VIOLET VENDETTA | Omeleto

Two friends make a movie. Luke and Hunter are aspiring filmmakers making their dream project -- an epic action film full of awesome fights and nonstop excitement. Willing to do anything to finish their dream project, they partnered with a sketchy "executive producer," who gave them the money to make their magnum opus. But when a crime boss crashes the set to collect on the debt that Luke and Hunter unwittingly took on, the pair are backed into a corner and have to use their real-life fighting skills to save themselves. As chaos escalates, Luke and Hunter find themselves trapped in a real-life action sequence, but the stakes are very real. Directed by Ted Hayden and written by Ted Hayden and Theo Oleson, this entertaining, fast-paced short action-comedy is a rollicking good time, following the travails and misadventures of a pair of filmmakers as they attempt to realize their dreams of cinematic greatness. The film that Luke and Hunter is deeply silly in its hapless self-seriousness, resembling something out of 70s or 80s kung fu-meets-spaghetti western cinema. But this short itself is slightly more grounded in character-based humor, painting a picture of eager but naive aspirants who have gotten themselves in a much trickier situation than they ever imagined. The plot itself is simple, setting up Luke and Hunter as low-budget wannabe auteurs whose skills and craft haven't quite caught up to their ambition, as demonstrated in their painstaking but slow attempts to nail a fight scene. As Hunter, actor Hector Melgoza is especially funny as a filmmaker whose style of directing seems to have come from reading about his favorite directors, rather than from experience, while as Luke, actor Brandon H. Lee is the exasperated, often sarcastic foil who can barely keep his patience with his creative partner. Their film together is derivative and ridiculous, with its stylized and nostalgic visuals, but the main story is shot with the sleek, fast-paced dynamism of a first-rate actioner. After we've established that Hunter financed the film with a suspicious loan, the crime boss comes to collect and the storytelling escalates into a series of funny, fast chases, fights and confrontations, all of which are very well-done and allow Lee -- who viewers may recognize from his role in COBRA KAI -- to demonstrate his considerable action bona fides, especially as Luke and Hunter find themselves in a real-life action sequence. It all culminates in a showdown that's enjoyably kinetic and chaotic, but finds them mastering skills that may save their hides -- and possibly improve their filmmaking. They might end up making a film like VIOLET VENDETTA, with top-notch fight choreography, zingy dialogue and expert craft balanced with a knowing sense of humor about itself. VIOLET VENDETTA. Courtesy of Ted Hayden at https://violetvendettafilm.com.