Blood, Sweat and Terrors is an anthology of action, suspense and a dash of horror, and since this is split by different stories, I’ll review each short story in turn:
Awesome Runaway
This story, of a man who has been captured and somehow attempts an amazing escape, is one of the weakest entries in the entire anthology. There is a fight scene, but it’s poorly shot and poorly choreographed, and the way the story is constructed, you can’t really relate to the main character as you never know why he is being held captive and who the captives are, so the action seems meaningless. If the action had been amazing, or even good, it might be forgivable. But it isn’t.
Jacob’s Wrath
A short film told from two different states in the mind of and old man who is about to make a choice that will change the course of two lives, as he deals with the grief of his daughters’ death. Before the story reaches its end you’ll know how it will go, but it’s the inevitability of it that makes it sad. Not much action here, but what little is there is well done.
Flow
Ugh. That’s about all I can say for this short about two female freedom fighters who discuss their issues as they kill random nobodies. Not funny, action bad, and the best thing I can say is that the actresses were okay. The story did them no favors.
Express Delivery
NOW we’re getting somewhere! A tale of a captor and captive who duke it out. The story here is weak, the acting is serviceable, but the action is pretty decent. Not amazing, not excellent, but a bit of fun. Not bad stuntwork here.
Turncoat
Two thieves break into a house with tragic consequences…for them. This is an okay story of deception and backstabbing, but there’s nothing special about it. No real action moments here, but the actors did a fine job with the thin material.
Get Some
A zombie hunting reality show featuring an asshole you REALLY hope gets killed. Good production values here, but not much point to this story, even with The Mummy’s John Hannah as a scientist who wants to study the zombie menace in hopes of making peace with them.
Olga
A young woman gets her revenge of the gangsters who killed her father. A simple premise, but excellently pulled off. The flashbacks are well done and add to the overall story, and Naomi Frenette is amazing here, as both an actress and as the action star. The fight choreography here is excellently done and well shot. Without a doubt my favorite of the bunch, and I’d love to see a feature film version of this.
Fetch
87Eleven Action in the House! This anthology definitely saved the best for last, and after Olga this is the best film. David Leitch (you heard that right, One half of John Wick, and director of Deadpool 2) is the title character, a gumshoe who gets a missing persons case from a rich couple, but of course not all is as it seems. It’s a fun little short, and the fights here are well done, especially Fetch versus the two mechanics, who go both high and low in their strikes. It’s a blast to watch, but honestly, director and one of my favorite onscreen martial artists Daniel Bernhardt gave this film the high quality I knew he would. This film reminds me a little of a martial arts version of The Last Boy Scout. So much fun here. Look out for stunt legend JJ Perry and the OTHER half of John Wick Chad Stahleski as two alley thugs.
How to grade this? The anthology actually comes from a Little Terrors Short Film festival, with the horror-style opening that makes zero sense, and there is no connective thread from beginning to end.
Kiai-Kick’s Grade: 5
So I liked 4 out of eight shorts, so I have to say that overall it’s an average film. Olga is the standout here, and I hope we can see Naomi Frenette getting some bigger roles in the future! How about an Olga feature film?
