Scott Adkins at the top of his game. The backdrop of World War II. A good old underground tournament plot. The sharp direction of Louis Mandylor. All are the four major components of “Prisoner of War”, an action-packed and dramatically powerful martial arts/war movie hybrid with all the bells and whistles of both. “Prisoner of War” is also the rare VOD action film whose low budget is a genuine asset, enhancing the stakes and claustrophobia of its POW camp setting to make the action and escape feel even grander as a result.
Trailer
Cast
Scott Adkins leads “Prisoner of War” as hot shot British pilot James Wright, with Peter Shinkoda taking on the villainous role of Lt. Col. Ito, and Michael Copon portraying American soldier Villanueva. MMA champ Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone also appears as Captain Collins, with Gabbi Garcia portraying sympathetic nurse Theresa along with Michael Rene Walton appearing as The Beard and Gary Cairns portraying Jonesy. Additionally, Shane Kosugi also appears in the role of Hirano with Masanori Mimoto adding another antagonist to the movie in the role of Captain Endo.
Plot
In 1942 at the peak of World War II, British aerial commander James Wright finds himself shot down during the Battle of Bataan, leaving him stranded on an island in the Philippines. Swiftly thereafter, Wright finds himself taken prisoner by the occupying Japanese forces, with the island serving as a prisoner of war camp for Imperial Japan. The camp’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. Ito has a uniquely sadistic practice of throwing captured American and British soldier into a ring in the center of the camp to fight to death against a collection of his own handpicked martial arts fighters. Wright finds himself in that exact situation, only to shock Ito and everyone else in the camp by easily triumphing in his first fight (Wright having been raised in British occupied Hong Kong and trained in various martial arts disciplines in Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand). As Ito continues to try to break the prisoner’s spirit with more pit fights, Wright begins formulating a plot with his fellow captured soldiers to send a rescue signal to Allied Forces in order to escape the camp.
Action
“Prisoner of War” Is One Of The Best World War II Movies In Years
For World War II movie buffs and historians, “Prisoner of War” is just as much of a 2025 cinematic highlight as it is for martial arts fans. With the war unfolding in the world around the island, “Prisoner of War” captures the soul and vibrancy of a World War II-era tale with the sense of camaraderie and brotherhood that Wright and his fellow POWs bond through. By virtue of being a low budget movie of the DTV/streaming realm, “Prisoner of War” also embraces the minimalism of its setting in a manner that elevates its tale greatly.
Nearly the entire movie takes place within the roughly 1000-foot radius of the island’s POW camp, the death ring in its center, and the immediately surrounding area. Save for a combined 15 minutes or so in the movie’s opening and ending scenes, “Prisoner of War” never ventures outside of the POW camp, and while this surely is a budgetary necessity, it works greatly for the story by enhancing the sense of isolation and imprisonment Wright and his brethren are going through. With “Prisoner of War” taking the single-location action movie template and applying it to a World War II story of American and British POWs, it is the rare example of a DTV/streaming actioner’s low budget being a storytelling asset that centers the viewer right in the camp with Wright and his fellow soldiers. With that approach applied to a World War II movie, “Prisoner of War” can lay claim to being arguably the best and most fully gripping World War II movie since 2016’s “Hacksaw Ridge”.
“Prisoner of War” Delivers Splendidly On Its “World War II Martial Arts Movie” Sales Pitch
Martial arts films in period settings are the definition of a dime-a-dozen, but it’s seldom that fans see one specifically in the timeframe of World War II (off-hand, Jet Li’s “Fist of Legend” is the only one that immediately springs to mind.) As with the oblique advantage a singular setting providing to the dynamics of its story, “Prisoner of War” understands its hybrid genre novelty well and fully delivers on everything it promises. Asa variation on the ever-popular underground fighting martial arts sub-genre, “Prisoner of War” centers most of its combat in a relatively small dirt ring and lets the action do the talking.
In turn, the fact that martial arts were far less mainstream in Western culture at the time really elevates the feeling of true danger of Wright’s compatriots being tossed into an arena against opponents with fighting skills completely alien to them, and the shock of Wright as a Westerner who has partaken in that very training and can match everything his opponents throw at him. Wright’s hero-villain dynamic with Peter Shinkoda’s Ito is also heightened from that reveal, Ito coming to view Wright as both a true threat to his control over the camp and an opponent fully worthy of his respect.
Scott Adkins Is Sharper Than Eve In “Prisoner of War”
Scott Adkins, of course, was born for the kind of high-kicking action that “Prisoner of War” is built upon, which will make the movie a true 2025 highlight for action fans. There’s somewhat of an MMA quality to the ring fights with the blend of styles Wright brings from his eclectic training background, with plenty of flashy Adkins-patented kicks combined with distinctly Japanese derived techniques in the action. Wright’s first ring fight sets the stakes perfectly, Wright shoved into the ring to face a ruthless tattooed karateka who just slew several other POWs moments before, only for Wright to stun one and all with his own commensurate skill set. Wright’s three-on-one follow-up match also really brings the flash and the power along with the martial arts diversity of Scott’s swift kicks and strikes punctuated by a textbook Jiu Jitsu submission.
The Finale Of “Prisoner of War” Throws Some Surprises Into The Mix
The final showdown of “Prisoner of War” also brings plenty of war-time stakes and martial arts power to the escape plan hatched by Wright and his American compatriot Villanueva. The sense of Western and Eastern warrior honor shared by Wright and Ito culminates in a katana duel with all the slashing and chopping finesse of Scott’s “Ninja” movies, though admittedly not the true climax of combat of “Prisoner of War”. That distinction goes to the 1950-set framing story that bookends the film, which itself delivers two phenomenal fight sequences in a dojo setting, the context of which adds crucial elements of honor and finality that is only fully appreciated with the POW tale in set between them.
Summary
“Prisoner of War” is a joining of two opposites in a complimentary yin-yang package. As a World War II movie, the singular setting of “Prisoner of War” makes the scale of the conflict in the camp a microcosm of the larger war, with the stakes heightened by the movie’s low budget keeping it grounded and thus fully centered in a more individualized corner of the war. As a martial arts film, “Prisoner of War” takes the underground tournament to the death concept and utilizes it for all the all the bountiful mileage it has, delivering fantastic martial arts fights that blend styles while highlighting the warrior purity embodied by the dedicated training of Wright, Ito, and the movie’s other fighters. Combined both sides into one, “Prisoner of War” is a true Allied victory as a World War II martial arts epic and another feather in the cap of the Scott Adkins-Louis Mandylor duo!
Trivia
- Alvin Hsing served as fight choreographer and Peter Shinkoda’s stunt double. Some of Alvin’s other credits as stunt performer and fight choreographer include “Unlucky Stars”, “Daredevil” season two, “Iron Fist” season two, “The Defenders”, “John Wick: Chapter 2”, “The Mandalorian”, “xXx: Return of Xander Cage”, and “Bullet Train”.
- Scott Adkins wrote the story for “Prisoner of War”, which was originally titled “Empty Hand” (the English translation of Karate). The movie was later titled “Death March”, before finally being titled “Prisoner of War”.
- “Prisoner of War” premiered on August 22nd, 2025 at the third annual Big Bad Film Festival, a showcase action movies and shorts held in Glendale, California.
- Scott Adkins ripped his hamstring while filming the first fight in the movie, requiring some of the fight choreography and schedule of filming the movie’s fight scenes to be somewhat adjusted.
- Scott Adkins previously worked with Shane Kosugi’s brother, Kane Kosugi, on 2013’s “Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear”.
- Scott Adkins and Louis Mandylor previously appeared together in “The Debt Collector” and “Debt Collectors”, and will also be seen in Liam O’Donnell’s “Skyline: Warpath”.
- Scott Adkins released the 50th episode of his YouTube series “The Art of Action” for the release of “Prisoner of War”, with the episode featuring Scott and director Louis Mandylor discussing the making of the film. You can see the 50th episode of “The Art of Action” linked below!
Favourite Quotes
- “You’ve already revealed who trained you. Your technique – most forbidden.” – Lt. Col. Ito, after seeing Wright’s first victory in the pit.
- “I’ll keep fighting, and you can keep lining up your men. Eventually, you’ll just run out of warriors.” – Wright, to Ito.
Prisoner of War is now available on VOD from Well Go USA!
