My quick rating – 5.9/10. Diablo is a gutsy, low-budget action flick that knows exactly who its audience is and wastes no time catering to them. If you’re here for intricate plots or emotional complexity, you’re in the wrong aisle. But if you’re showing up for Scott Adkins kicking teeth in, brutal one-on-one brawls, and a lean, mean “what would a father do” story, Diablo mostly delivers.
Adkins plays Kris Chaney, an ex-con with a code, who abducts the daughter of a Colombian gangster to keep a promise to her dying mother. That noble deed quickly turns bloody as said gangster, played with sleazy menace by Lucho Velasco, sends the entire criminal underworld (plus one absolute psycho) after Chaney to get the girl back. What follows is a cross-country chase full of shootouts, knife fights, and good old-fashioned martial arts carnage.
Adkins has always been a reliable action star, and here he gets another chance to show off the kind of fluid, punishing choreography that made fans take notice back in Undisputed 3 and Ninja. I’ve been following him since Black Mask 2, and I still remember turning to my buddy mid-scene and saying, “this dude has some skills.” Nothing’s changed.
One of the real highlights of Diablo is the reunion between Adkins and Marko Zaror, who plays the film’s psychotic killer antagonist. Anyone who remembers their iconic throwdown in Undisputed 3 will find plenty to love here. Their rematch is creative and well-staged, reminding us why these two are top-tier in the modern action game. Whether this was a wink to their John Wick: Chapter 4 team-up or an intentional callback to their earlier glory, it works.
Alanna De La Rossa plays Elisa, the kidnapped daughter, and brings a scrappy energy to the role. Her constant bickering with Adkins adds a few much-needed laughs and gives the film a little heart, even if her dramatic moments come off a bit flat. That said, there’s a cleverly executed final act twist that places her in a “Saw-style” predicament, cranking the tension just in time for the final showdown.
Zaror is clearly having fun chewing scenery, and though Velasco plays the more traditional “boss-level” villain, it’s Zaror’s unhinged presence that steals scenes. In a film where nearly everyone is morally compromised, he stands out as the one truly menacing force of nature. His scenes are the ones you remember.
The plot is threadbare, and a little more investment in Chaney’s backstory would’ve gone a long way. The movie hints at past trauma and redemptive motives, but it never slows down enough to explore any of that in detail. That’s not a dealbreaker, though—it just means this remains firmly in “popcorn flick” territory.
Diablo doesn’t rewrite the script, but it plays to its strengths: tight choreography, intense one-on-one fights, and the chops of two action veterans who know exactly how to entertain a crowd. For fans of Adkins and Zaror, that’s more than enough.
