Jack Walker Review: An Action Movie Within An Action Movie

Release date: May 3, 2021 (UK)
Running time: 93 minutes
Starring: Stefan Morawietz, Denis Lyons, Kathrin Höhne, Mike Möller, Julia Schunevitsch
Directed By:  Tanay Genco Ulgen

Jack Walker takes a satirical look at the difficulties of making a low budget action film, showing us the comedic side of working on a low budget independent film set. To boost the value of their indie title the crew hire ‘Jack Walker’, a fading 90’s action star that unfortunately is behind on the current times. Things are bad enough, with stunts going wrong and lackluster catering, but then the film set is taken over by a gang of ruthless drug dealers! Walker and the film crew will have to fight for their lives if they hope to survive!

Jack Walker is such a smart movie.  It takes all the potential issues with indie filmmaking and make them part of the story itself.  Jack Walker is set on an budget indie action movie and uses those to its advantage.  It is almost two movies in one, where you get the production of the fake movie with its lower budget effects and poor amenities, and then you get the Jack Walker movie with indie charm.  I really liked the story here and seeing this action hero who is past his prime but still living as if he was in it.  It was fun to see Jack try to recapture his stardom and deny his old age, and a lot of that is from Morawietz's performances as the aging action star.  He has a certain charm to him and I loved seeing how he tried to do things that he just was not able to do.  

And Jack Walker also has good action. The film is choreographed by Mike Möller (who also stars in the film) and has some great martial arts action.  It is not all high kicks and flips though as Walker himself is more of a bruiser.  The film has a mixture of MMA and traditional martial arts that is fun to see in some of the bigger fights.  And Möller himself also shows why he is such a coveted martial artist as he has some very impressive sequences.  He really likes to hold moves until the very end, making you think he missed it only to kick his opponent seemingly out of nowhere.  

And Jack Walker is funny as well.  It bills itself as an action comedy and has plenty of laughs to go along with its martial arts action.  Jack Walker has a ton of entertainment value and plenty of heart, but the film is by no means a perfect movie.  The movie itself doesn't make a ton of sense, despite it being an entertaining story.  And for as amazing as the hand to hand combat in the film was, the gunplay is underwhelming.  And in fitting with the bruiser style of the movie, some of the delivery is off or forced.  But if you don't mind these, what you also have is a clever film that has plenty of entertainment value.  

Jack Walker is an action movie within an action movie, with a ton of entertainment, great martial arts action, and plenty of heart.  

Rent it.

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Jack Walker is available on demand and digitally on May 3, 2021.

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