Turkish filmmakers Omer Ilhan and Ates Ozkan bring us their take on the death match in 12 Warriors. Though the film is ultra-low budget, the body count is high.
Our tale begins at an open-air MMA event, where the confident Isaov (Ismail Uzuner) steps into the ring against an opponent much larger than him. Unbeknownst to him, he is being scouted by a Russian crime boss. Though it looks like Isaov is going to lose his match, this underdog outmaneuvers his opponent for the win. With that, Sergey gives the word, and Isaov awakens after being drugged in a coffin laid in a prison cell. Lisa (Sanaz Zahraei) finds herself in a similar situation, walking into a nightclub, getting hit on by some goons, punching their lights out, then hours later, waking up in a coffin in a prison cell.
In separate cells, Isaov and Lisa are told soldiers are coming to kill them and to grab the bat in their room and defend themselves. Of course, they do, and a mysterious voice offers them a choice they cannot refuse. Our heroes, along with 10 others, are known as the 12 warriors. Crime bosses from all around Eurasia have selected 12 exceptional fighters and are betting on them to survive. At each level, they have to take out their henchmen, and once they reach a certain level, they have to take out each other in MMA combat to the death. The lone survivor wins freedom and a boatload of cash. Of course, each level comes with rules of its own to entertain their crime lords watching from above…via CCTV.
“The lone survivor wins freedom and a boatload of cash.”
Since 12 Warriors comes from Turkey, the production values are pretty limited compared to U.S. standards. It’s pretty much shot in a warehouse, using the same empty set and hallways for the action, and the same foot soldiers, disguised in black, recycled as henchmen… guerrilla filmmaking at its best.
12 Warriors is all about action set pieces one after the next. We have our two main characters maiming and killing unqualified goons just trying to survive in this gauntlet-style game. We are given a backstory to just break up the monotony of the warehouse area and build sympathy for our heroes. The fighting itself is good. Again, it’s not as sophisticated as U.S. action films, as safety is always the concern, but decent compared to old low-budget 90s movies. The only difference is we now have access to CG for blood splatter effects.
My favorite parts of the movie involve the meeting of the crime bosses with the sushi girl lying on the table. The acting in these scenes is awful to the point of being laughable. I’m pretty sure English isn’t their first language, but the dialogue and delivery are cringeworthy in a delightful way.
12 Warriors may not reinvent the wheel, but directors Omer Ilhan and Ates Ozkan deliver exactly what they set out to make — a scrappy, blood-soaked thriller that gets the job done on a shoestring. Keep an eye out as Turkish cinema continues to emerge as a legitimate force in global movie-making.
For screening information, visit the 12 Warriors official website.
"… scrappy, blood-soaked thriller that gets the job done on a shoestring."
