‘Triple Threat’ Will Unite Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen, And Iko Uwais For Three Times The Ass-Kicking
Do you want to hear a really, really good idea? How about an action movie that unites the stars ofOng-Bak,Man of Tai Chi, andThe Raidand lets them do what they do best. That’s the selling point of the appropriately titledTriple Threat, the latest film to be revealed at the American Film Market and a project that I would very much like to have injected into my eyeballs right now, thank you very much.
The story comes our way viaThe Hollywood Reporter, who report thatDwayne Smithwrote the screenplay andWang Xiaoliewill direct.Chad Stahelski, a veteran stunt man, stunt coordinator, and the director of bothJohn Wickmovies, will coordinate the action design.
Of course, the big news here are the three men in front of the camera: Thailand’sTony Jaa, China’sTiger Chen, and Indonesia’sIko Uwais, three of the most exciting actors and martial artists currently working on the international stage. If the plot description from THR is any indication, Chen will act as the default lead of the movie which “…revolves around a Chinese martial artist who goes to Mexico to rescue his ex-wife and their son after they are kidnapped by a drug cartel.”
Based on his co-stars and the title of the movie, we can safely assume that he finds some back-up.
As is always the case when martial artists from various backgrounds team up or face off, the instant appeal ofTriple Threatis the chance to watch these very different performers showcase their fighting styles. Let’s start with Chen, who began his career on the stunt team forThe Matrix, had a small role inThe Matrix Reloaded, and ultimately started in Keanu Reeves' very good directorial debut,Man of Tai Chi.
Tony Jaa is most famous of this trio and he’s best known for starring in theOng-Bakseries and directing the second and third films in the trilogy. More recently, he played a small role inFurious 7and will trade blows with Vin Diesel again inxXx: Return of Xander Cage. Although it’s not his best movie, I think about this astonishing one-take action scene fromTom-Yum-Goong(known in the United States asThe Protector) quite often:
Iko Uwais is the youngest of the bunch, but his work inThe RaidandThe Raid 2instantly established him as a talent to watch. Although he was wasted in a tiny role inStar Wars: The Force Awakens, his work inHeadshotis further evidence that he’s someone we should keep our eyes on:
It’s still early days forTriple Threat, but this is, by default, one of my most anticipated movies of whatever year it decides to come out.
