Angel of Death (2009)

Review by Andrew Shearer

Love it or hate it, most everyone can agree that the best thing about Quentin Tarantino's 2006 film Death Proof was Zoe Bell, whom you may recall spent the film's most memorable car chase sequence strapped to the hood of a 1970 Dodge Challenger. Adding to the excitement was the fact that Bell was doing this stuff for real, without the use of a stunt person, because she happens to BE a stunt person. Not only did she perform all the crazy action as Uma Thurman's double in the Kill Bill movies, but she did the same for Lucy Lawless in the long-running Xena: Warrior Princess television series. So it's safe to say this is a woman who knows her way around some ass-kickery...

In Sony Pictures' new online series Angel Of Death, Zoe Bell stars as Eve, a professional hit woman who, following a bizarre injury, suddenly becomes haunted by visions of her past targets (Lawless reportedly has a role, but doesn't appear until after halfway through the series). Eve's training the new guy and has a boss who seems to have an interest in her that goes beyond supervisor-employee bounds, but the script isn't necessarily what you're likely to be paying attention to when you watch this show. Whenever Bell picks up a gun or starts fighting anyone, that's when Angel Of Death really shines, as anyone who ever saw a Jackie Chan flick can attest to. Compared to all her male co-stars, Bell is not only the most interesting, but her performance is also the most unique and natural (and I could listen to that beautiful accent of hers for days on end). The series was written by Ed Brubaker, a comic book author, which could explain why the dialog and violence aren't exactly of the realistic variety to which television audiences are accustomed. All the men are pretty much forgettable, the one exception being Hellboy's Doug Jones in a rare non-makeup role as a cokehead doctor who keeps the seemingly indestructible Eve ticking.

Zoe Bell kicking arse

Tarantino fans will be delighted to know that this series is filled with gunplay, f-words and a surprising level of gory violence that borders on cartoonish at times, offsetting the otherwise serious tone (one character's head is completely taken off by a shotgun blast, another runs around with a knife stuck deep inside its skull). Each episode clocks in at about 7 to 10 minutes, and strike a good balance between stylized editing and well photographed action. In other words, you really do get to see Zoe Bell kicking and punching her way through some expertly choreographed stunt sequences. This may sound like the kind of thing Cynthia Rothrock fans have been waiting for (crossing my fingers they gave her a cameo), but it is a million times better than that Bionic Woman show that came out last year.

Zoe Bell kicking arse

The first episode premieres Monday March 2nd on Crackle.com, and new shows will be broadcast daily. Once all episodes air, a DVD release is scheduled to follow, adding new footage that will bring Angel Of Death to feature length. Check out the trailer here: