The world of Hollywoodactionstars isn’t as robust as it used to be. People used to go to the theater to see a Schwarzenegger movie or a Stallone movie, leaving the fate of their evening up to the debatable quality of a movie with a famous star. The martial arts subgenre can be even more dependent on big names since the list of people capable of performing physical feats at that level is short.Triple Threatis an example of a martial arts movie that only exists to bring a few icons together at last.
In many cases, the plot of a martial arts movie consists of a barebones series of excuses to justify fight scenes. The main characters are cops or soldiers who have to punch and shoot their way through criminals or terrorists. Some examples settlefor a good old-fashioned fighting tournamentfor the easiest answer. A few entries manage to grant their characters a bit more pathos, but most fans are more than happy to watch martial arts legends tear through each other no matter the explanation.
Joey O' Bryan and Paul Staheli
Stars
Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen, Iko Uwais, Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, and Celina Jade
Release Date
July 21, 2025
Triple Threatfollows Payu and Long Fei,former special forces soldiersfrom Thailand and China, respectively. Payu and Long Fei find themselves carrying out a humanitarian mission in Thailand under the command of a man named Deveraux. During their mission, Deveraux betrays Payu and Long, revealing that his team was working to free their leader, an internationally wanted terrorist named Collins. Deveraux’s gang cages Payu and Long while setting up bombs to blow up the local village. A local man named Jaka sees his home and wife destroyed, leading him to swear revenge against Payu, Long, and Deveraux’s crew. After Payu and Long escape, Jaka tracks them to an underground fighting ring, where he learns that the three of them have common enemies. Through aconvoluted run of betrayalsand fake-outs, Payu, Long, and Jaka have to fight their way through an army to bring their foes to justice.
How many martial arts stars appear inTriple Threat?
The three titular threats are Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen, and Iko Uwais. They’re the film’s tripartite selling point, each bringing a long history of on-screen success to the feature. Jaa tookinspiration from Jackie Chanand Bruce Lee as a young boy and sought to become a martial arts star, leading him to study several fighting traditions. He gained prominence as a practitioner of Muay Boran, the predecessor of Muay Thai, which became iconic after Jaa’s breakout debut,Ong-Bak. As a celebrated stunt performer, Jaa made two moreOng-Bakentries before he came to Hollywood for the seventhFast & Furiousfilm. His later career has featured a pile of bizarre roles, including starring alongside Nicolas Cage inJiu JitsuandMilla Jovovich inMonster Hunter. Chen is a slightly more influential figure behind the camera. As a fight choreographer onThe Matrix, Chen’s mastery of karate and kung fu helped to shape one of the most influential action films of the generation. Chen forged a tight bond with Keanu Reeves, who later made his directorial debut withMan of Tai Chi, a martial arts epic starring Chen. Uwais became a sensation when he starred in Gareth Evans' classic action thrillerThe Raid: Redemption. Evans discovered Uwais while filming a documentary about silat, of which Uwais is the most famous practitioner. He’s gone on to star in classics likeTheNight Comes for Usand lesser Hollywood offerings likeSnake Eyes. While they’re the three leads ofTriple Threat, most of the cast have a bit of martial arts experience. Supporting characters include:
Where can you streamTriple Threat?
Triple Threatis available to stream for free on Peacock, Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Plex.
Triple Threatis a celebration of the work of these martial arts legends. It isn’t as compelling as the high points of the stars' careers, but it fulfills the checklist someone probably set before it. There coulddefinitely be a better versionof all these performers coming together, but, for now,Triple Threatis well worth seeking out.
