August 23, 2025 (Valley Stream, NY)– Russia’s The Last Ronin is Smart Filmmaking.  Newcomer Director Max Shiskin’s The Last Ronin, a Post-Apocalyptic Action-Adventure, Debuts on Digital September 16.  This Well Go USA release from Russia affirms Well Go’s commitment to international Distribution of the best and most unique martial arts films in the world.

Synopsis:

Nuclear war and climate change have rendered the world a wasteland. In a landscape where survival is not guaranteed and bullets are the only currency, Ronin (Yuri Kolokolnikov) seeks revenge for his father’s murder. A young girl requests his help to return to her birthplace, a dangerous journey which will require all his fighting skills to survive.

Review:

It is rare to find a Russian martial arts action film making its way to international Distribution.  The Last Ronin is a low budget, Russian made martial arts, action film molded in the model of many other films in both the action and martial arts genres.

The film, smartly, sticks to a simple story of a wandering warrior in the Post-Apocalpytic world whose path crosses with a girl in need of his assistance.   The film stars Yuri Kolokolnikov, who may be familiar to American audiences from his role Game of Thrones and a numerous other films and projects.  He is very good as the deadly, but well centered, warrior in a world where bullets and ammunition are actual currency; making his adept skills with a sword a significant attribute.  He plays the role very much in the manner of a Japanese Samurai warrior.  His portrayal and the his character’s centered disposition amidst the chaos of his surroundings draws great inspiration from Marko Zaror in Ernesto Díaz Espinoza’s Fist of the Condor.

Diana Enakaeva does a good job holding her own as the co-star of this film.   She is the catalyst for enlisting Kolokolnikov’s help in seeking revenge, a standard martial arts film trope,  against the people that wronged her.  Her performance as a hardened soul whose experiences exceed her age is good.

The film appeared to have received great inspiration from George Miller’s “Wasteland” universe.  For certain, this film does not have the majesty, or brilliance of those films.   Kolokolnikov is no Mel Gibson; however, his low key performance is good enough that we are able see that there is more here than a killing machine.   The mission alone, while undertaken for the payment of bullets, is evidence there is a righteous soul under the deadly veneer of this wandering warrior.

The film’s quirky characters and settings harken to the “Wasteland” films and AMC’s short lived, but impressive, “Into the Badlands” television series.

The film’s action and violence are intense and bloody.  This is not rated, but not for pre-teen viewers.   The martial arts and gun play are very well choreographed and fun to watch.   Kolokolnikov is adept with a sword.  I am not certain whether that precedes this film, or was part of the product of making it.   Regardless, the viewer believes he is a master swordsman and this evokes the question asked in the film, “Who trained You?”

I applaud the ambition of the film and admire its understanding that it needs to stay in its lane as a combination that had a synergistic impact on the final outcome.   The Last Ronin is a highly watchable film.   I think the Direction and Cinematography exceed its budget.   I do think it could have been edited to be a bit shorter; however, this limitation is not a tragic flaw.  I recommend this film.

Watch it in Russian, with English subtitles.

The Last Ronin, the Well Go USA Entertainment release on digital September 16, 2025. THE LAST RONIN also hits Blu-ray^™ and DVD exclusively through Amazon on September 16.  You can find out more about this film at http://www.wellgousa.com.