An ageing spy is unknowingly sent on a suicide mission and hunted for a valuable device in his possession.
Jamel Lewis' bold proof of concept (which you can view below) is both a stunning demonstration of his abilities as a filmmaker, and an intriguing glimpse at the espionage thriller he has in development under his production banner; 210 Films. But more than that, it's a love letter to the stunt performers and coordinators who have elevated action cinema to the heart-pounding adrenaline rush that it is today.
Kicking off mid-mission, Emergence follows Chukwudi Iwuji's 'Marcus' as he simply tries to stay live. It is unclear exactly what he has done to garner such attention, even if his own emergence on to our screens is a little suggestive. All we know is it has to do with a mysterious device that everyone seems to want and he currently possesses. Thankfully such ambiguity doesn't prevent this electrifying short from taking hold. In fact, the not knowing actually makes the fight all the more intense.
Iwuji is fantastic as the veteran spy, and he has three impressive stunt performers (Jénel Stevens, Scott Hoffman, Andrew Mihalko) helping him to look good. Not only has the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star mastered the fight choreography, all throughout this exhausting visit to a Singaporean restaurant kitchen, he maintains the calm demeanour you'd expect of a man like Marcus. Although, on the odd occasion when an opponent does get the upper hand, Iwuji adds a dash of humour by letting slip an appropriate but momentary 'oh shit' expression.
Appropriate because it is such a brutal fight. So much so that there are times when it will likely make you wince. Lewis has allowed the stunt performers to fully utilise the environment for maximum savagery - I can think of few worse places to get into a fight than a restaurant kitchen - and he has shot the entire thing so we can appreciate every punch. I also love the fact that Marcus is able to maintain a phone conversation while fighting assassins. Fans of John Wick, Jason Bourne, and Daniel Craig's James Bond are likely to be impressed. Maybe even captivated. However, while Emergence may resemble those properties, it is very much its own thing.
All throughout, as Marcus fights not only for his own life, but to keep that mysterious device out of the hands of others, Lewis cleverly drops in a few details to tease us. Including a delightfully villainous Keith David. We don't know what agency Marcus works for, or what that device is capable of. In fact, all we do know is that this veteran spy has good reason to keep it safe, but can't or won't destroy it, and that everyone else will seemingly stop at nothing to get it.
In a year when filmmakers who got their start on YouTube are proving what they can do on the big screen, this electrifying short film has opened an intriguing door. Now we just have to wait and see what will emerge from it. But if Emergence is what Jamel Lewis and his team can do with 9 minutes, imagine what they could do with a feature film or multi-part series!
If you haven't already, you should check out Emergence, which you can find on YouTube or at the link below.
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Fantastic!
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