KILTRO (2006) REVIEW

Martial Arts films or the Kung Fu movie, has it's basis mainly in Hong Kong and China, sometimes though, you come across a film that doesn't come from those countries but from somewhere else. Kiltro is one of those films and this one comes from Chile of all places. Don't let that put you off because Kiltro is awesome.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!WARNING! SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE PLOT: From Back of DVD Cover

Martial arts fans, get ready to meet the next player on the scene, Marko 'The Latin Dragon' Zaror. Stuntman turned hero Zaror makes his explosive début in KILTRO, an ultra-violent street movie, with real martial artists performing real martial arts action. See The Latin Dragon demolish his opponents, delivering full contact blows and breathtaking Tae Kwon-do and Karate skills.

Zamir (Zaror) is a member of the violent street gang, the Kiltros, whose life is forever changed when a powerful martial artist looking for vengeance kills his mother and kidnaps the woman he loves...

You've seen this plot countless times as its basically Zorro crossed with Kill Bill with a large dollop of asian ass kickery. The best thing about the plot is it doesn't try to be anything more than just a simple revenge story laced with some rather immature humour and some truly astonishing martial arts choreography.

THE CAST:

MARKO ZAROR as Zamir.

For his first feature, Zaror is brilliant, not only can he kick all kinds of ass but he can act and he delivers the comedy well. But the film is more of a showcase for is incredible skills. The mas is incredibly fast and his moves are reminiscent of Britain's own Scott Adkins (Ninja 2009) and I've just found out that they are in the three-quel, Undisputed III. I hope this guy makes more films because his skills are insane. 

CATERINA JADRESIC as Kim

Not only beautiful but a great actress. Acording to IMDB she's only been in one other film and that is Sex and The City: The Movie as a girl in a salon. Her role as Kim The Daughter of 'Zeta' is good, she is one of the catalysts of the plot and the love interest for Zaror. 

MIGUEL ANGEL DE LUCA as Max Kalba

This guy looked really familiar, but id never seen him in anything before as Kiltro was his first film. He's Good as the villain. He also possesses good martial arts skills. 

There are other Character such as Nik Nak, the Yoda like master of the Zeta sect, there is also Zamir's trainer Soto, who is obviously a reference to Jackie Chan's master in Drunken Master, as he's a Skilled fighter but has become a drunk and a lout. They're backed by a lot of pseudo Japanese style gangsters and a large amount of heavies. 

  

THE DIRECTION:

The Film is directed by Ernesto Dias Espinoza and he's done a good job, the direction tight and so is his screenplay. The fact that the script borrows from many different films including Star Wars and Zorro, and not out right referencing them ala Kill Bill, is great and an original way of making a sort of pop culture film. 

THE MUSIC:

The use of music is top notch to as it takes in everything from David Bowie's Modern Love to some obvious Ennio Morricone homages especially Once Upon a Time In The West. 

FINAL VERDICT:

Watching Kiltro for the first time was like when i saw Ong Bak for the first time, my world was opened to a new star and an almighty fighter. That being said, this film is in no way as good as Ong Bak. Kiltro is a fantastic film with great fight scenes and some brilliantly intended homages/references. Like i stated earlier in the review, this is very much a sort of origin story for a modern day Zorro movie. If the south Americans can do this so well, why do Hollywood martial arts films such as Romeo Must Die or the recent Ninja Assassin rely heavily on CGI and Wire work. i don't get it. We need to look to smaller independent martial arts films for our fix....

KILTRO

FILM: 8/10