PLOT: Kris Chaney, a recently released ex-convict embarks on a perilous mission. He kidnaps Elisa, daughter of Vicente, a powerful gangster, which puts them in danger from El Corvo, a psychopathic killer seeking revenge against Vicente’s family.
REVIEW: It’s tough to stand out in the action space these days, but my ears perk up whenever I see Scott Adkins‘ name involved. No matter the film, Adkins gives it his all, and always provides some genuinely fantastic fight sequences. Now, he’s teaming up with fellow action star Marko Zaror to create a unique story of revenge. And despite all the death and chaos, there’s actually some heart and humor that makes Diablo stand out.
Diablo follows Kris (Adkins), an ex-con who wants payback, and does so by kidnapping the daughter of a powerful gangster who took his life from him. Unfortunately for Kris and, by extension, the gangster’s daughter Elisa, there’s also a psychopath out there trying to seek revenge. So Kris must avoid the gangsters, as well as the psycho, in order to accomplish his goal. There are some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and I quite enjoyed how “out of the box” the film goes.
Scott Adkins is great as Kris, a man who has clearly been through a lot and at the end of his rope. His desperation can be felt and there’s clearly something else motivating him. There’s a lot more nuance than the stereotypical action lead, even if it follows familiar beats. It really feels like Adkins leveled up with how he was able to hit the more emotional nuances. Though, he does struggle with the American Accent at times, it will always be his action prowess where he shines, and he does so throughout. I’ve always been so impressed with how powerful Adkins is with his fighting. It makes all of his fight sequence so believable, with the sound design really hammering in the point. He has some interesting back-and-forths with Alanna De La Rossa‘s Elisa (even if she can be a bit grating). I got a kick out of their dynamic.
The real highlight of the film comes via Marko Zaror‘s El Corvo. Taking inspiration from No Country For Old Men‘s Anton Chigurh, Corvo is all the right kinds of intimidating. When he enters a room, you can expect nearly everyone in it to die a brutal death. There’s a certain level of unease that occurs when he pops up and manages to leave quite the impression. It helps that he goes full Bond Villain, with a hook hand, and professor glasses. I would take an entire movie just following Corvo around. His fight scene with Adkins has so much energy and is clearly two professionals at the top of their game.
It’s not a surprise that both Kris and Corvo feel very developed, as the story comes from Adkins/Zaror. They’ve taken all their knowledge of action cinema to give us two characters that seem stereotypical on the surface, but have more nuance to them as the film goes on. It really feels like they came up with these characters and then figured out the situation to put them in rather than vice versa, which is nice, as they break more from the cookie-cutter hero/villain that is so common. I won’t deny there being some hokey acting and some off moments, as this is still trying to do a lot with very little. But it’s never enough to take me out of the movie.
Latin America action director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza helms the picture, and utilizes various drones to really up the production value during the action sequences. The film genuinely looks great and it’s pretty incredible how much they were able to stretch a dollar. Overall, I enjoyed my time with Diablo. It’s still got that indie action sheen to it so is automatically going to turn off a certain sect of the audience. But for those that just like some genuinely good action and a story that you want to see come to a satisfying conclusion, this is a fun time at the movies.
DIABLO IS AVAILABLE IN THEATERS, ON DEMAND, AND ON DIGITAL ON JUNE 13TH, 2025.
