Diablo review: A devilishly good martial arts movie with an unforgettable villain
Part Anton Chigurh, part Terminator, all ass-kicking
New action thriller Diablo is the best martial arts movie of 2025 so far, combining brutal action with a completely unhinged villain performance for a strong entry in the long history of collaborations between action stars Marko Zaror and Scott Adkins. It’s now available for digital rental or purchase on VOD platforms.
Adkins and Zaror first worked together in the terrific Undisputed 3: Redemption, delivering one of the best fight scenes in action movie history. Since then, they’ve appeared together in Savage Dog, John Wick: Chapter 4, The Killer’s Game, and now, Diablo, from director Ernesto Díaz Espinoza. Díaz Espinoza is best known for the action movies he’s made in his native Chile with his fellow countryman Zaror, like the superhero movie Mirageman and the excellent Shaw Brothers-style martial arts movie throwback The Fist of the Condor. Two of Zaror’s most frequent collaborators working together for the first time is a tantalizing opportunity, and Diablo more than lives up to that promise.
The movie follows Kris (Adkins), an ex-con who kidnaps Elisa (Alanna De La Rossa), the beloved daughter of a powerful gangster (Lucho Velasco) in Colombia. But as Elisa’s father sends his men to find her and kill Kris, a frightening third party quickly enters the fray, also in pursuit: the psychopathic murderer “El Corvo” (Zaror). A hulking killer who wears a long black trench coat, bears a metal fist in place of his right hand, and is constantly saying creepy shit, he’s kind of like if Anton Chigurh, the Terminator, and Hannibal Lecter merged together in the body of a martial arts master.
Zaror’s performance is the real standout of Diablo – he’s terrifying and darkly funny, especially when sincerely asking his victims “Have you given yourself a gift this week?” While he’s an incredibly skilled martial artist who does well in a conventional henchman role, Zaror is at his best when playing larger-than-life, comic-book style characters (like dueling twins in Fist of the Condor), and Diablo lets him go as big as he wants with El Corvo. Plus, it’s always fun to have a slasher character show up in an unexpected genre setting, as we saw with the rom-com slasher Heart Eyes earlier this year.
Zaror also designed the hard-hitting action for Diablo, full of ruthless impacts, big falls, and spinning roundhouse kicks. Director Espinoza makes good, limited use of slow-motion effects and speed ramping to show off the clean martial arts forms and incredible skill on display (while also helping mask the diminishing speed of the stars, both in their late 40s). The action design particularly excels when it leans into the unique capabilities of El Corvo. His metal fist adds a lot of power (augmented by excellent sound design, whether it’s swinging heavily through the air or landing with a thud on a person’s squishy face), and it hides a blade underneath, adding an extra dimension to any sequence featuring the fist. There’s a great moment where Kris, after much effort, triumphantly removes El Corvo’s metal fist, thinking he’s now got the upper hand. Then, seeing the long blade hidden underneath, he simply says “Oh shit.”
By combining the fundamentals of martial arts cinema with an unforgettable villain performance seemingly straight from hell, Diablo stands out in a strong crop of new action movies this year. You’ve got: Zaror’s menacing performance and superb martial arts skills, Adkins’ leading man stoicism and his own excellent martial arts capabilities, and assured direction from a veteran action filmmaker for a dynamic display of ass-kicking every action fan will enjoy.