Emerging from the uk`s amateur DIY martial arts scene of the late 1990's/early-2000's, action Actor /Writer / Producer /Director Ara Paiaya, has spent the last twenty plus years creating top quality action on a shoestring budget.

Now the Scottish palindromic multi-hyphenate is working on a new project entitled Off The Record ( Date of release TBC ), which according to the press release aims to showcase the evolution of his patent brand of high-octane action, revealing some interesting stories from his international career, and offer tips and advice for those interested in making a career in the action film industry.

Subtitles Not Required: The Dubbed and Dangerous Trilogy (2001-2004)

Hailing from the dreich suburbs of Aberdeen, Scotland, Ara Paiaya first hit the ground running in the UK when his debut short film Dubbed and Dangerous (2001) was featured in both the neck breaking second VHS Eastern Heroes video magazine and the BBC's lost classic tv series Stop Kung Fu ! ( 2002) which was on regular rotation on satellite broadcaster Sky Television shorts channel. Ara was a natural auteur, soaking up Hong Action films and reconstituting them to come up with his own inspired interpretation.

An instant cult classic on a spend-thrift budget, Dubbed and Dangerous (2001) went on to spawn two further sequels, the sequentially titled: Dubbed and Dangerous 2 (2003), and Dubbed and Dangerous 3 (2004) increasing in both budget and length.

The films follow suave secret agent played by Ara, disposing of international assassins, in a less than secret manner with nothing but his martial arts skills and a bag of witticisms. Viewing the films 20 years on, it's hard not to feel nostalgic for the pre-social media, pre-Ong Bak, Pre-Raid era, which any have a go action hero put out their own movie and action starved fans would readily lap it up. Equal parts homage and fromage, the non-stop bone crunching action channels the works of Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, John Woo and a touch of Remy Julienne. Yes, at times the acting can be more wooden than a splintered nunchaku, the main villains cartoonish, and the henchmen don’t always hench properly, but the amateur dramatics add to the charm and cult appeal of the movies. Horror fans should watch Dubbed and Dangerous 3 (2004) just for the star- turn cameo from Freddy Krueger actor, Robert Englund,

The Dubbed and Dangerous (2001-2004) trilogy were pivotal in the evolution of independent action movies, nestling nicely next to the likes of cult micro/nano budget classics such as Razor Blade Smile (1998) and Baise Moi (2000).

The Chinese Connection: Night Driver (2005) Death List (2006)

After the success of the Dubbed and Dangerous trilogy (2001-2004), Ara Paiaya attracted the attention of Jackie Chan's management and he headed over to Asia to envisage his goal of working on a project with his childhood hero.

Sadly, nothing came to fruition between Ara and Jackie, but Ara did end up collaborating with seminal directors Robert Tai (Hot, Cool & The Vicious) and Toby Russell ( Death Fighter, Top Fighter) as well as several Hong Kong based Lumières and character actors. The resulting movies Night Driver (2005) and Death List (2006), once again continued the Hong Kong style of action, both films excel in the fighting and driving stunts department. Night Driver (2005) as Ara`s first full length feature, takes elements of Transporter (2002), Point Blank (1967)  and the Knight Rider Series (1982-1986) and ramps it up to 100 miles per hour. Both films look at the bigger picture, rather than trying to hide the budget limitations. The fight scenes and choreography are once again creative, and the ingenuity is a distillation of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung at their career best. The only let down is perhaps the dated filming technology and maybe not utilising the beautiful Hong Kong landmarks and scenery enough.

Death List (2006) more than makes up for the lack of budget with enthusiasm and originality. The stunts are performed with meticulous timing, and the ending of the film actual leaves you wanting more. A lost opportunity on Jackie's part, as Ara would have definitely held his own above his contemporariness, such as Scott Adkins and Brad Allen, and would have had a stronger advantage being an already established film-maker and fight choreographer, therefore knowing how to make Jackie look good on screen.

Flash, Bang, Wallop : Maximum Impact (2008)  The Suppressor (2011)

Returning to his native Aberdeen Scotland, Ara retread the winning formula of the Dubbed and Dangerous Trilogy (2001-2004), adding an international appeal and emotional heart. Filmed in Canada, Scotland and London, Maximum Impact 2008 sees Ara`s Agent X rescue a captured government cryptologist from the hands of a rogue agent. The Suppressor (2011) sees a hitman left for dead, unfurling revenge on those who harmed his family.

The action quality in both of these films are never in question, however the dated effects and some of the quick fire editing does assault your eyes after a while. The action never disappoints though and it exuberates vengeance by the bucket load. The Suppressor (2011) is the stronger of the two movies, with the star performance being from the cameo from bearded film guru Ric Meyers, literally phoning in the performance as one of the villains, and adding extra relish to the scenery chewing. These films are truly an end of an era, with film viewing habits, styles , taste and technology having evolved, in the era of MMA, The Raid (2011) and John Wick (2014) which spawned a thousand copycat clones posting 4 minute movies on YouTube.

Stepping Away From The Centre Stage: Skin Traffik 2015, Instant Death 2017

Ara Paiaya returned with a renewed game plan to focus on film making and storytelling rather than being an originator in the forefront of the films, he remained firmly seated behind the camera choosing to concentrate on writing, directing, producing and the overall cinematography on an american based movie, thus keeping costs low and improving his overall transferable skills, whilst simultaneously taking his brand of action to the Hollywood action audience. Playing off the success of the Kill Bill films (2002-2003), Skin Traffik aka A Hit man In London (2015) is Ara`s most accessible film. The movie is essentially an inflated “Geezer Teaser” with Brit- kicker Gary Daniels carrying the weight of the film as a jaded hitman with crisis of conscience, whilst trying to stop a human trafficking ring. Old pros Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen and Jeff Fahey add their acting expertise to the proceedings, though at times are often under used. The action highlight of the film is Ara`s cameo as Agent X taking on Gary Daniels mano a mano in front a stationary rotating helicopter.

Instant Death (2017) does exactly what it says on the tin, and it`s main selling point is the return of vintage Incredible Hulk Actor Lou Ferrigno to action acting. Lou always deserves respect for the amount of set backs that life has thrown at him, overcoming disability, personal tragedy and being seen as an also ran against megastars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Bringing the weight of his real life struggles to the character of John Bradley, Ferrigno battles for revenge against local drug dealers who took his family away from him. The move is essentially a remake of Ara`s own The Suppressor (2011) modified for the Hollywood market . The action takes a more realistic approach of a man Ferrigno`s age out for revenge, rather than the avenue of Taken (2008). Instant Death (2017) is a cheap thrills masterpiece that is head and shoulders above the usual straight to video fodder of it's ilk.

One wonders if Ara were starting out today with the technology available, or if he had worked more closely with his action idols in Asia, would he have been heralded as the Orson Welles of martial arts rather than the Herschell Gordon Lewis or Ed Wood of international action. Fingers crossed Ara goes back to basics with Off The Record (Date of release TBC), in creating some new short films specifically for the documentary, and commenting on how the action was achieved, similar to Robin Shou`s Red Trousers (2003) and Jackie Chan : My Stunts (1999). Either way Ara`s fans will look forward to see what this silent dragon` next move will be.

Watch the Instant Death Trailer below