Experiencing Interruptions?

Blood Choke Retribution

Jack Rickshaw, a former special forces soldier returns to England from Afganistan to find his neighbour, Harold, being terrorised by thugs. As he intervenes they tell him that everybody pays their tax no matter what. Jack fights them off and saves Harold. Harold tells him that things have really changed in the area, it's become dangerous and a local gang have moved in to extort businesses and residents. Jack tells him he was involuntary retired from the military, it was something to do with the pills they were guinea pigs for. He tells Harold to call him if the gang bother him again. Jack returns home to his girlfriend Sasha. Time passes and Jack gets used to civilian life again. Sasha tell shim she's expecting his baby and he's overjoyed. When the gang return to take their revenge they take everything from him. Jack will stop at nothing to get his retribution.

  • Michael Hoad
    Director
  • AJ Blackwell
    Writer
  • Michael Hoad (collaborating writer)
    Writer
  • AJ Blackwell
    Producer
  • Michael Hoad
    Producer
  • Marc Foster
    Producer
  • Tina Foster
    Producer
  • AJ Blackwell
    Key Cast
  • Rocci Williams
    Key Cast
  • Serhat Metin
    Key Cast
  • Jon Callaway
    Key Cast
  • Hannah Roberts
    Key Cast
  • Mark Jason Williams
    Key Cast
  • Bentley Kalu
    Key Cast
  • Richard Darnton
    Key Cast
  • Mike Wood
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    22 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Michael Hoad

The Writer Director - Michael Leslie Hoad

Michael is an award winning film director and producer. A life-long martial artist he started martial arts in 1998 in kickboxing and I quickly became the youngest black belt in his schoolʼs history at the age of 18. He has won amateur competitions in Muay Thai, Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Sport Karate. His lifelong involvement in the martial arts makes him a unique action director as he knows how to showcase each martial arts move to fully engage the audience in the action. Michael studied at the world renowned London Film School. His debut short film “Insurrection” won awards for Best Action and Best Sound at the Top Indie Film Festival, was a finalist at Urban Action Showcase and officially selected for the Pinewood Studios, Lift Off Sessions. Michael believes in using the power of story to empower and transform people’s lives. He is the founder of the production company Lost Boys Films.
Lost Boys Films mission is to entertain and inspire through martial arts action cinema. They help at-risk young men in London empower themselves through film, and the martial arts. Lost Boys Films also helps these young men have a career by giving them a start in the film industry. Lost Boys Films creates unique, groundbreaking martial arts action cinema that inspires and entertains a global audience. They donate a percentage of their proceeds to charities that help young men from difficult backgrounds with the aim to help them empower themselves and take control of their lives.

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Director Statement

After the release of a number of epic and VFX loaded fantasy-based martial arts films, there has been a rising demand for real punches and kicks not enhanced by special effects. The international success of The Raid movies from Indonesia and The Protector from Thailand have reflected this in the marketplace. A world wide audience can appreciate a strong narrative and epic fight sequences that appear real. However, making a martial arts film requires a huge level of skill from the performers and the camera crew. Netflix learned this the hard way with their Ironfist TV series. You cannot edit your way out of inexperienced fight performers, especially if one is the lead actor, the audience are too sophisticated for that in 2019. Even an actor who is very physical, will struggle to learn martial arts techniques quickly, it’s something you simply cannot fake. There are only a few rising stars with a solid foundation in martial arts, many others are trying to score with the help of CGI, slick editing and skilled stunt doubles. But what studios and productions companies are starting to realise is that 8 weeks of training is not enough to get an actor up to standard in their screen fighting. This is why I have cast AJ Blackwell as the lead in this film. He has competed at the highest level of martial arts as a professional mixed martial artist, that combined with his 20 year experience in traditional martial arts and his acting ability make him an action star of the future. In Blood Choke Retribution combine a strong narrative, authentic acting and visceral action choreography for a classic British martial arts movie. I choose to use a non-linear story structure to add an element of mystery for the audience and keep them enthralled as more information is revealed to them. The actors I cast in the fight scenes for this movie all have professional martial arts competition experience. That combined with using slick camera movements is what creates the visceral, powerful fight action that's on show in this film. I founded Lost Boys Films because I wanted to create unique, groundbreaking cinema that inspires and entertains billions of people. Lost Boys Films helps at-risk young men get started in the film industry by giving them opportunities to come on set and learn filmmaking. We have a situation now in London where police statistics show that 41 per cent of those being caught for knife crimes across London’s boroughs are now aged between 15 and 19. On all of my projects I use young (aged 14-19) first time filmmakers on set in production assistant and assistant directors roles. This is aimed at helping get them off the streets, out of gang culture and to inspire them to train martial arts and get a start in the film industry.

Michael Leslie Hoad

Director