# Falcon Rising
**Falcon Rising** is a 2014 American action film directed by Ernie Barbarash and starring [Michael Jai White](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jai-white) as John "Falcon" Chapman, an ex-Marine with post-traumatic stress disorder who travels to Brazil to hunt down the yakuza syndicate that attacked his sister and left her for dead.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Falcon-Rising) • [2](https://www.netflix.com/title/80011010) Written by Y.T. Parazi, it was produced by Moonstone Entertainment and released on video on demand on September 4, 2014, followed by a limited theatrical release in ten North American theaters on September 5, 2014.[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising) • [4](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/a6acb39a-cecd-46eb-90a4-f4265c6f497a/downloads/35775683409.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Ernie Barbarash; screenplay by Y.T. Parazi[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising) |
| Lead role | Michael Jai White as John "Falcon" Chapman, an ex-Marine suffering from PTSD and driven by guilt[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Falcon-Rising) • [5](https://mvd.cloud/pdf/mailers/MVD_NR-MAILER_MAR21.pdf) |
| Release | VOD September 4, 2014; limited theatrical release in ten North American theaters September 5, 2014[4](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/a6acb39a-cecd-46eb-90a4-f4265c6f497a/downloads/35775683409.pdf) |
| Running time / rating | 103 minutes; rated R for violence throughout and some sexual references/content[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Falcon-Rising) |
| Budget and box office | $4.5 million production budget; $11,774 domestic gross from a $8,691 opening weekend in 10 theaters[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Falcon-Rising) |
| Critical reception | 43% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 7 reviews (3 fresh, 4 rotten); 43% Popcornmeter from 500+ audience ratings[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/falcon_rising) |
| Music / cinematography | Neal Acree; Yaron Levy[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
John "Falcon" Chapman is a dark anti-hero driven by guilt and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, described in the production notes as a man who will destroy himself unless given something else to destroy.[5](https://mvd.cloud/pdf/mailers/MVD_NR-MAILER_MAR21.pdf) When he learns that his sister Cindy ([Laila Ali](https://www.edgepedia.org/laila-ali)) has been brutally beaten in the slums, or favelas, of Brazil, he travels to São Paulo to hunt down her attackers.[7](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/falcon-rising) Within the city's criminal underground, he finds drugs, prostitution, and corrupt police, all under the control of the Japanese mafia and guarded by the formidable Hirimoto (Masashi Odate).[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/falcon-rising/umc.cmc.6wqrqg5amsagimex6e83g8e)
The film's premise draws on the setting's Japanese-Brazilian community; it is mentioned in the film that Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside Japan.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2295722/)
## Cast
- Michael Jai White as John "Falcon" Chapman[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising)
- [Neal McDonough](https://www.edgepedia.org/neal-mcdonough) as Manny Ridley[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising)
- Laila Ali as Cindy Chapman[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising)
- Jimmy Navarro as Thiago Santo[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising)
- Millie Ruperto as Katarina Da' Silva[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising)
- Lateef Crowder as Carlo Bororo[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising)
- Masashi Odate as Hirimoto[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising)
- Hazuki Kato as Tomoe[3](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising)
## Production and release
The film was produced by Moonstone Entertainment, with Shahar Stroh and Ernst Etchie Stroh as producers, and distributed by Freestyle Releasing and Freestyle Digital Media.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Falcon-Rising) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/falcon-rising/umc.cmc.6wqrqg5amsagimex6e83g8e) Back in May 2013, before a single image had been released, the producers announced that the film would be the beginning of a series of action movies, with one or two entries planned for release every year.[10](https://cityonfire.com/falcon-rising-2014-review-favela-michael-jai-white/) No sequel was completed; audience reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes have noted that the series planned for the character was never finished.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/falcon_rising)
## Reception
The film earned $11,774 at the domestic box office against a $4.5 million production budget, with its opening weekend of $8,691 accounting for 73.8% of the total gross across a one-week run in ten theaters.[1](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Falcon-Rising)
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 43% Tomatometer from seven reviews, with an average rating of 5.5, and a 43% Popcornmeter from more than 500 audience ratings.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/falcon_rising) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/falcon-rising/umc.cmc.6wqrqg5amsagimex6e83g8e) Critics were divided on the action against the script. Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com gave it 3 out of 4 stars, calling it "a throwback to 1980s action films, with strong men at the center going up alone against an unambiguously evil foe" and praising White's "thrilling physical performance."[11](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/falcon-rising-2014) Charles Bramesco of The Dissolve rated it 3 out of 5, writing that structural missteps did little to diminish the pleasure of seeing White in motion.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/falcon_rising) By contrast, Tom Long of The Detroit News gave it a D+, writing that it was "filled with so many action-flick cliches it could serve as a text on how not to do things," and Dann Gire of the Chicago Daily Herald gave it 2 out of 4, noting that White does not get to show what he can really do until 30 minutes into the story.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/falcon_rising) The Far East Films review judged that the plot ran out of steam by the halfway mark before the film limped toward its all-action conclusion.[12](https://fareastfilms.com/review/falcon-rising/)
Among genre audiences the film has kept a modest following: IMDb lists a user rating of 5.8 out of 10.[13](https://www.roku.com/whats-on/movies/falcon-rising?id=259d28fbca455ed1a9a295c1a13ac390)
## Availability
The film has circulated widely on streaming and ad-supported platforms. In the United States it has been available on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, [The Roku Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roku-channel), Pluto TV, Tubi, Plex, and YouTube Free, with digital rental around $1.99 to $4.99 and purchase around $9.99 to $10.99, and on DVD and Blu-ray from retailers including Amazon and [Barnes & Noble](https://www.edgepedia.org/barnes-and-noble).[14](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/falcon-rising) Availability differs by country; it has not been available on Dutch streaming services in recent checks, while FlickFinder listed it on Prime Video in four countries including the United States and the United Kingdom.[7](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/falcon-rising) • [15](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/falcon-rising-2014-270938)
## References
1. [Falcon Rising (2014) – Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Falcon-Rising)
2. [Falcon Rising, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/80011010)
3. [Falcon Rising (2014) – cast and crew, LookUpVOD](https://lookupvod.com/en/movie/270938-falcon-rising)
4. [Falcon Rising parents guide / IMDb-derived summary (release details)](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/a6acb39a-cecd-46eb-90a4-f4265c6f497a/downloads/35775683409.pdf)
5. [Falcon Rising press mailer, MVD Entertainment](https://mvd.cloud/pdf/mailers/MVD_NR-MAILER_MAR21.pdf)
6. [Falcon Rising, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/falcon_rising)
7. [Falcon Rising (2014) kijken, WaarKanIkDatKijken.nl](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/falcon-rising)
8. [Falcon Rising, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/falcon-rising/umc.cmc.6wqrqg5amsagimex6e83g8e)
9. [Falcon Rising (2014), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2295722/)
10. [Falcon Rising (2014) Review, City on Fire](https://cityonfire.com/falcon-rising-2014-review-favela-michael-jai-white/)
11. [Falcon Rising movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/falcon-rising-2014)
12. [Falcon Rising (2014) Review, Far East Films](https://fareastfilms.com/review/falcon-rising/)
13. [How to watch and stream Falcon Rising, Roku](https://www.roku.com/whats-on/movies/falcon-rising?id=259d28fbca455ed1a9a295c1a13ac390)
14. [Falcon Rising streaming: where to watch online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/falcon-rising)
15. [Where to watch Falcon Rising (2014), FlickFinder](https://www.flickfinder.net/movie/falcon-rising-2014-270938)
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