The first civil guardsman rises to the task of apprehending a dangerous serial killer before his city descends into chaos. Set ten years before the events of ‘The Siege,’ in Mark G. Lakatos’ The Siege: Archangel One.
Back in 2021, we reviewed Hungarian director Lakatos’ The Siege 2 and gave it 4 stars as a great throwback to the low-budget 80’s martial arts films that saw stars like Cynthia Rothrock, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme rise to fame. Archangel One, a prequel to Lakatos’ earlier films, uses a similar formula to its predecessors and the classics by following a clear and simple good versus evil narrative. The major difference with Archangel One is that part of the plot involves a serial killer on the loose, which is an interesting twist on the genre that adds a bit more jeopardy and unpredictability to proceedings.
Lakatos’ heroes here are a group of elite cops, most with unwavering morals. We aren’t given any more information about their department’s specifics, but as they all dress in black, wear masks, and are skilled martial artists, we assume they are some sort of special ops branch sent on missions to face off against ruthless villains and gangs. Our first experience with this unit is shown in an early scene when they storm into a rundown building. Using elaborate choreography, this early battle sets us up for the rest of the 100-minute runtime and showcases the martial art Krav Maga, a close-combat defense system developed by a Hungarian national for the Israeli Armed Forces in the 1950s.
Throughout The Siege: Archangel One, we do get some character development with some of the group involved in shady dealings & cover-ups. However, the core part of the movie focuses on the home life of our main protagonist, Mihaly Kovacs played by Nyutali Norbert, and the relationship he has with his young daughter, Emili. Kovacs suffers from guilt and mild PTSD due to a past incident while on a case, but thanks to the performances of Norbert and Riana Emma Balla, we feel real sympathy for this family unit. The scenes between father and daughter are sweet, naturalistic, and sometimes genuinely heartbreaking, adding a nice bit of substance to all the style.
Like all films of this genre, though, the plots are secondary to the real stars, which are the fight scenes. Krav Maga is not as fast as the styles used in Hong Kong cinema; it’s slower and more cumbersome. However, in its own way, this slowness makes the combat seem more real. The fighting in Archangel One is quite grounded, each impact feels earthy and impactful. It’s during the combat scenes where director Lakatos excels, using a gritty, almost documentary-style approach. His camera is constantly in motion, placing the audience at the heart of the action. This makes us feel like we are right there alongside the fighters, throwing every punch and feeling every collision. When all this is added together, it helps to pull us deeper into the action.
The Siege: Archangel One may lack Hollywood polish and falter with the odd technical issue, but it proves that with well-crafted fight scenes and a bunch of talented martial artists at his disposal, writer, and director Mark G. Lakatos has the ability to hold an audience and their imaginations captive for this 100-minute action adventure.
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