Pound of Flesh (2015 film)
Pound of Flesh is a 2015 Canadian action thriller film directed by Ernie Barbarash, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Darren Shahlavi.[2] It is the third collaboration between Van Damme and Barbarash (following Assassination Games in 2011 and Six Bullets in 2012).
Pound of Flesh | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Ernie Barbarash |
Produced by | Jonathan DuBois Jeffrey Giles Mike Leeder Henry Luk Michael Lurie Kirk Shaw |
Written by | Joshua James |
Starring | Jean-Claude Van Damme Darren Shahlavi |
Narrated by | kelton |
Cinematography | Cliff Hokanson |
Production company | Ace Studio Odyssey Media |
Release date | May 15, 2015 (VOD) |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
Budget | $7,500,000[1] |
Plot
In Manila, Philippines, to donate his kidney to his dying niece, Deacon, a former black-ops agent, awakes the day before the operation to find he is the latest victim of organ theft. Stitched up and pissed-off, Deacon descends from his opulent hotel in search of his stolen kidney and carves a blood-soaked path through the darkest corners of the city - brothels, fight clubs, back-alley black markets, and elite billionaire estates. The clock is ticking for his niece and with each step he loses blood; Deacon with the help of his former underworld connections and his civilian brother will journey through society's seedy underbelly, proving to anyone who crosses their path, nothing means more to a man than his flesh and blood.
Cast
- Jean-Claude Van Damme as Deacon Lyle
- Darren Shahlavi as Drake
- Aki Aleong as Kung
- John Ralston as George Lyle
- Jason Tobin as Liam
- Philippe Joly as Zoltan
- Brahim Achabbakhe as Nardo
- Andrew Ng as Father Fong
- Mike Leeder as Boris
- Ryan 'Ranga' Pyne as Yevgeny
- Marsha Yuan as Bette
- Terese Cilluffo as Connie
- Adele Baughan as Isabella Lyle
- TFBOYS as Boy Band
- Charlotte Peters as Anna Riley
- David P Booth as Simon Rants Sr.
- James Houghton as Simon Rants Jr.
Production
Principal photography and production ended on May 24, 2014.[3]
On January 14, 2015, Shahlavi died in his sleep at the age of 42.[4] The film's end credits start with an In memoriam to him.
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 17%, based on 12 reviews, and an average rating of 3.7/10.[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]
References
- "Archived copy". Ace Entertainment. SJ Strategic Investments. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Vlessing, Etan (January 17, 2014). "Jean-Claude Van Damme Joins 'Pound of Flesh'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- "On The Set For 5/27/14: Johnny Depp Starrer 'Black Mass' Starts For Warner Bros., 'Jem and the Holograms' Wraps". Studio System News. Total System Services. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- Stedman, Alex (January 20, 2015). "Darren Shahlavi, Martial Artist in 'Mortal Kombat' and 'Arrow,' Dies at 42". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- "Pound of Flesh (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- "Pound of Flesh Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 11, 2018.