Ashes to Ashes (film)

Infobox_Film
name = Ashes to Ashes


caption = "Ashes to Ashes" DVD cover
director = Wayne Gerard Trotman
runtime = 90 minutes
imdb_id = 0484325|

"Ashes to Ashes" is a 1999 action film by British independent filmmaker Wayne Gerard Trotman. The producers, Red Moon Productions Limited claim that "Ashes to Ashes" is the first British homegrown martial arts movie and a tribute to 1970s cinema. The film is characterized by a complex script, unpredictable twists, very dark humour and a complete disregard for political correctness. Ashes to Ashes premiered at the Raindance film festival where it was described as ‘Kung fu with an arty London twist’.

Plot

Ashesto Ashes is set in London, England. The film is a surreal journey into thedreams and misadventures of Gabriel Darbeaux a young screenwriter and martialarts enthusiast who supplements his income by escorting wealthy women. We areintroduced to Gabriel’s character as he is chased and cornered by a group of
Triad thugs armed with swords, sticks and nunchaku. Using his own nunchakuGabriel manages to fight off the thugs only to find that the whole episode wasan early morning dream. The dream provides inspiration for the opening scene ofhis latest screenplay entitled ‘Ashes to Ashes’ a thriller involving the
Italian Mafia, Chinese Triads and a generous amount of martial arts action.

WhilstGabriel believes that the success of this script will give him financialindependence, his best friend Michael has plans of setting up his own escort agency. To fund this project, he resorts to making secret recordings of hissexual encounters with a banker’s wife and hopes to earn £100,000 through
blackmail. Gabriel receives a call to meet with one of his regular clients at anexclusive restaurant in the West End of London. The woman fails to show and insteadGabriel encounters the beautiful Arabella Simone who draws him into a worldwhich is disturbingly similar to that featured in his screenplay for ‘Ashes toAshes’.

Arabellais the former mistress to Valentino Tarantola, a possessive Italian gangster whoemploys ‘Laundrymen’ Muhammed and Nelson to do his dirty work. WhenValentino is apparently castrated and left for dead at Arabella’s apartmentshe runs to Gabriel for help with the ‘Laundrymen’ close on her tail. Michael iscalled in to drive the two to a main line station from where they plan to take atrain to France.

Unfortunately,before the trio get very far, they are captured by the ‘Laundrymen’ and taken to awarehouse where they are introduced to Enrico Tarontola, Valentino’s sadisticyounger brother. Bound and gagged, they are forced to listen helplessly asEnrico accuses Arabella of castrating and killing his brother Valentino andMichael of blackmailing his financial advisor’s wife. All three, includingGabriel are to be put to a violent death. Without warning, henchmen of a rivalTriad boss storm the warehouse. In the ensuing battle, Gabriel is forced tofight for his life against Triad enforcers and Mafia hitmen. The film ends withGabriel waking from a violent dream blurring the distinction between dream,reality and the fictional account that Gabriel is writing.

Themes

The late 60’s and early 70’s

In an interview, director Wayne Gerard Trotman admitted that "Ashes to Ashes"was a tribute to the raw style of 1970s blaxploitation, gangster and martial arts movies. There are clear references to popular personalities of the era such as Bruce Lee and Muhammed Ali. The film was clearly produced on a low budget and this may have been deliberately emphasised with old fashioned sound effects and extremeclose up shots of fighters screaming. The fight scenes are not the slickwire-enhanced set pieces so commonplace in contemporary martial arts films butare down and dirty. There are no flashy techniques just quick, effective
street fighting reminiscent of Bruce Lee’s "The Big Boss", "Fist of Fury" and "Way of the Dragon". Other examples of references to 60’s and 70’s films and television include:
*the character Leo, who sports an afro hairstyle similar to that of Jim Kelly in "Enter the Dragon" and Black Belt Jones
*a sexual encounter inspired by a scene in "Little Big Man" where Faye Dunaway is particularly vocal
*references to The Drunken Master, Captain Kirk and Mr Spock
*a line inspired by "Bonnie and Clyde": "My name is Muhammed Armen, my associate is Mr. Kong, we kill people."
*the use of percussion and drumrolls in the soundtrack evocative of Bruce Lee’s "Fist of Fury"

ex and Sexism

Thedangers of unprotected sex are mentioned during a conversation between Michaeland Gabriel where it is revealed that one of their escort colleagues has beendiagnosed as having AIDS. Gabriel suggests that Michael’s sexual activitieswith his clients are similar to a game of Russian roulette and Michael reactsadding that he never goes “diving without a rubber suit” - a reference to condoms.

Thecharacter Michael Trent is particularly sexist. He warns Gabriel to “Nevertrust a woman” and suggests that all women are deceitful and generally viewshis female clients with contempt. This contempt is made quite apparent duringsex with the banker’s wife Felicity. Michael blindfolds her and can barelycontain his laughter as he uses a vibrator on her. Later Michael is seenlistening to a recording of his exploits in bed with Felicity and laughinguncontrollably.

The Chinese gangster Nelson, suggests that a woman was used topoison Bruce Lee as this was the only way he could be killed.

ValentinoTarantola treats Arabella as no more than a sex object. Having knocked herunconscious he is seen unzipping his trousers presumably as a prelude to havingnon-consensual sex. Valentino's brother Enrico, is similarly contemptuous to both Arabellaand Felicity.

Racism

Ashesto Ashes features a cosmopolitan cast and the story involves a certain degree ofracial tension between the diverse cultures to be found in London. For instanceeven though Nelson (Asian) and Muhammed (Black) are partners in crime, both arequite willing to make comments which the other may find offensive. Nelsonmentions “Big hamburger eating Americans” going to Vietnam and being beatenby Vietnamese grandfathers.

Muhammedresponds by suggesting that the Vietnamese didn’t have to deal with the likes of Muhammed Ali, Frazier and Foreman (all Black American boxers) a provocative suggestion of a belief in the superior physical prowess of Black men over both Asian and White men. Nelson gives no quarter claiming that Chinese martial artists would use ‘qi’ (pronounced ‘chi’ a reference to qigong) to defeat their bigger
Black opponents. He also refers to Muhammed as ‘Black bean’. Muhammed on theother hand makes a reference to Nelson’s “Little yellow arse”.

Whilstbeing tortured by the ‘Laundrymen’ including Raymond Kong, Nelson’s youngerbrother, Boss Cheng accuses Raymond in Cantonese of betraying his own people(the Chinese) to serve the ‘round eyes’.

Whenapproached by an Italian gangster speaking Italian and broken English afterstumbling into a Mafia boss’s Mercedes-Benz, a drunk Cockney lad abusivelystates “You foreigners, you come to this country and you don’t speakEnglish”. He is immediately set upon and soundly beaten. In an interview, the
director Trotman claims that this scene was inspired by something that heactually witnessed on a London Underground train platform. A drunk White maleapproached two female Japanese tourists who claimed not to understand what hewas saying. The drunk responded by swearing at the tourists and making a remark similar to the one used in the film. Trotman claims to have been incensed by what he saw which not only had an element of racism but also displayed the arrogance thatsome English speakers have. He says what was very likely is that the Japanesetourists pretended not to be able to speak any English in the hope that thedrunk man would just go away and leave them alone. This contempt towards otherlanguage speakers is further illustrated by Michael’s question “What sort ofbad people… people who don’t speak English?”

Violence

Thecharacter Gabriel, played by Wayne Gerard Trotman claims "Violence doesn'tbother me". The film involves scenes of electroshock torture, burning,gunplay, fights with baseball bats and sticks and Trotman’s character Gabriel uses nunchakuto strangle and knock his opponents senseless.

Inone scene Muhammed has a telephone conversation with his wife whilst a Mafiaboss is being beaten and interrogated. Trotman claims to have gained inspirationfrom a story of a recording of a casual telephone conversation between
Pablo Escobar and his wife discussing family matters whilst screaming could be heard in the background. In an interview he claimed to want to illustrate thecontradiction that many violent individuals display.

During a telephone conversation, Muhammed rebukes his 6 year old son for hitting his youngersister. Meanwhile in the background, two young men deliver brutal punches to the face of anelderly man. When he speaks to his wife, Muhammed suggests that watching toomuch Power Rangers may be responsible for his son practising karate on his babysister and he further adds that the children may be misbehaving in an attempt tostay up late in order to watch Rambo – references to the possible ill effectsof violence on young impressionable minds? For one reviewer, this scene andseveral others constituted padding which he viewed as a major flaw of the film.

tereotypes

Ashesto Ashes is filled with stereotypes. Gabriel represents the ordinary guyreluctantly drawn into a violent and dangerous scenario. Arabella is yourtypical femme fatale escaping from the abusive Mafia boss who sends his henchmenafter her. Nelson is your typical Triad enforcer with his exaggerated hot temperand broken English. In a departure from the clear stereotypes Muhammed is seenreading The Daily Telegraph, a popular British newspaper considered to leanto the right of the political arena.

Cast

*Wayne Gerard Trotman as Gabriel Darbeaux
*Gary Cameron as Muhammed Armen
*Jason Ninh Cao as Nelson Kong
*Keith McCoy as Michael Trent
*Tessa Brown as Arabella Simone
*Cecil Cheng as Dennis Cheng
*Olivia Carruthers as Felicity Wood
*Chris Gabriel as Valentino Tarontola
*John Garcia as Enrico Tarontola
*Leighton Young as Donny Lau
*Logan Wong as Raymond Kong
*S. Toby Aldenhoven as Leo
*Giuseppe Nicotra as Mimmo
*Andy Nguyen as Ming
*Claudine Sinnett as Emma

Miscellanea

A major plot point in the original script which was not developed in the film wasthe fact that the 'property' referred to by the gangsters was in Arabella's bagwhen she arrived at Gabriel's apartment.

One reference to Quentin Tarantino is in the name Valen"tino' Taran""'tola.

The character of Michael is seen laughing uncontrollably as he listens to an audiorecording he secretly made of a sexual encounter with a wealthy female client.Whilst listening to the tape he watches television. Trotman's short film London:Metropolis of the Future is being shown on the television.

Sirens and alarms are used throughout the film. Police sirens are heard in thebackground of almost all the scenes featuring the 'Laundrymen' Nelson andMuhammed. When Michael is having sex with Felicity we hear a fire engine sirenin the background and when Gabriel asks Arabella if Valentino is in the Mafia wehear a burglar alarm in the background.

Whilst editing the film, Trotman suffered a retinal detachment in his right eye thatalmost resulted in a permanent loss of sight.

The names Gabriel and Michael are of angels mentioned by name in the Christian Bible. Felicity says to Michael "You're an angel, my angel" and laterGabriel says to Arabella "Gabriel is no ordinary angel, he's a kick assangel". Enrico makes several references to Satan - the fallen angel, duringhis monologue to the captured Arabella.

There are many references to popular films and television including:
*Enter the Dragon
*Drunken Master
*Power Rangers
*Rambo
*
*Thunderbirds
*Bonnie and Clyde

External links

* [http://www.redmoon.co.uk Official site]
* [http://www.customflix.com/1700069 Soundtrack CD]
*imdb title|id=0484325|title=Ashes to Ashes

Articles and reviews

*Impact Magazine – April 2006 … [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498566/bio Mike Leeder]
*Irish Fighter Magazine – March 2006 … Rob Corwell
*Digit Magazine – March 2000 … Matthew Bath
*Video Age Magazine – December 1999 … Graeme Aymer