WFG RATING: B+

An Ox Films production. Directed and edited by Richard Ryan. Produced by Richard Ryan and Jackie Nova. Written by Michael Marcelin; story by Richard Ryan. Cinematography by Vishal Solanki. 

Stars Richard Ryan, Jackie Nova, Leon van Waas, Mark Sivertsen, Craig Bruenell, Rich Paul, Pele Kizy, Tannis Hanson, and Landall Goolsby.

A CIA scientist uncovers a deadly plot and races to rescue his wife in this action packed thriller from actor and filmmaker Richard Ryan.

Joseph Markham and his wife Valentina are living the good life. Having secured a job as a scientist for the CIA, Joseph is on the verge of a major breakthrough with his partner Craig Stern. However, things soon take a turn for the worse when Joseph discovers that Stern has not only succeeded in the virus, but under the orders of deputy director Roland Smith, created a mechanism that causes the virus carrier to attack and kill its target. 

When Joseph attempts to escape, he finds himself now with a target on his back. To make matters worse, Smith sends in his number one man to kidnap Valentina in order to bait Joseph. A series of events soon bring up some shocking revelations about the plan Smith has with the virus, but soon enough the CIA discover something shocking about Joseph and Valentina that will potentially change the endgame once and for all, but for who?

Actor and filmmaker Richard Ryan is definitely on hand to be a name to be reckoned with if this film has anything to say about it. Loads of action films tend to overdose on either its action scenes and less on story or vice versa. Ryan’s film not only offers some grounded action scenes, but offers a pretty good story involving double crossing, corruption, kidnapping, and revelations that drive the film as if you’re going to get multiple shots to the gut. 

One of the major pluses in the film is the chemistry between Ryan and co-star/producer Jackie Nova as Joseph and his wife Valentina. We get to see the couple enjoying their time together even with a sparring session in the ring, which gets a chance to show Nova’s kickboxing skills and Ryan’s skills in Jiu-Jitsu and boxing (which comes to use later in the film from both). They are the heart of the film and it is clear why they are willing to go above and beyond for each other.

Leon van Waas is excellent as Roland Smith, the deputy director of the CIA. From the moment you see him, you can tell this is one man with some very ulterior motives. He pushes Craig to complete the virus and once he sees the end product, he is extremely excited much to the chagrin of Joseph, who discovers something isn’t right. From there, van Waas goes a bit over the top at times but it’s totally worth it as he will go through any means necessary to get to Joseph. 

Daniel Joo’s fight choreography consists of grounded action where we aside from the sparring session between Joseph and Valentina, we see Valentina use her kickboxing skills against Smith’s number one before she is knocked out cold. We see Joseph running and fighting anyone who gets in his way, including a brief fight against the choreographer himself. What helps is that Ryan and Nova perform all their own stunts in the film, making them even more the reason why to check out the film. 

Art of Deception is a pretty good blending of action and story with Richard Ryan showcasing his skills as an actor, an action star, and as director. His chemistry with Jackie Nova is aces and Leon van Waas pulls off a very good villainous performance. Definitely an indie film worth looking at. 

The film is now streaming on Tubi, Amazon Prime, and other streaming platforms.