TWISTING TIGER | Omeleto
740,470
Published 2022-06-09
TWISTING TIGER is used with permission from Joseph Le. Learn more at josephle.squarespace.com/.
As a younger man, Tarrell was involved in a gang fight in which he accidentally killed his best friend. Since then, he has become a Shaolin monk devoted to a life of zen and pacifism, teaching and mentoring kids in the martial arts.
But when one of his students, Virgil, is threatened by a menacing gang, Tarrell must decide whether or not to break his vows of nonviolence to protect his students. In doing so, he must confront the trauma of his past and the person he's become since.
Directed by Joseph Le and written by Nick Hoang, this stylish, engaging action thriller short mixes the iconic urban crime dramas of the 1990s, like MENACE II SOCIETY and BOYZ N THE HOOD, with Hong Kong kung fu cinema. The rest is a fresh, entertaining take on a classic redemption story, shot with a slick, elegant eye and featuring terrific action sequences at a level not often seen in the short film format.
This is a type of narrative especially beloved in this genre, of a man confronting the past consequences of earlier, thoughtless violence. The redemption arc here hits reliable beats but is made deep by its unique main character, its focus on L.A. gang violence and its respect for its inspirations. At just over 30 minutes, the writing takes advantage of its runtime to go deep into the roots of Tarell's past, and the depth amplifies themes of the cyclical nature of violence and the connection between the trauma of the past to the violence of the present.
Actor Tarell Kota Bullock plays the main character with stoicism and groundedness that evokes tough experience and wisdom but also captures the haunted nature of PTSD. But where he and the rest of the film shine are the fantastic fight sequences, shot with the grace of dance with the clarity of great camerawork. This isn't surprising, considering director Le is well-regarded in Hollywood for his stunt work and action sequence design in films like SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS.
But the film smartly avoids making the action gratuitous. Instead, it's tied intimately to the progression of character and story -- even the way Tarell fights as an older, more haunted man differs from the more volatile movements of his younger self. Those aspects of himself come into collision, unleashing a torrent of emotion that comes out in a masterful, suspenseful set of fights that both dazzle the eye while raising the question of just how far we can leave the past behind.
Powerful, immersive and undeniably compelling, TWISTING TIGER has the confidence of knowing exactly what kind of film it is and committing whole-heartedly to its genre, character and story. As a result, it's not just resonant as an anti-violence character-centered drama, but it's also just a lot of fun to watch.
All Comments (21)
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a perfect blend of "boyz n the hood" and "shaolin temple". I love this so much, deserves a full feature film release.
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Beautiful choreography, typical inner city story. Simple message, martial arts have nothing to do with violence or the streets. Those things simply fall in line with everything else low when you rise above.
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This was so incredibly well done.
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Some people occasionally need reminding that the reason a person may choose peace because they know their capacity for violence.
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"A true throwback to the Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and other iconic Kung Fu films and characters! I hope to see a series made!"
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Beautifully shot pun intended. The journey to redemption paid off for the Monk. I can’t help but think of the switching of roles with ethnicity made for a powerful story. Kudos to all involved this delivered a karate chop to my brain.
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As an avid kung fu fan and martial artist myself... this is pure brilliance! Such a throw back yet its own thing!!! Amazing talents and a beautiful film!!!
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This is supposed to be a full movie with a great story line. I love this
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that fruit fly speech was hilarious (their expressions, lol). loved the blooper reel too!
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This reminds me of my situation too when I used to be hanging around with the same people doing stuff that I wasn't supposed to do I ended getting beat up twice by 6 people at first and the last was with a person who knew how to street fight I got mad and depressed I didn't know what to do that I didn't want to hangout with the people I hanged out and starting learning how to teach my self how to fight too to get revenge on them all but one day I was exercising my situps and something so calm in my mind hit me telling me that that wasn't the answer but the mistakes and the efforts I was doing in my practice of skill was to become a better person and pass on the message to others from the same mistakes as I've done
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This episode should be on Netflix as a series!
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Wow. I’m speechless. Why is this not a tv series!?
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Each time I watch one of these short films I think that they can't possibly get any better but then one like this comes along. Surely nothing can top this.
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RIP Brad Allan [from down-under] - he would've been proud of this tale :)
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It was an incredible short Movie, The fighting scenes, a beautiful dance of excellent choreographed movement. The story was told with compassion and the Acting was to me a standing ovation. I sincerely think this deserves an award. Thank you 😊 💓.
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One of the best short movies and acting I’ve seen outside the mainstream 👌🏾
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This was great! The choreography, the story, the acting, just everything! Well done
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THIS GUY DESERVES HIS ON KUNG FU SHOW CALLED BLACK MONK LEGACY THIS WAS AWESOME AND INTERESTING TO WATCH 👍 👊✊
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Homage to the last dragon. Bruce Leroy. Great short I wish it was full length feature. Bravo!
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You had me at Black Shaolin monk
