We rated:

Triple Threat is a 2019 martial arts film directed by Jesse V. Johnson.   It stars Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen, as well as Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping, Celina Jade, and Jeeja Yanin.

This movie has been called “The Martial Arts Expendables” because of its cast of martial arts heavy weights.  It is a violent, action filled movie which is light on the story and heavy on the gun play.   I enjoyed it.   It moves very quickly and the body count is high.  Like many martial arts films it is rooted in a revenge story.

Taekwondo Practitioners, Michael Jai White and the elusive Scott Adkins (see my article Scott Adkins Won’t Talk to Taekwondo Life Magazine) team up with MMA fighter Michael Bisping, as soul-less mercenaries carrying out an assassination plot.

The film’s title refers to the pairing of Jaa and Chen, who ally with Uwais, after a village massacre to seek revenge on the “bad guys”.  This triumvirate make up the “Triple Threat“.

The fighting, stunt choreography, and cinematography in this film are all great.   The last 35 minutes of riveting martial arts combat had me wishing there was less gun fighting and more hand-to-hand throughout the film.  These martial arts fighters are all serious action stars in their own right.  They manage to share the screen in a way that highlights each of their relative skills and talents.   Seems they were all able to put their egos aside for the sake of the project and it shows.

Tony Jaa has been an international sensation for some time.  This film will, hopefully, widen the attention he receives by American audiences.

For the lover of adult martial arts action films I highly recommend this exciting film.

-Marc Zirogiannis