Triple Threat (2019) Review

“Triple Threat” Theatrical Poster

Director: Jesse V. Johnson
Cast: Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Tiger Hu Chen, Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping, Celina Jade, Jeeja Yanin, Ron Smoorenburg, Michael Wong, Dominique Vandenberg, Sile Zhang, Jennifer Qi Jun Yang
Running Time: 96 min. 

By Paul Bramhall

There’s something undeniably daunting when you look at the cast list of Triple Threat. For many fans of martial arts cinema, it’s one that looks too good to be true, the kind of movie that you read about but almost certainly never comes to fruition (just look up Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson’s Blood Raid). However Triple Threat’s cast is very much the real deal, and with it come some lofty expectations. When you fit such a who’s who of the genre into a 90 minute action flick, it’s fair to say that some fans were hoping more for a non-stop action reel than they were any semblance of a movie. But a movie it is, and it’s the latest one from director Jesse V. Johnson, the guy responsible for the recent string of superlative Scott Adkins flicks (Accident Man, The Debt Collector).

Adkins is back on board for Triple Threat, clocking in his first villain role since 2015’s Wolf Warrior. A ruthless assassin, when we first meet him he’s being rescued from captivity in Thailand, courtesy of his former crew. The crew itself contains enough talent to carry an action flick (or 2) alone – it’s led by Adkins’ Undisputed 2 co-star Michael Jai White, who’s ably backed up by former UFC fighter Michael Bisping, Thai femme fatale Jija Yanin, high kicker Ron Smoorenburg, and Dominiquie Vandenberg (soon to headline Johnson’s Legion Maxx). Navigating them through the jungle is a pair of mercenaries for hire, played by Tiger Chen (Man of Tai Chi) and Tony Jaa (SPL II: A Time for Consequences). After breaking Adkins out, the crew massacre the villagers in the area where he’d been imprisoned, including the wife of Iko Uwais (The Night Comes for Us). As the sole survivor, Uwais swears revenge on those responsible for her death. 

The above plot description may puzzle those who’ve been following Triple Threat for a while, as the synopsis usually focuses on how the three protagonists (Uwais, Jaa, and Chen) have to protect a Chinese billionaire’s daughter (played by Celina Jade). The reason for this focus is likely due to Triple Threat being funded by China, and it’s no doubt an easier sell to Chinese audiences than ‘Indonesian guy seeks revenge for his murdered wife’ (which also isn’t very Chinese censor-friendly). Onscreen there’s little mistaking that it’s there to appease the Chinese distributors, as awkwardly inserted news broadcasts inform us how crimes against the Chinese community in the (fictional) city of Maha Jaya are on the increase. Jade, who’s inherited a fortune from her father, wishes nothing more than to donate it to improve the cities infrastructure and make it a safer place to live. Such a selfless and giving model Chinese citizen.

Thankfully Jade has a likeable onscreen presence, allowing the initial tonal shifts to not feel as jarring as they potentially could have, and in all fairness, without China there wouldn’t be a Triple Threat. We have Tiger Chen to thank for the original idea, who came up with the concept to bring himself, Tony Jaa, and Iko Uwais together 3 years ago, in what was then going to be called Makeshift Squad. While Chen himself is lacking in any form of screen presence or charisma (has anyone actually seen Kung Fu Traveler and its sequel!?), the fact that he saw the idea through to the end, is enough of a feat that the martial arts cinema genre owes him a debt of gratitude. It’s also thanks to China that Triple Threat clearly has a decent budget behind it, with a welcome reliance on real explosions and in-camera stunt work, rather than CGI. The other good news is that, when it comes down to the violence, Johnson hasn’t decided to skimp on it.

From the Predator-esque opening in the jungle through to the numerous fights, for those who’ve become tired of the ‘clean’ action aesthetic that most Hong Kong flicks now find themselves forcibly adhering too (Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy, I’m looking at you), this should be your remedy. Blood squibs are used with joyous abandon, usually through being on the receiving end of some seriously heavy artillery (if you ever wanted a movie that features Jija Yanin running around with a grenade launcher – this is it!), and the fights also don’t shy away from what grievous bodily harm can be inflicted by a fist or a foot.

Which brings us to the fights. It’s a reasonable statement for me to say I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so happy to use the plural of a word. Johnson has chosen wisely to stick with what he knows, bringing fight choreographer Tim Man on-board to orchestrate the action. I’ve been a huge advocate for Man ever since he first came on my radar as a fight choreographer (and screen fighter) in 2013’s Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, and he’s gone from strength to strength since then, usually collaborating with Scott Adkins (they faced off again in Accident Man). Here he stays behind the scenes, but I suspect that’s only because he had his hands more than full putting together the abundance of action, and performers executing it, in front of the camera. I’d go so far to say that Man has delivered the goods here more so than any current HK choreographer could have done with the same cast.

For fear of turning the review into a laundry list of who fights who, I won’t go into every pairing. However for those who were left frustrated at the pairing of Chen and Uwais in Man of Tai Chi (was there anyone that wasn’t?), their match up here more than redeems, and takes place at only 20 minutes in. Likewise for Jaa, who after spending a disproportionate amount of time in Hong Kong being attached to wires, here is allowed to unleash wire-free, and you can feel the spark is back. Johnson wisely allows for Adkins and Jai White to remain ominous threats for most of the runtime, seemingly very much aware that the best should be saved for last, which it is.

I recall in an interview Adkins did to promote Undisputed 3: Redemption back in 2010, he spoke of his hopes to one day have a chance to fight Jaa, and a little under 10 years later the match-up is the highlight of the finale (Jaa notably receives top billing in the credits, with Uwais billed second). Adkins unleashes against the star of Ong Bak like it’s still 2003, and Jaa visibly lifts his game to square off against the British powerhouse. It’s a joy to watch, and when Uwais also gets involved to make it segue into a two-on-one, the joy of watching 3 of this era’s top screen fighters go at each other is an immeasurable one. Uwais himself gets some seriously heavy lifting to do going toe to toe with Jai White (because, well, we already got a Jaa vs Jai White fight in 2014’s Skin Trade), who’s sheer power gives him an almost Hwang Jang Lee-like aura of invincibility against his more slender opposition, while Chen battles it out against Bisping.

While the audience for Triple Threat will mostly be clocking in for the action, it’s worth noting that at no point do you find yourself impatiently waiting for the next action scene to kick in. The storyline is surprisingly engaging, with Uwais almost coming across as a Yojimbo–like character in the way he plays Adkins and co. against the double crossed pairing of Jaa and Chen. Considering none of our trio of protagonists speak each other’s native language, Uwais, Jaa, and Chen have a likeable chemistry between them, and their conversing in English is not only passable, but at times genuinely affecting. Kudos to Johnson for hiring a Dialect Coach, as it’s clearly paid dividends.

I was left feeling like Triple Threat is the 2019 equivalent of a PM Entertainment flick. It knows it’s there to deliver action, and does so in a joyously unpretentious manner, with a cast that are fully aware of what they’re there to do. Throw in Michael Wong in a role credited as ‘Old Man’, a blink and you’ll miss it reference to “Donnie and Sammo”, and Jija Yanin exiting proceedings via one of the greatest death scenes in recent action movie memory, what you’re left with is a pure shot of celluloid adrenalin. Or to use lines from the movie itself, a tale of “three little imps” versus some “really bad guys”. 

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8.5/10