Plot: A proficient assassin, known as Echo 8 within the clandestine world of a secret underground organization, finds herself oscillating between a nightmarish reverie and the stark reality of her existence. When her latest mission involves eliminating a grieving mother, she discovers her target is closer to home than she realizes, shedding light on the intricate web of connections within the organization.
Maria Tran co-directs (alongside Takashi Hara) and stars in this impressive indie actioner which amazingly has a budget of only $8,000 USD, and was shot over 14 days in Western Sydney, Australia with a cast and crew of volunteers.
Echo 8 is apparently Australia’s first female led independent action movie and is a perfect example of what you can do with even a modest budget, but a ton of talent and ambition.
Maria Tran is surely destined for big things as Echo 8 has better production values than some films I’ve seen with 5 times the budget. The fight scenes are well choreographed and the interplay with the characters keeps things moving along nicely.
There are a few scenes which could maybe be tighter in terms of pacing, but really that’s just a minor niggle in an otherwise impressive indie effort.
The performances are mostly strong with the banter between Echo 8 (Tran) and Delta 1 (David Vuong) the clear highlight, but I also enjoyed Gabrielle Chan who gives a gut-wrenching performance as Hanh. We also get Big Mike Leeder in a role which will surely be expanding in the upcoming sequels. This is a planned trilogy and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.
Overall, Echo 8 is one of best indie action movies I’ve seen in years with production values far surpassing the modest budget. You can tell this is an important passion project for all involved and I hope the upcoming sequels are even bigger and better.