After watching two Steven Seagal movies this weekend, I have a basis for comparison to say that this is fine action entertainment. Surely, the plot/story could have been better, but it's far from boring, and one does get to care for the characters. Most of the actors playing Brazilian didn't quite speak proper Brazilian Portuguese, but unless you speak Portuguese you won't notice it, and I didn't care that much, although it does take away some of the authenticity. There's some predictability, so if you're expecting something very original, you'd be disappointed.
This movie delivers different scenes and locations, a story that makes you wonder a bit what's going to happen next, great martial arts fighting from Michael Jai White and even some cool Capoeira moves from Lateef Crowder. The gun fights are also pretty good. If you love action, this movie is fun and leaves you wanting more. Wish there was a sequel...
Falcon Rising
2014
Action / Adventure / Crime / Thriller
Plot summary
FAVELA, the first installment in the CODENAME: FALCON franchise, introduces former marine John "Falcon" Chapman, a dark anti-hero driven by guilt and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, who will destroy himself unless given something else to destroy - a useful weapon-of-last-resort for the U.S. State Department. When Chapman's sister is brutally attacked while on assignment in Brazil, Chapman flies into Sao Paulo to track down her assailants, quickly entering the city's seedy underbelly and discovering a world of drugs, the sex trade, corrupt cops, and organized crime syndicates battling for control.
Uploaded by: OTTO
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Good martial arts action
Above the ...
Maybe just a little bit above mediocre, which almost is a shame considering how captivating and how intriguing the character Michael Jai White is playing is. The beginning is quite strong, you get a strong character who is broken. So much so, that he questions his will to live.
And the way White is playing that is more than above average. White might not get too much credit from a lot of people, but he is a charismatic and at least good actor. See Black Dynamite if you question it. The action scenes are quite good and someone "stole" the summary I wanted to use "decent" - as in this is quite a decent movie. As I also say though it could have been more. If you like action movies, give this a try - just if you can do the uncut version. It might only be a few cuts towards the end, but if you watch a movie like this, you want the full impact
EITHER SHOOT ME OR STOP WASTING MY TIME
****CONTAINS GENERIC PLOT SPOILERS****
Johnny Chapman (Michael Jai White) is a PTSD vet who is off his meds. He is suicidal, but works out just in case. He lives in NYC and is visited by his sister Cindy (Laila Ali) who pops in from Brazil so they can go to dinner together, and then back she goes.
Cindy is a volunteer worker who gets bludgeoned in Brazil. Chapman (aka Falcon) now has a reason to live as he goes after the bad guys in Rio, a city that has great stock footage scenery, but has most of the action take place in a small section of the slums. In spite of that, it was a welcomed change from the Mideast and Bulgaria. At this point the film goes super formula as we add elements of Patrick Swayze, Charles Bronson, child prostitution ring (hasn't been done enough yet) crooked cops, and yes the Yakuza who sneak up on armed people, brandishing a sword and while yelling. Won't tell you how that works out.
My biggest shock was that Neal McDonough as an actual good guy and not the Chechen "Albino Assassin." How did they miss that? Maybe in the next one as this appears to be the first in a series of films...depending on profits. Good formula writing for those who like the vigilante thing.
Parental Guidance: No sex or nudity. No F-bombs that I recall. Some adult themes and language (punta) most of which was in Portuguese.