REVIEW: ‘Affinity’ Doesn’t Deliver the Goods

Chilean martial artist Marko Zaror (Diablo) stars, writes, produces, and serves as action director for Affinity (2025), a movie that finds its footing during its combat scenes, but stumbles hard in nearly every other aspect. The film also stars Jane Mirro, Luis Mandylor, and Brooke Ence (Zack Snyder’s Justice League).

Zaror plays Bruno, an ex-SEAL mourning his brother’s death and spiraling into self-destruction while living in Thailand. One night, Bruno finds Athena (Jane Mirro), a mysterious woman who appears unconscious in his home. The brief romance that quickly develops between them is cut short when armed thugs kidnap Athena. Now, with the help of his vet friends Joe (Luis Mandylor) and Fitch (Brooke Ence), Bruno will hunt down those responsible.

A man rescues a woman, but it turns out that the woman is the one truly rescuing the man by giving him a new purpose. This cliché premise is simple enough to keep things moving between action scenes at first, but the directing choices by Brandon Slagle and the weak writing by Gina Aguad, Christopher M. Don, Liam O’Neil, and Zaror drag the movie into a lull. There’s no depth in the romance, the dialogue is painfully generic, and the odd framing makes the scenes look like a perfume commercial.

Affinity (2025) may boast decent action sequences, but stumbles everywhere else.

By the time the thugs show up in Affinity, you might have already lost all interest in the characters, but still, the subsequent action is strong enough to keep you moderately engaged. Zaror showcases his acrobatic skills in dynamic sequences often delivered through long takes and some strong camerawork. There are splashes of creativity thrown here and there to spice things up, such as the memorable opening scene, which employs a POV perspective reminiscent of a video game, well-suited to that specific setting.

However, the action lacks impact because there’s not much behind it in terms of storytelling. It’s difficult to engage with such underdeveloped characters, and even though the kicks, punches, acrobatics, and knife fights are there, it feels like we are just going through the motions to get from point A to point B.

When there’s some story development or drama, Slagle struggles to get back to the action scenes in an organic way, which makes Affinity feel oddly disconnected. Even when the film attempts to evoke emotion during a scene involving Joe, it all feels cheesy and forced.

Brooke Ence is one of the rare saving graces of Affinity (2025), giving a confident performance.

The performances range from exaggerated to overly stiff, but overall, they serve the story adequately. When Zaror isn’t punching people, he struggles to convey emotion, although there’s not much in the script he can work with. It’s Brooke Ence who steals the show by exuding confidence in every type of scene she’s in: she’s both convincing as the friend inviting you for a drink, and as a badass brandishing a gun.

Recent action movies like Life After Fighting and Fist of the Condor (also starring Zaror) are clear examples that being a low-budget B-movie is no excuse for lackluster execution. These films sustain their impressive action scenes despite having unpolished scripts. Affinity doesn’t manage this balance, letting tired writing sap the energy from its otherwise strong action.

Affinity (2025) will be available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital platforms through Well Go USA on September 30.