The Roundup: No Way Out is a flex for action star Ma Dong-seok

It takes a lot of moving parts to make a movie’s action work. Choreography, camera placement and editing all have to be in sync, and you need people who know what they’re doing in front of and behind the camera. But perhaps the most important element is balancing a film’s action style with the superhuman abilities of its stars. And there’s no better synergy between a modern action franchise’s fight scenes and its star than the combination of the Korean Crime City franchise and burly star Ma Dong-seok.

Ma, also known as Don Lee, has turned his charm, comedic performance and log-like biceps into a career. After years of success in the Korean film industry, he achieved fame with his outstanding supporting role in ” Train to Busanwhich led to Hollywood calling and landing him the role of Gilgamesh in Marvels eternal.

His career has recently reached new heights with the Crime City films, an action-thriller franchise in which Ma plays badass detective Ma Seok-do. The second entry The abstractwas Korea’s top-grossing domestic film of 2022, and the newly released third film, No escape, possibly the best in the franchise to date. A fourth film is scheduled for release in 2024 many more installments planned

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Returning director Lee Sang-yong knows exactly how to highlight everything that makes Ma special. All three Crime City films take full advantage of his gorgeous body, particularly in the way they are introducing him to the big screen for the first time. Each introduction begins with a scene of chaos in a public place, such as a traffic accident leading to a fistfight in the street. The camera then cuts to Ma’s imposing figure from behind, letting his shoulders take up the full width of the screen as he strides forward to do justice with his palms or fists, clearing the situation so the traffic can ease and he can can get to work.

Ma, who became president of the Korean Arm Wrestling Federation in 2018He’s incredibly charming – even as a badass cop, he’s affable, funny, personable, and occasionally goofy in an extraordinarily endearing way. He walks confidently and constantly warns people not to mess with him. His body can fill a frame, but his smile can fill a space.

Ma’s comedic performance, both in his words and in his actions, helps take these films from brutal, entertaining action to all-round hilarious fun films. In No escape, he encounters a group of criminals trying a dangerous new drug and casually asks them to put the drugs in a Ziploc bag while he takes pictures. They obey robotically before realizing they are incriminating themselves; This is the power of Ma’s physical presence and charisma. When confronted with people who want to hunt him down, his main reaction is anger. It’s like he’s disciplining unruly kids – who happen to come at him with guns and need to be disciplined with head-splitting punches.

In his 50s, Ma hasn’t faltered one bit as an action star. His character is in aches and pains, stretching out his arms after a long fight or exclaiming in the middle of one, “Gosh, I’m tired.” But he moves surprisingly quickly for a man of his age and size and hits harder than never before.

And the Crime City movies acknowledge that those punches are the real main attraction. Ma used to be one even aspiring boxer, and it shows in his smooth movements and impeccable form. He has awesome fists and arms and hits harder than any action star working today. While his massive physique alone suggests his strength, No escape Director Lee also knows how to highlight Ma’s unique qualities. Lee’s camera moves with the action and follows the punches, accentuating the punches for maximum impact. When Ma falls a particularly large opponent, the camera shakes as if there is an earthquake.

In addition to the kinetic camera work No escapeis a sensational soundscape that amplifies every punch – the combined effect makes it feel like Ma is beating up bad guys with a truck and not with her fists. The punches hit loud, but the important thing is that the misses are also loud – when fists or knives twitch, the air roars with the force and danger of the punches. However, when Ma makes contact, the recipient flies through.

The series actually has the well-worn catchphrase “good cop held back by pesky human rights concerns,” complete with a gag-in No escape where Ma and her colleagues find creative ways to cover the camera while hitting someone they’re questioning. These films live in the common fantasy world of many cop films, in which cops only question bad people who deserve whatever extrajudicial punishment they get. If you have the patience for this archaic idea, you will be rewarded with one of the best action series made today.

You don’t have to watch the previous Crime City movies to follow them No escape, but you should, because they rule, and any excuse for watching Ma Dong-seok beat fools is a good one. His years of training as a movie star and as a boxer pays off in this series, and the people behind the camera know how to make the most of it. As these films show again and again, this is a recipe for success.

The summary: No way out is in cinemas now. The first movie in the series The outlawskeeps streaming Viki, Free with ads Tube, and rentable on Amazon. You can stream the second movie, The abstractAt Viki; Watch it for free with ads Tube, plexAnd FreeVee; or lend it to others Amazon.