Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror made life difficult for Keanu Reeves in “John Wick 4”. In “Diablo” the two martial arts aces now declare war on each other.
Scott Adkins as German underworld boss Killa Harkan and Marko Zaror as thugs of the sinister Marquis are two of the numerous highlights in “John Wick: Chapter 4” – because both have the necessary physicality to enrich every action scene. The duo has already proven this side by side in other films, such as “Undisputed III” and “Savage Dog”. With „Diablo“ Their newest team-up is now underway.
Adkins and Zaror not only play two of the main roles, but also developed the story – and brought its realization into being as producers themselves. You’ll be able to find out what the result of this is from January 29th when the film is released on DVD and Blu-ray…
“Diablo” on Amazon*
… or you can use the digital version that was published a few weeks ago, which, among other things Amazon Prime Video* is available as video-on-demand. The unabridged FSK 18 version awaits you both on disc and digitally.
“Diablo”: Thorough edge-of-hand action
Scott Adkins plays Kris Chaney, who has just been released from prison and promptly sets out to fulfill an old promise: he kidnaps Elisa (Alanna Dela Rosa), the daughter of a notorious crime boss (Lucho Velasco). While the underworld is targeting Chaney, the psychopath El Corvo (Marko Zaror) embarks on a very personal campaign of revenge…
Marko Zaror regularly enjoys slipping into strange roles. While he of course again dishes out the goods here, he is first introduced as an unpredictable madman with a half-bald head and a removable iron fist – with perhaps the most disturbing cake scene since “A Ghost Story“. Especially when it comes to action, the whole thing starts off rather poorly: when El Corvo takes the action with the knife, it’s clear to see that he can hardly have seriously affected the victim he killed. Especially considering Zaror’s talent as an action actor, it’s simply poorly staged.
While Zaror once again spins wonderfully freely, especially away from the action, Adkins, as a hero with his heart in the right place, plays his usual role as he so often does – and in the end does exactly what his fans want to see from him. In some dynamically filmed fight sequences it becomes clear again and again that the Brit still has it, even at almost 50. While the camera gets a bit (too) hectic in other fights, Overall, the knocks and firefights are somewhat interchangeable, but they’re still nice to see. Ultimately, it becomes clear again and again that those in charge here know their stuff and that there is hardly any need for tricks in the fights.
Not only is a lot of sugar glass broken here, there is also no shortage of blood (hence the 18 approval). In the end, the secret highlight is probably the interaction between Scott Adkins and Alanna De La Rossawho pass the balls to each other as an unlikely duo and harmonize wonderfully, thus providing some of the film’s strongest moments beyond the action.
In the end, “Diablo” is classic direct-to-video entertainment for B-action aficionados – which before the turn of the millennium would have been led by Jean-Claude Van Damme or Dolph Lundgren. Anyone who is passionate about the genre will definitely be well served here. If you want to see Marko Zaror in a role that is at least as crazy (as well as in what the author of this article considers to be the funniest action film of the previous year), you should definitely read the following article:
*The links to the Amazon offer are so-called affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we receive a commission.
