Pound of Flesh is a 2015 Canadian action thriller film directed by Ernie Barbarash, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Charlotte Peters, and Darren Shahlavi.[2] It is the third collaboration between Van Damme and Barbarash (following Assassination Games in 2011 and Six Bullets in 2012).
| Pound of Flesh | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ernie Barbarash |
| Written by | Joshua James |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Cliff Hokanson |
| Edited by | Asim Nuraney |
| Music by | Paul Michael Thomas |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Entertainment One |
Release date |
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Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7,500,000[1] |
Plot
editDeacon, a former black-ops agent, is in Manila, Philippines awaiting an operation to donate his kidney to his dying niece. He awakens the day after the procedure to find he is a victim of organ theft. Stitched up and furious, Deacon descends from his opulent hotel in search of his stolen kidney and carves a blood-soaked path through the darkest corners of the city – brothels, fight clubs, back-alley black markets and elite billionaire estates. The clock is ticking for his niece and with each step he loses blood.
Cast
edit- Jean-Claude Van Damme as Agent Deacon Lyle
- Charlotte Peters as Anna Riley
- Darren Shahlavi as Drake
- Aki Aleong as Kung
- John Ralston as George Lyle
- Jason Tobin as Liam
- Philippe Joly as Zoltan
- Brahim Achabbakhe as Nardo
- Andrew Ng as Father Fong
- Mike Leeder as Boris
- Ryan 'Ranga' Pyne as Yevgeny
- Marsha Yuan as Bette
- Terese Cilluffo as Connie
- Adele Baughan as Isabella Lyle
- TFBOYS as Boy Band
- David P Booth as Simon Rants Sr.
- James Houghton as Simon Rants Jr.
Production
editFilming
editPrincipal photography and production ended on May 24, 2014.[3]
On January 14, 2015, Shahlavi died in his sleep at the age of 42.[4] The film's end credits start with an In memoriam to him.
Reception
editCritical response
editOn review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 17%, based on 12 reviews, and an average rating of 3.7/10.[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]
References
edit- ^ "Archived copy". Ace Entertainment. SJ Strategic Investments. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Vlessing, Etan (January 17, 2014). "Jean-Claude Van Damme Joins 'Pound of Flesh'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ "On The Set For 5/27/14: Johnny Depp Starrer 'Black Mass' Starts For Warner Bros., 'Jem and the Holograms' Wraps". Studio System News. Total System Services. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ^ Stedman, Alex (January 20, 2015). "Darren Shahlavi, Martial Artist in 'Mortal Kombat' and 'Arrow,' Dies at 42". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "Pound of Flesh (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "Pound of Flesh Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 11, 2018.