''Left for Dead'' is a 2005 British

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by Ross Boyask.

Plot

''Left for Dead'' is a revenge thriller set in a city called Hope, where a crime lord called Kincaid rules with an iron fist. Williams, a former

hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

for Kincaid, is attacked and left for dead when he tries to leave the organisation. He teams up with Kelso, a

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

who had his hands smashed by Kincaid, and together they must fight to exact revenge on the criminal empire that holds their city in an iron grasp.

Cast

Mostly the filmmakers cast unknowns in the film. Original Kincaid actor Gordon Alexander left the production after 2 months due to 'creative differences'. He later went on to star in the critically hammered British

arthouse action film The arthouse action genre is an emerging film genre in contemporary cinema that traces its roots back to Asian and European films. Characteristics of arthouse action films include stylized action, an arthouse atmosphere, and a disjointed, fragmented ...

''The Purifiers''. ''Left for Dead'' also features the first on-screen performance from ''

Bourne Ultimatum ''The Bourne Ultimatum'' is the third Jason Bourne (character), Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum and a sequel to ''The Bourne Supremacy'' (1986). First published in 1990, it was the last Bourne novel to be written by Ludlum himself. Er ...

'' star

Joey Ansah Joey Ansah (born 24 November 1982) is a British actor, director and martial artist best known for his roles in '' The Bourne Ultimatum'' (2007), '' Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist'' (2014) and '' The Old Guard'' (2020). Early life and educatio ...

in a very small combat role. Actors and stunt performers Jon Foo and

have cameo roles as one of the fighters.

Production

''Left For Dead'' was shot over 18 months in Brighton and Eastbourne, East Sussex and debuted at Cannes 2004 with a packed market screening in the Riviera building. It was quickly picked up by sales agent Barbara Mudge and her Beverly Hills-based company Worldwide Filmed Entertainment LLC. Self-funded, the film was the work of UK director-producer team Ross Boyask & Phil Hobden. Starring Glenn (''Take Three Girls, The Silencer'') Salvage, Andy Prior, Adam Chapman and a host of the UK's most talented action martial arts stars, 'Left For Dead' has action choreographed by Gordon Alexander (''Accidental Spy'') & Independent Stunts (''Blood Myth'', ''The Silencer'') The film has been released in over 15 countries to date, including the UK, Canada, USA and Thailand.

Critical reaction

'John Woo Styled action in a UK Setting' '' Kim Newman'' – ''

Empire Magazine ''Empire'' is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. The first issue was published in May 1989. History David Hepworth of Emap, the publisher of British music magazines '' Q'' and ''Smash Hits'', among other title ...

'' 'If this film had been made in the 70s Tarantino would cite it as an influence' '' Mike Leeder'' – ''

Impact (action entertainment magazine) ''Impact'' was a monthly magazine published in the United Kingdom between January 1992 and January 2012. Founded and initially edited by film maker Bey Logan, 241 issues were published during its twenty-year history. After the magazine ceased pu ...

'' 'Taking low budget action cinema to new levels of delirium and viciousness, ''Left For Dead'' happens to be an amazing adrenaline rush of a film' ''Matthew Sanderson'', Rumourmachine.com 'Left for Dead is one hell of an action movie... pushing the action to extremes while maintaining an engaging plot' 4/5 ''Mark Pollard'', Kungfucinema.com 'bloody and violent martial arts action... the fights come at you furiously... Left For Dead, thankfully, differs from the norm' − 6.5/10 ''Gregory Conley'', yourvideostoreshelf.com 'Sets a whole new standard for digital video production... the UK movie scene just got its butt kicked!' 4.5/5 ''Dean Meadows'', VENGEANCE Magazine

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0378238, Left for Dead 2005 films British independent films 2005 action films 2000s English-language films Kickboxing films British action films 2005 independent films 2000s British films