Synopsis: Chapman is an ex-marine living in the slums of Brazil. After his sister is attacked and left for dead by a local yakuza outfit, Chapman sets out for revenge and puts his tactical training to full use in order to find her attackers. (103 Mins)

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Views: Ernie Barabash, the same director behind horror titles Cube Zero, Stir Of Echoes: The Homecoming, and They Wait, as well as mildly entertaining martial-arts-action flicks like Assassination Games, 6 Bullets, and Pound Of Flesh – brings us another generic tale that could fall into the filmography of Jean Claude Van Damme, Scott Adkins, or even (dare I say it) Steven Seagal. This time, fan favourite Michael Jai White takes the lead as ex-marine John Chapman, a PTSD suffering veteran who lives in the slums of Rio De Janeiro. Refusing to take his medication, Chapman often toys with putting a bullet in his brain after downing a bottle of whiskey. Not long after his sister comes to visit, she is found washed up on the rocky shoreline badly beaten and left for dead by a local yakuza outfit. With the help of some local police, the Falcon sets-out on a mission to find his sisters attackers and, at the same time, break a child-prostitution racket – resulting in plenty of martial-arts-action and bloodied violence!

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While generic in many ways and formulaic in plot, Falcon Rising may actually be one of Ernie's better films as a director. It's neatly shot and directed, with decent production values and a much more colourful look overall – which makes a change from the typical eastern-European setting he often likes to use. But a big part of what makes this a better film, is Michael Jai White and his strong supporting cast. Although he's been in the business for over 3 decades now, this kick-ass action star still isn't getting the recognition he deserves as a martial artist and action hero. As well as portraying the first live-action adaptation of Spawn, Michael has went on to star in many great action flicks such as Silver Hawk with Michelle Yeoh, Black Dynamite, Blood & Bone, Accident Man, and Triple Threat – as well as giving a memorable turn as the Bronze Tiger in the CW's Arrow. Incidentally his Falcon Rising co-star, the always wonderful Neal McDonough, was a huge part of the very same show – so it was nice to same them share the screen together again, with Neal playing a cop who helps the Falcon on his case. It was also great to see Lateef Crowder turn in a role as a Brazilian cop. Lateef impressed many moons ago as the Capoeira fighter who gave Tony Jaa a hard time in Tom Yum Goong (aka Warrior King, aka The Protector), and has since appeared in many films such as Tekken and Undisputed 3, as well as having worked in the stunt department on many bigger films like the disastrous Dragonball Evolution, The Expendables, Wonder Woman, and The Mandalorian. I enjoyed seeing him back on-screen in a solid role that gave him the chance to show some great moves and a decent performance as one of the Brazilian cops.

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This was supposed to be the first of a series of 'Falcon' movies starring Michael Jai White as the titular character, and to be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more. While it's hardly the greatest thing ever written and offers a few good moments of cheesiness, there certainly isn't anything that's as off-putting or ridiculous as many of Ernie Barabash's other films – or the majority of straight-to-video Van Damme or Seagal movies from the last 20 years. I often wonder if the great Billy Blanks had not stepped away from the film-scene to focus on his Tae-Bo phenomenon at the turn-of-the-century, would we have gotten to see the teaming-up of these two amazing martial arts stars at some point?! Maybe it's still not too late. But until that happens, there's always Falcon Rising – a highly enjoyable martial-arts-action-thriller that gives Michael Jai White the chance to shine and kick-ass in the most entertaining of ways...

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Overall: Great fun, neatly directed, with plenty of hard action, Falcon Rising is worth the watch and totally entertains!