“Infiltrate” Poster
Director: James Mark
Cast: Orphée Ladouceur-Nguyen, Alain Moussi, Tim Rozon, Mitra Suri, Lisa Berry, Jonathan Goad, Jeff Yung, Paul Braunstein, Jason Cavalier, Phi Huynh
Running Time: 93 min.
By Z Ravas
Canadian stuntman-turned-director James Mark has carved himself a reliable niche in the indie action space. He first made some waves with 2017’s Kill Order, a compact Direct to Video effort that doubled as a 70-ish minute stunt demo reel for his brother, fellow stuntman Chris Mark. More recent efforts like Fight Another Day (2024) continue to cement Mark is a cut above your average filmmaker in the DTV arena, with his movies offering a solid blend of dramatic moments and crisply-shot action. Fight Another Day had the added hook of an interesting science-fiction plot, in which time-displaced warriors were forced to fight in a futuristic reality show, but Mark didn’t necessarily possess the budget to execute such a high concept; perhaps wisely, his latest film Infiltrate pivots to a more grounded and realistic cloak-and-dagger tale, riffing on the likes of Taken and John Wick.
Long story short, uber-badass Canadian spy Lily Chen (played by Orphée Ladouceur-Nguyen) is forced to complete three deadly missions for a mysterious voice on the phone after her beloved husband is kidnapped. (The biggest hurdle for your average viewer is going to be ignoring the fact that the mysterious voice sounds a lot like the killer from Scream). And if the movie has a secret weapon, it’s Ms. Ladouceur-Nguyen, who displays a strong screen presence and bonafide fighting chops. On the whole, I would tend to call the action design here adequate rather than exceptional, but Ladouceur-Nguyen’s physical performance sells you on her character’s rage and desperation, and there are some flourishes in the fight choreography that truly elevate certain moments, like when Orphée grabs a crowbar to start breaking arms or whenever she flings her entire body at someone’s head to do a spinning MMA-style takedown.
During Orphée’s mission to rescue her hubby, she tangles with Alain Moussi, a would-be DTV action hero himself and the star of the Kickboxer remakes, and I gotta say: Moussi is ten times more charismatic here as a villain than he ever was playing a good guy in movies like Jiu Jitsu. He seems to relish the opportunity to ham it up as a French-speaking baddie, and his final battle with Ladouceur-Nguyen proves extremely memorable, to say the least. I was expecting a fluidly-choreographed, martial arts-focused fight scene between the two performers, but what unfurls is closer to a savage and bloody scrap to the death. Don’t expect much finesse to the choreography during this climax: it’s kill or be killed, and Orphée’s character absorbs a surprising amount of punishment.
On the whole, I’d recommend Infiltrate to my fellow Direct to Video action junkies—while it’s superior to the average Straight to Tape effort, it’s not likely to win over folks who prefer polished theatrical fare like the John Wick series. In other words, some shaky performances or slow patches are a given in a DIY feature like this where the filmmakers’ passion exceeds their budgetary limitations, but such issues aren’t likely to phase indie fight fans. Among my many takeaways from this film: Orphée Ladouceur-Nguyen is definitely talent to watch; she should make an appearance in one of Scott Adkins’ movies; and I wouldn’t be upset if James Mark directed it.
Oh, and Alain Moussi should definitely keep playing bad guys!
Z Ravas’ Rating: 7/10
