Dir. Rob Schneider, USA, 2008, 104 mins (DVD release)
Cast: Rob Schneider, David Carradine, Henry Gibson, M. Emmet Walsh
Review by Richard Hawes
Comedian Rob Schneider's recent films haven't fared so well at the box office, so it's not much of a surprise to see this film is making a quiet debut on DVD here in the UK. What is a surprise is that it's a return to martial arts comedy for the Surf Ninjas star. The plot involves a Karate Kid-style transformation by its lead character, a con man facing a prison sentence, and really kicks in to gear once he's incarcerated.
Close in tone to the remake of The Longest Yard, this is a prison movie parody that tips its hat to the likes of The Shawshank Redemption. Independently made by Crystal Sky Pictures, who brought us Karate Dog (unreleased in the UK) as well as high profile films such as Doomsday, it's actually far better than most straight-to-DVD comedies. It's got the rude, tasteless bits you expect from this borderline has-been, but also some impressive martial arts sequences.
Featuring David Carradine as a chain-smoking martial-arts instructor known only as “the master”, Big Stan is clearly an homage to a beloved genre. It features substantial appearances from several notable screen fighters. Tsuyoshi Abe (notable for his work on several Gary Daniels movies) and Best of the Best's Simon Rhee both face off with this unlikely hero. While the likes of the mighty Don Frye (Godzilla: Final Wars) and Randy Couture (the upcoming Scorpion King 2) round out the impressive cast, there's even a rare cameo appearance from Filipino icon Dan Inosanto, a former student of Bruce Lee.
With the help of his double, Inosanto student Nino Pilla, first-time director Schneider does an impressive job in Mike Gunther's fight scenes. Convincingly taking on all comers in a selection of tightly choreographed sequences which don't layer on the slapstick as you might expect. This would play nicely in a double bill with Grosse Point Blank.
Also co-starring the great character actor Henry Gibson, Big Stan will appeal mainly to fans of Schneider's low-brow comedy and martial arts fans and it's sure to satisfy both.
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