Throw Down: An Action Cinema Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Where must we go, we who wander this wasteland in search of our buffer selves? In a bleak, post-apocalyptic shell of a world, cities crumbling and the wastes ruled by violent warlords, everything is left to sheer strength. Muscle is all that matters, and to ascend to godhood your only option is to become so powerful that you become an immense giant, towering over the meek and willing to crush them with a casual blow. Toyoo Ashida's filmic adaptation of Buronson and Tetsuo Hara's bloodbath martial arts manga transforms the manga's first major arcs into nonstop action chaos, a one of a kind thrill ride that fully tests the expressive capabilities of action in animation. Join Jack and Vaughn on this week's episode as they discuss all of Fist of the North Star's moments of action bliss and so much more.

Throw Down will be going on a temporary hiatus for now, but rest assured that we love making this show and we'll be back to regularly talking about the best, the worst, and everything in between as soon as we're able. Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on Step Printed, Letterboxd and Twitter.

Jack on The STACKS, Letterboxd, and Twitter.

Looking for more shows? Check out Jack on The STACKS and Vaughn on I’m Thinking of Spoiling Things.

Starting out by directing low budget horror and Category III exploitation films, Wilson Yip made a name for himself in '90s Hong Kong with breakout hits like Bio-Zombie, a Dawn of the Dead influenced zombie film taking place in a claustrophobic Hong Kong mall, and Bullets Over Summer, a buddy cop hangout film that earned him enough credibility to start directing for studios like Golden Harvest. In 2005, he teamed up with legendary martial artists Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung to produce Sha Po Lang - released overseas as SPL: Kill Zone. A thematic contemporary alongside the rest of 00s Hong Kong cinema, SPL is bleak and brutal, an uncompromising landscape of violence where everyone is ready to scrap and fight at a moment's notice and every character is laser focused on a revenge mission that leaves everyone around them bloodied, dead, or forgotten. Join Jack and Vaughn this week as they talk about Wilson Yip's career, Sammo Hung as a ruthless villain, Donnie Yen's blindingly fast martial arts, and whether or not this film stretches itself too thin on a flimsy narrative.

Next week we’ll be back with Toyoo Ashida's legendary muscle fantasy anime Fist of the North Star. Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on Step Printed, Letterboxd and Twitter.

Jack on The STACKS, Letterboxd, and Twitter.

Looking for more shows? Check out Jack on The STACKS and Vaughn on I’m Thinking of Spoiling Things.

Joseph Sargent's 1974 action crime thriller based on Morton Freedgood's original novel released to critical and audience acclaim, a scuzzy '70s B-thriller punched up by David Shire's stunning jazz fusion score, Gerald Greenberg's inventive editing, and the rapid fire back and forth of Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. 35 years later, vulgar auteur Tony Scott reimagined the film as a slick, modernized thriller with an entirely new and contemporary approach to the film's examination of New York City. Scott's take was critically panned and only a moderate box office success, but today on the show, Jack and Vaughn dive deep into both films, comparing and contrasting their many differences as well as taking a new look at the 2009 remake - does it deserve the reputation it's gotten over the years?

Next week we’ll be back in the neon-soaked, muscle-bound dreamscape of Luigi Cozzi's Hercules (1983). Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Jack on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Looking for more shows? Check out Jack on The STACKS and Vaughn on I’m Thinking of Spoiling Things.

Mambo mambo, this week king of cult movies Albert Pyun makes his first appearance on the show with action battle royale Mean Guns. 100 thugs, a mysterious Christophe Lambert, platinum grilled mambo fan Ice-T, a lot of bullets, and a single location that could not be disturbed in the production of the film. How do you make a dynamic, kinetic, convincing action film out of that? Jack and Vaughn dive into how it all comes together this week on the show, with Jack's extensive knowledge of Pyun as a director and a shared love of the Tarantino inspired film's choice to be flooded with wall to wall mambo.

Next week we'll be back for a double feature special of Joseph Sargent's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) and Tony Scott's slick, modernized remake The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009). Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Jack on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Looking for more shows? Check out Jack on The STACKS and Vaughn on I'm Thinking of Spoiling Things.

One of Hong Kong's most prolific and acclaimed masters of cinema, Johnnie To has produced and directed over 70 films. Known for his powerhouse cinema that serves to deconstruct and reframe any genre or cinematic expression imaginable, there's little To hasn't done - but for an action podcast with the namesake of one of his films, it's time for Jack and Vaughn to dive into his work as an action filmmaker. Exiled is a hazy, smoke-clouded heroic bloodshed masterpiece, bringing back the brotherhood of his earlier action films after burning down the concept of criminal camaraderie in Election and Election 2. The guys journey through its masterfully constructed shootouts and ironclad bonds of fatalist criminal contracts while Vaughn details his extensive experiences with To as a filmmaker.

Next week we’ll be back with cinema's favorite B action director Albert Pyun's Mean Guns. Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Jack on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Closing out the month of March, In The Line of Duty 4 continues the story of Cynthia Khan's Inspector Yeung and features the most established director of the series to date - Hong Kong choreography legend Yuen Woo-ping. A stone cold martial arts classic, the fourth entry in the franchise features a tight, dialed in script and non-stop action, from brutal fights at the docks featuring wrenches and dangerous chemicals to breakneck rooftop chases, vehicular stunt madness, and damning indictments of the American government's foreign operations. Join Jack and Vaughn as they close out March with an in depth discussion of a favorite director, the brilliance of Donnie Yen, the grueling intensity of shooting this film, and much more.

Next week we'll be back with an expansive exploration of Johnnie To, focused on 2006 gangster action epic Exiled. Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Jack on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Now truly capitalizing on the success of Royal Warriors and Yes, Madam!, D&B Films move on to the first directly titled sequel of the franchise, only Michelle Yeoh has moved on and there's no longer an established director attached. The result may lack the inventive whimsy of the previous two films but instead it's replaced with pure aggression, a gritty brutality that overtakes the atmosphere as a duo of terrorists attempt to make a dangerous arms deal while Cynthia Khan and Hiroshi Fujioka hunt them down. Join Jack and Vaughn as they dive into the third entry in the In The Line of Duty franchise, through its explosive chaos and energetic fights.

The month of March on Throw Down will be dedicated to the first four films in this series – Royal Warriors, Yes, Madam!, In The Line of Duty III, and In The Line of Duty IV. Check back every week for new films, new girls with guns, more action, and more fun. Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Jack on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Traveling back in time to the second film in the In The Line of Duty series, it's the genre-pioneering buddy cop martial arts comedy stunner Yes, Madam! starring Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock. A much more comedic, slapstick effort than Royal Warriors, this girls with guns game-changer sees the gritty, intense action from Yeoh and Rothrock set against the Three Stooges antics of Tsui Hark, John Sham, and Mang Hoi. Join Jack and Vaughn's ongoing series as they discuss brutal stunts, stolen music, Hong Kong cameos, and much more.

The month of March on Throw Down will be dedicated to the first four films in this series – Royal Warriors, Yes, Madam!, In The Line of Duty III, and In The Line of Duty IV. Check back every week for new films, new girls with guns, more action, and more fun. Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Jack on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

As the late, great Jean-Luc Godard once said, "All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun." 1980s Hong Kong action and D&B studios' In The Line Of Duty series supposes that the only way to elevate this idea is to invent an entirely new subgenre based entirely around putting women at the forefront of high octane crime thrillers. Born from the four films to be covered on Throw Down throughout the month of March, the girls with guns craze became the kickoff point for many of the era's female stars, most notably among them future Raccacoonie lead Michelle Yeoh, who stars here in David Chung's Royal Warriors alongside Hiroyuki Sanada.

The month of March on Throw Down will be dedicated to the first four films in this series - Royal Warriors, Yes, Madam!, In The Line of Duty III, and In The Line of Duty IV. Check back every week for new films, new girls with guns, more action, and more fun. Until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Jack on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

As the height of blaxploitation collides with the cultural discovery of eastern martial arts cinema, stars like Jim Kelly came from appearing against Bruce Lee to being steely protagonists of cheap B exploitation cinema. With Black Samurai, Al Adamson crafts a scuzzy, sleazy actioner that pulls as much from the likes of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung as it does from that of cheesy James Bond espionage. Flooded with cartoonish antics, diabolical cult schemes, violent carrion-devouring vultures, and jetpacks, join Jack and Vaughn as they explore this '70s schlock classic.

We’ll be back throughout the month of March to talk our way through the first four films in Hong Kong's girls with guns franchise In The Line of Duty – but until then, for more words, thoughts, and action adoration, find us all around the internet.

Vaughn on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.

Jack on The Twin Geeks, Letterboxd, Twitter, and Bluesky.