Lost Phoenix

Taking a page from the mid-budget indie action movies of the ’90s, James Couche’s thriller Lost Phoenix transports the genre of the drug-fueled era of the ’90s to the political and racial tumult of 2020.

Our tale opens in the middle of a global pandemic. A Haitian immigrant (Wan Dral) awakens from a medically induced coma with a severe case of amnesia. Going by the name of Isaac, our hero attempts to uncover his true identity.

During a Black Lives Matter march in his city, sinister forces attempt to create chaos with a car explosion in the middle of the protest. Isaac runs into one of the conspirators who planned the explosion, and he recognizes Isaac as a former cohort…who was supposed to be dead. As the two begin to fight, Isaac’s muscle memory kicks in, and his combat skills reemerge with deadly force. Before the man can kill Isaac, he’s gunned down by a rogue sniper, Layla (Eliza Kelley), who has a beef with Isaac…more the former Isaac.

As Isaac begins to uncover the pieces of his past, all roads lead to the architect of America’s demise, Richard Talbott (David Norton). Talbott’s plan is to destroy the United States from the ground up, starting with civil war.

Lost Phoenix shows that the last movie genre to finally be claimed by indie filmmakers is action. Couche’s film is decidedly an action film, which means it’s essentially a series of action set pieces strung together by a story.

“…a medically induced coma with a severe case of amnesia. Going by the name of Isaac, our hero attempts to uncover his true identity.”

Storywise, Lost Phoenix is fine. It’s not the Manchurian Candidate, but it holds the film together just fine. The overarching theme is the idea that there are dark forces destroying America by adding fuel to the fire of racial and cultural war.

But the story itself focuses on Isaac and plays with the person ruthless killer he is and the kind, empathetic soul he is now. As the story plays out like a standard action film, near the end, the evil Talbott effectively uses his lack of memory against him.

Hey, but we’re here for the action, and it’s a lot of fun. So far, indie action tends to be hand-to-hand combat and gunplay. Let’s face it. Real car explosions are expensive, and I’m just talking about insurance. Lost Phoenix is predominantly fist fights, MMA, and knives. Like Hong Kong-style action, the action is quick-move martial arts with tight edits and camera angles all over the place.

I’d say its only weakness is that I’m assuming it was shot under loose COVID restrictions. COVID caused a lot of films to feel too safe and prevented filmmakers from pushing the boundaries of action. Here, the action takes place in large empty spaces, and the fighters in each scene are small in number. This is particularly true in the final battle. I’ve always felt that Hong Kong fighting should feel a bit claustrophobic, and to place it in essentially a wide open space just feels off.

As Isaac, Wan Dral was definitely hired for his moves. He’s a charismatic figure. Acting-wise, the delivery of dialogue could have been better with years of acting school. I was really looking for that moment when Isaac struggles between his past and present and it wasn’t there.

That said, having seen my fair share of action films, the acting is pretty on par…meaning below average, and usually, the best performances come from the villains. That’s true here.

I love the fact that indie films, like Lost Phoenix, are making strides to claim territory once owned by Hollywood. This is a genre that needs to grow and Lost Phoenix is part of that growth.