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Kiltro
Directed by: Ernesto Diaz Espinoza
Starring: Marko Zaror, Caterina Jadresic
Synopsis: Kiltro stars Marko Zaror as Zamir, a young, good natured thug and gifted martial artist who is obsessed with a Korean girl called Kim, whom he saved from being raped a couple of years previously. Unfortunately Zamir is a little over-protective of her and beats up any guy who goes near her. Eventually her father, his Tae Kwon Do instructor, banishes him from his dojo - just before a powerful past enemy returns for revenge. Now Zamir must fulfil his true potential and rescue Kim and her father. Review: This movie has been gathering a lot of attention because of it's status as Chile's first martial arts movie but this is elevated above "curiosity value only" by the enigmatic performance of Marko Zaror. Up til now Marko has been Duane "The Rock" Johnson's stunt double but on the strength of this he's definitely made the right move into the limelight. Showing a much greater range than Tony Jaa, Marko manages to make Zamir, who lets face it is a thuggish stalker of Kim for the early part of the movie, into a likeable person. His large frame lumbers through the streets, his shoulders hunched, the weight of unrequited love smothering him. He's deeply in love but doesn't know how to express it other than beating up people. Marko is also able to sell the martial arts very well. The early scenes show that he has moves, but not the grace and fluidity you'd expect. The typical "training montage" has some nice humour to it and by the time the finale kicks in you really believe in the transformation.
There's some nice directorl moments along the way - one scene has Zamir dejected by Kim, walking down the street, then running, then sprinting in anger...all to the tune of David Bowie. Unfortunately some of the cinematography isn't as good with some unintentional jerky camera movements. As with any decent martial arts movie, the payoff is in the finale and this movie certainly doesn't disappoint. Zamir wears a set of razor sharp spurs to make his kicks even more deadly, and there is a lot of (cgi) bloodshed as he cuts and kicks his way through the badguy's minions, leading up to the top-billed confrontation.
Verdict: Marko Zaror has made his mark as a leading man and it probably won't be long before we see him in an English-speaking role. Rough around the edges and low on budget, this delivers in spades. I await Marko's follow-up movie, Mirageman, with baited breath. 7 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)
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