WFG RATING: B+

Indie Rights presents a Gunsavior Productions film. Written, directed, cinematography, and edited by James Couche. Produced by Antonia Arcella Perry.

Stars Wan DraL, Eliza Kelley, David Norton, Lesa Cole, Marcus Lawrence, Tom Strong, Rasheed Robinson, Sean Doyle, and James Couche.

Runtime: 84 minutes.

Inspired by Hong Kong action thrillers and 90’s B-movies, this tale of an amnesiac looking for his identity learns the hard truth about who he once was. 

It has been five months since a mysterious man had been put in a coma due to COVID-19. He has no memory of who he is, but the nurse who was in charge of his care calls him Joe, as she grew tired of the staff calling him “John Doe”. Accused of being an illegal alien, Joe somehow has a set of fighting skills and is able to escape. A month has passed and he has been taken in by Barbara, the owner of a residential building.

Joe has been looking for information about his identity and when he finally has a chance to learn about himself, it comes on the day of a major Black Lives Matter riot in the city. When Joe meets the man who has helped him, Joe is quick to learn the documents have been forged and soon enough, the man reveals his true plans to kill him but not before giving him his real name of Isaac. However, Joe is able to fend off the man only to get unlikely help from Layla, a sniper seeking revenge against a terrorist cell known as the Absolvers with whom she believes Isaac was once a member of. As Isaac/Joe struggles to know who he really is, it becomes a fight for his life. 

James Couche may be bringing us one of the first indie action thrillers of the new year with this tale of an amnesiac whose struggle to find his identity leads to a series of battles and becoming frenemies with the unlikeliest of people. The film also has a newcomer in the form of lead actor Wan DraL, who plays the amnesiac Isaac/Joe, who from the beginning shows that he’s got the acting chops and pretty nifty martial arts skills. 

Resembling a bit like Djimon Hounsou, DraL is great as Isaac/Joe, who is trying to find out who he is and along the way, gets little messages along the way as we slowly learn more about him along with the character himself. What’s great here is that we get beats of information about our hero to juxtapose with fight after fight that director Couche is also responsible for with his inspiration from 1990s B-movies and Hong Kong inspired thrillers. 

Eliza Kelley brings an A-game to the table as the mysterious Layla, a female sniper who targets not only Isaac/Joe, but that of the terrorist cell responsible for turning a citywide protest into a full-on riot when they cause a car bomb to explode. At first, her motive is unknown until an intimate meeting with our hero reveals her true nature and leads to a pretty short but sweet gun-fu fight that leads to her questioning if she is doing the right thing. 

While David Norton’s Talbott is the mastermind of the Absolvers, it is his group that brings a sense of comic relief when it comes to the henchmen. This is especially in the forms of the level headed Seth, played by Rasheed Robinson, and Roman, played by Tom Strong. Roman, the musclebound henchmen, is constantly ripped on by Seth about his build and low IQ, even calling him one of the Expendables at one point. As for Marcus Lawrence’s Gunnar, he is the number two who will go to any lengths to stop Isaac/Joe, even if our hero has no clue as to who he is. Josh Videna’s Oz, a local drug dealer, also gets props as he becomes an unlikely ally/informant to helping Isaac/Joe with the mission, even if his screen time is brief. 

Lost Phoenix is a good start to indie action cinema with some pretty good fight choreography and an excellent performance from newcomer Wan DraL, who could be the next action star to look out for. 

The film will be released on Demand in January 2024.

UPDATE: You can rent the film on Amazon Prime!