British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a group of military officials hatch a daring plan to neutralise Hitler’s fleet of German U-boats during World War II. Made up of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, the top-secret combat unit uses unconventional techniques to battle the Nazis and change the course of the war.

When Guy Ritchie steps behind the camera, you know you’re going to get a hard-charging dose of pure machismo. The latest work from this self-described “cashmere caveman” is a rollicking good bit of fun. Drawing from true historical sources and the clandestine actions of the Special Operations Executive and the Small Scale Raiding Force (SSRF) in their role in Operation Postmaster, the first-ever Special Forces mission designed to cripple the Nazi U-Boat power and their hold over the Pacific.

From the moment it starts, you know that The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is going to be good. Ritchie brings his unique sense of creativity and play to the picture, and his use of high-powered action mixed in with deft comedic moments will keep audiences on guard. Step by step, the momentum of the picture moves forward at pace.

While watching The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, you feel as if you’re observing a group of modern-day pirates. At the commission of Sir Winston Churchill, they’ve been given the command to “Cry ‘Havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war.” Ritchie and his cast and crew have a blast with this sensational yet entirely true story of a group of outsiders, reprobates, and insubordinates who, when their country called upon them, stepped up to the call of duty and went all the way to deliver a significant blow to Hitler’s war effort. The film has an almost ‘Spaghetti Western’ vibe to it, but even with its quick-witted characters and outlandish action, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a deeply serious matter. This is a do-or-die mission where only total victory will do.

Taking commando of this unruly group of commando pirates is Henry Cavill in the role of Major Gus March-Phillipps, a wily and clever soldier who is not fond of rules and intends to break them and who will lead the fight into the Valley of the Beast of Operation Postmaster. Cavill is a perfect fit for the sharp and quick-witted March-Phillipps, and he moves quickly to establish his mission, and he’ll go to great lengths to see it completed. It’s fantastic to see Cavill back in league with Ritchie, and the two are having a blast as Cavill is in full hero mode and taking out Nazi’s left, right and centre at the end of a silenced STEN gun. He’s an apt leader for this ‘man on a mission’ picture, and it’s a radically different type of character that allows Cavill to play with his range as an actor and try something new as this almost ‘prototypical’ James Bond-esque spy leader.

Assembled behind Cavil is a whose-who of talent, including Alan Ritchson, Eiza González, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Babs Olusanmokun, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Cary Elwes, Freddie Fox, and Rory Kinnear as Churchill. All of them leave their mark on the picture, and each has their moment to shine, something that Ritchie is good at doing with his characters. Standouts from the cast include Alan Ritchson as the hulking ‘Danish Viking’ Anders Lassen, a deer-hunting, bear-wrestling aristocrat turned Nazi hunter who utilises a bow and arrow and sheer ferocity to take out his sworn enemies. And he’s a hoot to watch. Eiza González brings incredible class and sophistication as SOE agent Marjorie Stewart, who has the task of seducing high-ranking Nazi Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger) and whose mission is a personal one. Henry Golding is a filled pyromaniac glee as explosives expert Freddy Alvarez, and he makes everything go BOOM. Freddie Fox is a deft choice as Ian Fleming, and Rory Kinnear is utterly brilliant as Sir Winston Churchill.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare has a swift kinetic pace, and Ritchie clarifies that this is a do-or-die mission. Ritchie keeps things interesting, throwing problem after problem at Cavill’s March-Phillipps and his pirates. This keeps the tension of the picture interesting and gives our heroes some real stakes to go after. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a real throwback to those classic war pictures and action films that we grew up on, and you’re fully invested as an audience member. As the mission to infiltrate the island of Fernando Po draws nearer and nearer, the tautness of the picture escalates, and you’ll be holding on for dear life as these brave men and women go into the fire against a guns-blazing Nazi defence. Hot lead is spent, and things go BOOM very quickly, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a damn explosive narrative to witness.

Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is an epic WWII thriller with all the trimmings, and it will have your adrenal gland working overtime. This is an exciting, daring and clever piece of work, and it is a tribute to the men and women of the SOE who went beyond their duty and whose actions saved our world for good. It’s a truly heroic story in every sense of the word, and in my mind, it is the type of picture audiences desperately need now. It’s fun, zany and utterly adrenaline-soaked, and you’ll have the time of your life watching it.

Image: Prime Video

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In this breakneck thriller from director-producer Michael Bay, decorated veteran Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks for help from the one person he knows he shouldn’t—his adoptive brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal). A charismatic career criminal, Danny instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history: $32 million. With his wife’s survival on the line, Will can’t say no.

If Michael Bay has one special talent as a filmmaker it’s throwing everything at the cinema canvas and taking audiences for the ride of their lives in blockbuster after blockbuster, and his latest work, the high stakes action-thriller Ambulance, is sure to have your adrenal gland working overtime. With this latest blockbuster, Bay wastes no time in gearing up and he throws his audience straight into the action right from the opening frame. Bay sets the scene with a pair of long lost brothers, The Sharps, Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), whose criminal past and family life has seen them split apart until desperate times force them back together. Pulled into a bank robbery as an unwilling pawn, Will, goes along with Danny’s scheme. Everything is running fine until it doesn’t and soon the bullets start flying and the audience is thrown into one hell of a storm.

Following the robbery, which quickly goes to hell, Bay throws Danny and Will, two fugitives who are armed to the teeth and have all of LA law closing in around them into a surprise ambulance, which is overseen by ace EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza Gonzalez), who is trying to save the life of a police officer who was shot in the midst of their botched robbery. And it’s here where things get interesting. Kinetic and fast-moving, Ambulance is a film that puts its foot on the accelerator and doesn’t let it off for a moment. Bay throws tension at the audience from every angle and as the chase moves forward things go from bad to worse, and the chaos closes in around our three passengers, you feel every single moment of this frantic action thriller and damn does Bay provide you with a rush!

Ambulance is effective as an action thriller because Bay invests in a story device that I like to label ‘action as narrative’. This is where the narrative is contained within the action and the pulsing beats, alongside the daring car chases, countless explosions and bursts of automatic gunfire, add to expressing the story. And this is exactly where Ambulance sits. With three characters who are out on the edge and stuck in a steel cage of a rolling ambulance that is travelling at speed across Los Angeles, the stakes could not be higher, and minute by minute the intensity ramps up. Ambulance is a film that delivers on a magnified level of suspense and Bay places a vice-like grip on his audience’s attention. There are plenty of moments, from an explosive gunfight on the streets of Los Angeles to freeway car smashing action, to an intense, visceral, and bloody open body surgery that will make you jump up in your seat, and all of it is a part of this rollercoaster experience of a movie.

Stepping onto the screen as charismatic bank robber Danny Sharp is Jake Gyllenhaal and the twisted and snappy character of Danny gives Gyllenhaal a lot of room to work in. Trading as a luxury sports car dealer, Danny is in fact a seasoned criminal and bank robber with a long family history tied to the Los Angeles criminal underworld. Longing for the gold ol’ days with his younger brother Will, and to make one hell of score, he soon finds himself in the crosshairs of LA law enforcement and that’s when things get crazy. Gyllenhaal moves from charismatic and cool to vindictive and frenzied quickly and he’s no man to be messed with. With a hair-trigger temper and an even quicker trigger finger, Danny is a criminal on edge and he makes for an intimidating antagonist, and with Gyllenhaal’s show of intensity and unpredictability in the role, audiences are certainly kept on edge.

Sitting across from Danny is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Will Sharp, Danny’s younger adoptive brother who walked out on him and their family’s criminal past a long time ago, but who now in desperation is drawn back to his brother’s criminal impulses. Where Danny is the impulse of Ambulance, Will is the film’s conscious. Abdul-Mateen II’s Will is a direct contradiction to Gyllenhaal’s Danny and their back and forth, which ranges from a close brotherhood bond to a vindictive and situation-induced hatred for one another keeps you on edge as an audience member. Abdul-Mateen II also shares a great chemistry with Gyllenhaal and you easily buy into their shared past as brothers as his stance as a good man in a bad situation tests his ability as a performer.

Stuck in between the Sharp brothers and staring into the barrel of a gun is Eiza Gonzalez as quick-thinking and wipsmart EMT Cam Thompson. Regarded as the best EMT working on the job, but who has a problem dealing with people and just compartmentalizing the carnage that she has to deal with day in and day out, Gonzalez’s Cam soon finds herself in the middle of an even more hectic situation and she becomes a foil for Danny and Will’s escape. While she might have a gun pointed at her, Cam is in no way any type of victim and she gets right in Danny’s face, especially when it comes to keeping the wounded cop alive in the back of her ambulance, the only insurance that Danny and Will have of any chance of survival. The narrative and fast pace of Ambulance certainly test Gonzalez as a performer and she stands up to the pressure and delivers a solid performance.

With Ambulance you’re very much a participant in the action and narrative of this fast-paced blockbuster and during the extreme moments of this film, you feel like you’re fully immersed in it, rather than just being a mere spectator. Bay holds nothing back with this bold and intense piece of cinema and you can literally smell the gun powder as he turns the streets of Los Angeles into a wrecking yard and things get crazier by the minute. While the carnage is mad and in your face, Bay’s reliance on practical effects makes the intensity of this film real, and there’s no doubting that the chaos that he orchestrates is anything but authentic. Bay makes Ambulance a true blockbuster spectacle and it’s a pulse-pounding experience to witness up close.

By the time the credits begin to roll on Ambulance, your adrenal gland will be working overtime and the adrenaline will be surging through your veins. This is a blockbuster film that doesn’t stop for a second and it’s one hell of a fun ride.

Image: Universal Pictures

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Watch the full featurette below:

While he’s long been known as the king of blockbuster cinema, director Michael Bay changes things up a bot here in Ambulance and focuses more on the dramatic intensity of a bank robbery gone wrong and themes of brotherhood, trust and danger in his pulse-pounding new action-thriller.

Bringing together an all-star cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza González, Ambulance cranks up the intensity and makes for a singular pursuit film. After a failed bank robbery that sees brothers Danny and William Sharp (Gyllenhaal, Abdul-Mateen II) on the run from the LAPD, they hijack an ambulance and are thrust into the situation of caring for the very cop that got caught in the crossfire of their heist gone wrong. What escalates from there is a back and forth game of cat and mouse as Danny, Will and EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza Gonzalez) attempt to stay alive in the explosive pursuit and this is Bay unlike you’ve never seen him before.

Gonzalez herself has described the production as “it felt like a small independent indie movie that we were doing in the back of an ambulance, and then I see the humungous explosions and I’m like oh, it’s still a Michael Bay film”. Bay’s presence as a filmmaker and style as a director was also a key part of Gyllenhaal signing up to the project, and Ambulance’s style and directness of narrative feel very much in line with the director’s recent films such as 13 Hours and Pain and Gain, films which had a heavy focus on narrative and character.

Here’s the official synopsis:

William Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a war veteran who desperately needs $231,000 for his wife’s surgery. He reaches out to Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal), his adoptive brother and a life-long criminal, who talks him into taking part in a $32 million bank heist. The robbery goes wrong when they shoot an LAPD officer. The pair are soon on the run in an ambulance with an EMT and the dying officer as their hostages.

Brace yourselves for one hell of an action experience when Ambulance arrives in cinemas on April 7.

Image: Universal Pictures

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After he and his wife are suddenly assassinated, Marine Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) is reborn by a team of scientists. Enhanced with nanotechnology, he becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine – Bloodshot. As Ray first trains with fellow super-soldiers, he struggles to recall anything from his previous years. But when his memories flood back and he remembers the man that killed both him and his wife, he breaks out of the facility hellbent on revenge, only to discover that there’s more to the conspiracy than he originally felt.

The comic book universe is becoming synonymous with cinema these days and now it’s time for audiences to be introduced to the Valient Cinematic Universe with the big screen adaptation of Bloodshot. This cult-favourite comic book centres on super-soldier Ray Garrison (Diesel), code named Bloodshot, who because of unique Nanotechnology can regenerate his cells and body tissue, while also delivering maximum damage along the way. Bloodshot is the directorial debut of visual effects savant, David S.F. Wilson and Wilson gives this film it’s own punk rock energy and brands it apart from other established comic book universe’s that we’ve become familiar with. Wilson’s approach to the film is one that fits in with the comic book style of the source material, but the emphasis is more on science-fiction and military action, with Bloodshot having a style similar to classics such as The Terminator and Universal Soldier.

Taking the lead in Bloodshot is Hollywood action star Vin Diesel as Ray Garrison, a veteran Special Forces officer and U.S. Marine MARSOC operator whose the best at what he does and who finds himself in servitude to the secretive RST Corporation, whom he uses to exact his revenge on those who killed his beloved wife. But while Vin’s pretty adept at carving up the bad guys, and there’s plenty of gunfire, explosions and destruction along the way, it soon becomes clear that not all is what it appears to be. For Diesel, the character of Ray Garrison gives him a challenge as an actor, not from the standpoint of the film’s focus on action and intensity, but rather the psychological drama that Diesel has to contend with as the broken down Garrison. This is a character who is afflicted by recurring elements of PTSD and amnesia and questions of identity linger with this character, and all of this makes things interesting for Diesel.

Providing support to Diesel up on the screen is rising star Eiza González as KT, a former Navy freediver, who herself is now one of RST’s biotech assets and who has been retrofitted with a mechanical re-breather that makes her impervious to any type of chemical or biological attack. González’s KT is very much the conscience of the movie, and it’s through her actions that Diesel’s Garrison finds much of his direction and realisation as a character to both his past trauma and the actions carried out by RST. Don’t get me wrong though, González is not merely a sounding board, and this girl gets her hands dirty with some seriously intense and bone-breaking action sequences and there’s plenty of gnarly stunt work on behalf of González for action fans to be excited about.

Scottish hunk Sam Heaughan also steps up here in Bloodshot, and while audiences might know him for his turn as the selfless romantic hero Jamie Fraser in Outlander, here in Bloodshot he unleashes his darker side as cyborg killer Jimmy Dalton. A former U.S. Navy SEAL who lost his legs in an IED attack, Dalton has been rebuilt by RST and is the muscle behind Harting’s intelligence. He has a real grudge against Diesel’s Garrison and is happy to rile him up and attack him every chance he gets. To put it simply, he’s a real nasty piece of work. Heaughan got absolutely jacked for the part of Dalton and he keeps up with Diesel as they go mano-o-mano in an intense full combat fight scene that sees Heughan’s Dalton fitted out with a high tech meca exoskeleton that gives him a greater range of movement and a whole lot of options to attack Garrison with. Heaughan makes for a great nemesis for Diesel’s Garrison and as an audience member, it’s a lot of fun to see him embrace his evil side in Bloodshot.

Finally bringing the film together is modern-day legendary thespian Guy Pearce who assumes the role of the film’s chief antagonist Dr Emil Harting, the creator of Diesel’s Ray Garrison, code named Bloodshot, and here Pearce brings a calculating and cruel style as the film’s chief antagonist. Part of the charm of Guy Pearce is that he is an actor who can do it all, and his vast range serves him well in whatever project he chooses to take on. Here he gets to play out the character of the master manipulator and the man with his eyes on the bigger picture. His pursuit of perfection makes him incredibly dangerous as an adversary and the final showdown between himself and Garrison is one that goes out with a considerable bang!

Part of what makes Bloodshot enjoyable as an action set adventure is the way that director David S.F. Wilson approaches the film’s narrative. Through the use of misdirection and innovations with his story structure, Wilson keeps his audience on edge and you never know what’s coming next or how the action is going to slam into you with this one. And when I say that Bloodshot delivers action…I MEAN IT! Wilson, Diesel and the film’s stunt team work to deliver something different with Bloodshot, and it stands apart from other high concept superhero films with its focus on military-inspired set-pieces and the film’s unique biotech-enhanced characters. If you’re looking for the film’s signature action sequence then it’s definitely the showdown between Garrison and Dalton, and this piece of combat gets downright gnarly. Trust me when I say that all of the adrenaline that is spent here will have you pumped!

Bloodshot is an intense action-packed ride and for those looking for a shot of adrenaline to their nervous system, well, they’ll get it with this one.

Check out Bloodshot on the iTunes Store now.

Image: Sony Pictures

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After a bank robbery gone bad, wanted outlaws Seth Gecko (D.J. Cotrona), and his violent, unpredictable brother Richie Gecko (Zane Holtz) make a desperate dash for the Mexican border, and the freedom that is waiting for them there. Hot on their heels is dogged Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez (Jesse Garcia), who is pursuing the brothers after they left his mentor, Texas Ranger Earl McGraw (Don Johnson), dead. Knowing that they have few options, the Gecko’s kidnap former minster Jacob Fuller (Robert Patrick) and his two children, Katie (Madison Davenport), and Scott (Brandon Soo Hoo), and commandeer their vehicle with a quest to reach the notorious Tittie Twister strip club. But nothing is what it seems, and the Geckos, the Fullers, and Ranger Gonzalez are in for more than they bargained for with this den of horrors.

Rodriguez makes an awesome break for originality and surprise with From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series. Staying true to his original film he mixes south of the border crime action, with spooky and horrific vampire horror. Rodriguez has taken the plot of his original series, and expands upon it with greater detail and character developments. It’s fascinating to see scenes turned into entire 45 minute episodes. The action and pacing is never drawn out, and Rodriguez is able to build upon this very rich world that he helped bring to life back in 1996.

The casting is pitch perfect for the series with a group of hot new talent taking to the screen, cemented with some absolute cult legends. Front and center and full of antihero bravado is D.J. Cotrona as series bad boy Seth Gecko, a reckless outlaw thief who is completely cool under tense situations, but is clearly out for himself. Cotrona was absolutely perfect for Seth, handling his criminal strut and swagger, along with being fairly capable with his own personal hand cannon revolver. Cotrona also balances out Seth’s criminal mind and behaviour, with a slightly flawed, but still present code of honor. Seth’s only flaw comes in his loyalty for his disturbed and psychotic younger brother Richie Gecko, played by the exceptionally talented Zane Holtz. Holtz is the series breakout character, and is an absolute scene-stealer. He channels the intensity of a young Michael Shannon, and he’s one to seriously keep an eye on. His Richie can flip from functioning to psychotic in a second, and it’s very scary to watch.

Pursuing the Geckos is dogged Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez played by Jesse Garcia. Again he’s one to watch, and can stand toe to toe with the Geckos as well as with the legendary Don Johnson as his mentor and partner, Texas Ranger Earl McGraw. Stuck in the middle of the Gecko’s path of chaos is the distraught and traumatised Fuller family. Madison Davenport and Brandon Soo Hoo play siblings Katie and Scott, and both of these young talents are extremely good. Davenport is pretty incredible to watch as she is pretty much the series female lead, and we can report that she’s very, very good as the young Christian girl who is desperately trying to find meaning in her life following tragedy. Their father, the distraught, and alcoholic former paster Jacob Fuller is played by cult legend himself Robert Patrick. His presence is the series is awesome to watch, and he lends it credibility and reassurance, he’d great to watch as the everyman who has to rise above his failings to protect his family.

But while none of these characters might like the idea of being together, they’re going to have to try if they are going to survive the deadly Santanico Pandemonium played by the gorgeous Eiza Gonzalez, and her loyal henchman and cartel boss Carlos Madrigal, played by Wilmar Valderrama. Gonzalez is again perfectly cast as Santanico (Rodriguez really does have an eye for talent), and she does a great job of measuring up to Salma Hayek’s original performance, while still making Santanico her own. This blood goddess is one bad girl, and her sexual magnetism and ferocious hunger only adds to her appeal. While it would be easy to just see her become another femme fatale, Gonzalez really has presence as a performer and layers her with depth, and did we mention that she is absolutely gorgeous? Valderrama also gets to change gears and step into the guise of a villain this time around, and from the glee in his performance, it’s easy to see that he’s relishing his new character.

From Dusk Till Dawn also plays with the mythologies of the series vampires as well. Taking cues from Aztec and Mayan cultures, the filmmakers have created a layered, and very creepy new vampire species, which have more to do with snake cults than they do with bats. This new mythology definitely injects the series full of venom, and its bite will have you hooked.

The series storytelling is consistent, and while some audiences may have an understanding of the eventual end, they’ll have no clue how they get there. Rodriguez keeps things nice and loose, and leaves the series on a high. Fans will also rejoice knowing the fact that the Geckos and Santanica will be returning for a second season.

From Dusk Till Dawn is a tremendously original and daring new series which does not pander to convention or expectation, and instead makes a move to mix things up. So be cool, and get rambling ramblers because you need to check out a series that has serious bite to it.

From Dusk Till Dawn is now available to stream on Netflix.

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