These guys aren’t called The Stunt People for nothing. For those of you who don’t know, The Stunt People are a group of stuntmen (duh) who make movies with fight scenes inspired by Hong Kong action cinema. They’re an incredibly talented group who are still making incredible short films to this day. The short film, Undercut, was one of their first films to showcase some slightly higher production values. It was a very ambitious project, but their efforts were worthwhile as it got nominated for the mtvU Student Filmmaker Award and won Best Short Film at the Action On Film Festival.
Eric Ninja (Eric Jacobus) is a ninja hired by the state government as a peace officer, but when the cost effective Chinese Ninja Andy comes along, Eric is left unemployed and struggles to survive. When just about everything is taken from him, he finds no other options than to fight Chinese Ninja Andy (Andy Leung) in order to get revenge for him stealing his job. This short film was also directed by Stephen Reedy whose unique style of filmmaking really gets to shine.
The fight scenes in this movie are definitely amazing. Surprisingly, there are only two main fight scenes in the whole short film: The opening fight and the finale battle between Jacobus and Leung. Both fights are terrific. The first fight really sets the tone of the short film as an over the top, 70’s style ninja flick with cartoonish violence and exciting fight scenes. The latter fight certainly allows Jacobus and Leung to show off their impressive speed. There’s a lot of creativity in the fight scenes.
Eric Ninja (Eric Jacobus) is a ninja hired by the state government as a peace officer, but when the cost effective Chinese Ninja Andy comes along, Eric is left unemployed and struggles to survive. When just about everything is taken from him, he finds no other options than to fight Chinese Ninja Andy (Andy Leung) in order to get revenge for him stealing his job. This short film was also directed by Stephen Reedy whose unique style of filmmaking really gets to shine.
The fight scenes in this movie are definitely amazing. Surprisingly, there are only two main fight scenes in the whole short film: The opening fight and the finale battle between Jacobus and Leung. Both fights are terrific. The first fight really sets the tone of the short film as an over the top, 70’s style ninja flick with cartoonish violence and exciting fight scenes. The latter fight certainly allows Jacobus and Leung to show off their impressive speed. There’s a lot of creativity in the fight scenes.
The middle of the short film though is government mumbo jumbo, Eric getting fired, him looking for a job, barely able to pay rent, and him beating up a dude and taking his phone. And it’s surprising how interested this part of the short film is. There’s some hilarious over the top comedy and even some disturbing gross out humor. The acting is also incredibly hammy and ridiculous, but what I love about this movie is that it’s still engrossing. Though you’re laughing at Eric not being able to get a job, you also feel really bad for him. There’s even a really dramatic scene in this middle section that I won’t spoil, but it was actually kinda shocking. Thus, the final fight at the end is even more intense and exciting, but I was also laughing at how desperate Eric’s character is.
Overall, Undercut is a hilarious action romp with ridiculous comedy, hammy performances, and amazing fight scenes. The style that Stephen Reedy filmed the movie in is so unique and unpredictable that there’s almost never a dull moment. But still, this short film has more to offer. This movie has some surprisingly interesting character development and some affective drama. Undercut has everything you'd expect from The Stunt People and so much more. And that's saying a lot.
*Sorry for another kinda short review, but I actually have been very busy. I do have some stuff planned for next week. My 40th review is coming up and I’m also working on a few non-review posts. Stay tuned.
Images from Big Cartel and Vimeo.
Overall, Undercut is a hilarious action romp with ridiculous comedy, hammy performances, and amazing fight scenes. The style that Stephen Reedy filmed the movie in is so unique and unpredictable that there’s almost never a dull moment. But still, this short film has more to offer. This movie has some surprisingly interesting character development and some affective drama. Undercut has everything you'd expect from The Stunt People and so much more. And that's saying a lot.
*Sorry for another kinda short review, but I actually have been very busy. I do have some stuff planned for next week. My 40th review is coming up and I’m also working on a few non-review posts. Stay tuned.
Images from Big Cartel and Vimeo.