Another straight-to-DVD gem that features a story so flimsy it barely exists, but compensates for that with fight scenes that would put most blockbusters to shame. Close Range opens with the best of the lot, with martial arts star and Ben Affleck lookalike Scott Adkins doing a single, uninterrupted take of his character beating the crap out of a bunch of bad guys. Adkins genuinely has the fighting ability that most actors have to fake, so thats really him doing flips and tossing people over his head. The camera glides behind him and the cameraman wisely seems to be keeping a safe distance and captures Adkins doing his thing. Theres nothing particularly flashy or innovative about the fight, yet it remains impressive for the sheer physicality on display. On the strengths of scenes like this, lets hope Adkins can someday make the leap to the big screen sometime in the future.
