part of movie the guys who were only part of movie is Alexander Nevsky and Casper Van Dien are only guys part of movie. In Expendables for example they show everyone but in this movie NO it's 2 guys they only show the rest don't appear like almost to end of movie. the story follows in Raid Team Nick Peyton (Alexander Nevsky)was SWAT Team in Manila working in it to catch Aldric Cole

(Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa)is main villain and his Henchmen trying to be like Steve Austin Character in first Expendables(Matthias Hues)Dorn in movie as always all raid team got killed the only one is left is Nick was shot and he Survived. 2 years later Here you go Crying Freeman (1995), Drive (1997), Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) (Mark Dacascos) Matthew Wells in film he directed and act in and Showdown in Little Tokyo, True Lies, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (Tia Carrere)Mrs. Wells is in it this playing her husband going for a holiday The action your going to have last for second is Mark Dacascos character killed 3 guys then he's character gets killed off buy Aldric Cole now Mrs Wells wants revenge she goes up to these Private detectives Nick (Alexander Nevsky) and Charlie (Casper Van Dien) oh look it's Starship troopers live and work in Manila. A murder investigation leads them to the jungle camp of an international terrorist called The Wrath what a lazy as name called Wrath for the group villain leaders. Nick and Charlie agrees to do mission to catch the guys who tied to kill him, in movie the actors you might think everyone is in it like part of movie but the only actors who is part of is only Alexander Nevsky and Casper Van Dien are only guys who is part of it none of another actors Don The Dragon Wilson,

Olivier Gruner, Cynthia Rothrock they don't appear at final showdown of movie. in all movie its just Alexander Nevsky and Casper Van Dien are looking and Investigating to find the guys who were involved is Aldric Cole and Dein doesn't do much in movie only thing is he gets into fight for second with Casper character then Alexander knocks him out that's it he gets arrested he doesn't do anything in movie. the action is lazy not very well made but why could off the budget could been a bigger movie you have the final showdown at end of jungle this is when Don The Dragon Wilson, Olivier Gruner, Cynthia Rothrock they appear at final showdown in a very well great place to shoot a action movie if it was a BIG BUDGET movie but its a very low budget movie with fake shoot outs, fake blood spatters, fake Explosions now i love action scenes at jungle or like rip off of the rescue mission like in Predator in jungle scene and Welcome to the jungle AKA Rundown in jungle that's where Aldric Cole is hiding they found they were Hiding in Jungle. one final showdown they had a M60 Machine gun shooting around but it didn't last long. Don Dragon Wilson kicks ass in movie but not for long but no stunts for him but i can see a lot of stunts in movie Cynthia and Oliver fights in movie you do see them fight but you can see Cynthia background fighting so its not her there is too many stunts in movie come on final showdown has few another explosions that's it the hand grenades are so fake. movie didn't do anything its not worst movie but it's fun to see these actors back but they don't appear until at very end of showdown. Mark Dacascos doesn't know how to direct or write movie i don't know why he got himself as character killed when he is not in movie he is in it for 30 seconds then he got killed off i don't know why he really did that he could be lazy ass can't be bothered or been lead star in film like his old films i love and liked his old staff that's what got Me Interested but then got me Disappointed it got all the other fans Disappointed rather then getting Alexander Nevsky why could of they get Jean Claude Van Damme or Dolph Lundgren as Lead but Alexander Nevsky was OK but not great. Mark Dacacos is great as actor and Martial Arts but for directing makes everyone disappointed i was thinking of John woo to direct movie rather then Mark he is terrible writer terrible director why ? the action is good and it's good to have Don The Dragon Wilson,Olivier Gruner, Cynthia Rothrock back in one movie they don't appear until at end of showdown what a sad thing they all could been apart of movie specially Mark Dacascos if you want movie like this stick with watching Expendables 1-3 Stallone is better director, writer and has better idea's then Mark. Mark Dacascos Said i wanna make movie like this but complete Epic fail. 5.10 but why is this so cheap why could been different director big budget like Expendables better story but Mark Dacascos Lazy directing with lazy action expect at final showdown ending in Jungle. and it's a movie is just good for time waster that's all i can say it's not like your gonna watch more then million times it's your opinion not mine.

If you go in with lowx epectations you won't be as disappointed. Tia Carrere the once knock down gorgeous chick from Waynes world, is now pushing 52 and gets about a 1/5th a 'schwinn' in this flick. The lead is a horrible Arnold imitator. Not a good flick by any stretch of the imagination; I only tuned in for the gorgeous chick in the above trailer hoping they're be other beautiful Filipinas...

Just another Nevsky-Kurytsin lame movie making attempt. Talentless in all ways, pointless and ridiculously stupid. See for yourself.

I liked watching this film. The casting was normal as would be found among people on the good side and people on the bad side as to be found in a somewhat still 3rd world country. I rented the film hoping to see some of modern manila; most was market places and industrial buildings; so, although colorful, this didn't provide much of a travel-log set of scenes. But there was good variety of the faces on the screen and the dialog plus humor was all natural and appreciated. Hollywood has pretty weird plots nowadays, and this film was not too heavy handed. Good guys die all at once initially, and from then on, the toll taken is strictly on the criminals. It was advertised as disclosing terrorist activity; however, that aspect never was brought up. There seemed to be no religious themes at all in the movie. The film did not have night scenes which I think are much too much overdone in most action films currently made. Music was good with the film and I can't remember being offended by any profanity. Although the chief criminal -- whose name never could be clearly heard in the dialogue (Wrath) -- was a drug producer, there was no overt scene showing drug use. I also welcome this. The sidekick investigator had good lines and he complemented the most-often stone-faced lead male player. They seemed always working together so the "happy medium" of the good guys always seemed personable. The ending was a bit of a shock, but if someone is going to pay one hundred thousand dollars to have this "Wrath" criminal captured, I guess there should be a little allowance for overkill, so to speak. Jungle scenes were colorful, scenic, and not frightening. The writer and director did more than adequate job and performing, only the police force actors actually over-acted a bit and tension being built seemed somewhat far-fetched. The young female informant did a cute job and her lines added to a bit of confidence that movie was headed towards a good resolution. The girlfriend of the Russian star has a somewhat European face and I enjoyed fitting all her features, voice, teeth, nose together to total up to a girl this strong star would desire and kiss on screen. I liked the film. I'll watch it a second time tomorrow.

All the members of a Violent Crime Unit, excluding main man Nick (Nevsky) are gorily decimated by an evil cabal of dope peddlers headed by The Wraith (Tagawa), and the broken, but far from unbowed Nick vows his revenge! Now working as a private detective with serially sleazy partner Charlie (Van Dien) a tough case ultimately leads them to a bloody showdown with The Wraith and his gun happy goons. While the formulaic premise is somewhat battle fatigued, Showdown in Manila is a must-see, gung ho B-actioner just for the illuminated action hero cast alone! Mathias Hues, Casper Van Dien, Mark Dacascos, Don 'The Dragon' Wilson, Tia Carrera, Alexander Nevsky, Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa, Cynthia Rothrock, and Olivier Gruner!!! Come on!!!! Only the most churlish of churls would refuse such a glittering array of (almost) immortal DTV royalty! There's plenty of ballistic bang for your buck, and if y'all didn't pay for the privilege, then you have even less to complain about! Unleavened machismo oozes from Dacascos's punch-packed, ordinance overloaded actioner, like the feral stink off a Tijuana bitty bar, it ain't exactly subtle, but it sure hits the spot! 'Showdown in Manila' admittedly takes a wee while to reach maximum revs, but the noisome climactic battle is one righteously old school Commando-style bullet bonanza!!!

Within a very short time of starting to watch, this movie made three distinct impressions. The first was to reflect that I had low expectations, so the good news was I wouldn't be disappointed. The second was that this is unmistakably a paycheck film, a production that its biggest stars and most others surely signed onto to help pay the bills, and for no other reason. The third was that some individuals working in the film industry, whether as actors, stunt people, writers, or otherwise, are able to very adeptly make a shift to the director's chair - but Mark Dacascos does not appear to be one of those individuals. One or two moments elicit a short laugh, but that's mostly on account of Casper Van Dien leaning into his character, who is seemingly written primarily as comic relief - but even that becomes overbearing after a point. One or two shots seem particularly well done, if unremarkable in the grand scheme of things, but many other instances seem imitative and derivative. I would love to say that I have more concrete praise to offer, but I really don't: 'Showdown in Manila' is... Well, it's not a movie you need to watch. Ever.

Even including Van Dien and his character Charlie, dialogue mostly varies from boorish, to tired, to dull. Scene writing varies from boorish, to tired, to dull. Characters range from boorish, to blase, to flat. There's nothing whatsoever in the narrative to meaningfully grab one's attention. With four brief sentences I've succinctly described Craig Hamann's screenplay, and it's not worthwhile to expound upon it any further except to note more than a few tropes, including one or two racist ones. Dacascos' direction is truly no better. The fundamental orchestration of almost every shot and scene feels lethargic and soporific, if not stilted - and that most definitely includes scenes with any measure of action or violence. I can't speak for every actor on hand, but there are a few noteworthy names here whose skill I recognize - so for the fact that they are shoved into a small corner that reduces their performances to either unbothered, lackadaiscal daydreaming or egregious overacting, with no middle ground, I assume Dacascos' inexperienced guiding hand is to blame. On the other hand, leading man Alexander Nevsky seems as stone-faced, wooden, and unmoving as John Wayne or Steven Seagal, illustrating acting one or two steps down from even that of his constrained co-stars. Ugh.

Whatever the tone of a given scene, or its content, the intended stimulation is so heavily squashed by flagging pacing and flailing direction that one may fairly wonder if 'Showdown in Manila' weren't intended as a deadpan parody of its brethren. For every inclusion that should offer a spark of joy, others cancel them out as questionable and unnecessary. What levity we get can't begin carry the film. The cast is utterly wasted, so one shouldn't get too excited that, say, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is involved, or Cynthia Rothrock. Even supposing that action scenes did serve up appropriate levels of excitement - and they emphatically do not - the rest of the picture drags them down. The nearest this comes to offering any invigoration at all is in the hand-to-hand combat we see at the climax, but the arrangement of these moments is so blunt as to diminish their impact. I don't even know if I can rightly say that the feature is well made from a technical standpoint, as special effects are dubious, sound design feels indifferent, Sean Murray's music is bland, and even props and costume design seem to have been approached with a mindset of "Hmm, yes, this looks very paramilitary."

I want so badly to say there was something about this to stick out to me, in a positive way, that would save the whole from sinking to the bottom of the barrel. But there just wasn't. From start to finish 'Showdown in Manila is endlessly tedious, and altogether lacks color or flavor - which is, genuinely, preferable to moments that outright leave a bad taste in our mouth. There are no highlights; on the other hand, I'm not sure whose specific contribution is more rotten. Whatever it was about this title that drew you in - as someone who has watched many movies of a wide range of genres and quality, let me assure you that there's just no reason to watch this. Whatever you're looking for, it can be found elsewhere in much greater abundance, with much more value. Even if you're a diehard fan of someone involved in the production, 'Showdown in Manila' isn't a movie that anyone needs to see.

Showdown in Manila at first glance may remind you of The Expendables, but instead of the 80s and early 90s big action stars like Arnold and Sly, it use the "direct to video category". I am not saying this negatively as i for one enjoyed these type of movies. I had fun with Cynthia Rothrock, Don The Dragon Wilson, Olivier Gruner and Mark Dacascos action movies. Sadly, these peoples are barely anymore than an extended cameo for the first 3 and a litteral cameo for the last as Dacascos is actually the director of the movie and his poster appearence is completely misleading.

The movie instead follow Alexander Nevsky as the main character Nick Peyton. Imagine taking Arnold Schwarzenegger but basically stripping all the charisma and one liners from his characters. Thats pretty much what remain there. Nevsky speak with a huge accent making his dialogues hard to understand, but the biggest offender is that he has absolutely no charisma or acting skills. The Terminator showed more personality than his character.

Casper Van Dien plays his partner in the detective agency and is by far the best actor in the whole movie. He tries his best to add charisma and personality to it but thats sadly feel like trying to light a piece of paper in a water bucket.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Mattias Hues plays the villains and they do fine altough i felt they were wasted overall.

The story ain't nothing special, and i supose with better writing, acting and charisma it would had been alright to hold us til the climax, but in its current state it was litteraly a chore to sit trough. By the time you reach said climax you just wish the movie was over.

Dacascos direction when it comes to action was ...fine i guess, even tough the limited budget clearly showed its ugly head, but i felt like he watched Nevsky deliver his line like a robot and was like "thats a wrap, great take". I just can't understand how they could look at this and think it would pass.

I really wish i would had liked this movie, and don't get me wrong i was not expecting theatre quality in term of budget and action, and i was more than fine with these actors "very average acting skills". I never watched a Don The Dragon movie for his acting. That said the movie would had improved a lot if he had been the main character cause his acting is several steps above M. Nevsky.

This movie was litteraly on Youtube completely free (sadly with no subtitles, wich made a lot of the dialogue of Nevsky hard to understand for a non english native as i am) so i can't be too harsh on it i guess as it didn't cost me anything. But if i always enjoyed owning and putting back once in a while an old Bloodfist or China O'Brien, Showdown in Manila is one movie i never intend to rewatch.

This is not The Expendables. More like Thunder in Paradise TV pilot, but cancelled. By the way, Showdown is directorial debut of martial arts legend Mark Dacascos. Doesn't sound good, right? Two lead actors are ok. Casper is underused master of suspense acting, Alexander is big and calm guy. I would surely watch TV series based on this detective duo, but the movie itself is too short and feels unfinished. Couple of scenes with legendary action stars doesn't help much. Nevertheless, I give 5 for beautiful nature of Philippines and another 5 for the nostalgia. 10/10.

In my daily work I stumble upon many awful action films and I've seen them far worse than this, even with a way fatter budget. This one is a correct homage to 80's martial arts and action flicks and its quality is honestly in line with those one, not being a good or great movie by any means, but at least entertaining and fun.