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Reviews
Gokuaku Joou (2024)
Beautifully done, went astray in the middle but ended great
As a 47 year old fan of old school 80s wrestling, I actually witnessed the action in this drama at the time, so I was really looking forward to this one as I was hugely let down by Iron Claw, which is one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
This is by far the best drama or film about wrestling ever made, simply because the actual wrestling action is done properly. The girls in this show are outstanding. At first I thought they had used actual wrestlers but apparently not, these actresses have done a pheonomenal job at working in the ring.
The only downside is that after a really strong start, it takes some liberties with reality in the middle. At the point where Matsumoto turns into the heel character of Dump, they portray her as actually psychotic, in and out of the ring, instead of focusing on how well she created the character to convince the audience that she was psychotic. I get that's it probably for entertainment sake but I think it would have been more realistic, and more of a tribute to the legendary wrestler, to show that she was a really good entertainer instead of an out of control lunatic in real life.
However, that small blip aside, this is done really well. Filmed beautifully, well paced and accurate in portraying Japanese pro wrestling at the time, the costumes and styling of 1980s Japan is really on point.
If you're an 80s wrestling fan then this is gonna be right up your street and it's great to see the nostaligic action recreated on the screen. And if you're not a wrestling fan and you are not aware of the inner workings of the ring then this is pure entertainment and action, and not to be missed. Fantastic job.
Trap (2024)
Waste of time
Just pointless. If you are waiting for a plot twist in this movie then don't bother, there isn't one. Very old fashioned script and plot line, this movie could have been made in the late 80s, it would have fit better there. Maybe it's me, I don't watch a lot of american movies these days due to everything being super hero trash or formulaic nonsense like this. This whole script was one amazing stroke of good luck after another and don't get me started on the blatant showcase for the director's daughter. I guarantee you the original scaript did not feature the singer being the hero of the day, she was clearly written in to get him to direct this movie. She gets as much screen time as Josh Harnett and for no reason at all, the character does nothing for the movie. The only good actor in this film was the lady who played his wife, she actually turned in a good performance, even Josh Harnett, who is a great actor, gave me a Keanu Reeves performance in this. Just not good enough, bad script, bad directing, bad acting and bad nepotism. American cinema really has to pull it's socks up. This "thriller" is made for dumb audiences, if you have any intelligence it will be insulted here.
The Iron Claw (2023)
Totally wrong focus
There is a focus here on the family being cursed by some sort of bad luck curse when the real curse was fame and fortune. True wrestling fans know the rise and fall story of World Class Championship Wrestling, and that is much more interesting and compelling than this sped up version.
It is hard to get invested in any characters because there is little to no build up in character development and Chris Von Erich is totally erased from the story.
This movie should focus more on how the family was devoured by fame instead of relying on a supernatural curse theory.
The details are lacking as well. The guy playing Kerry is way too small, Zac Efron looks more like Kerry than Kevin. The Ric Flair is atrocious, it's not hard to find an actor that can do a good Ric Flair.
All in all this movie is way too rushed, lacks character development, any emotion whatsoever and misses the entire point of the Von Erich story. Very disappointed.