Blowback

The film was a waste of film, and time. After watching how things played out throughout the movie, I kept shaking my head waiting for how the various characters were motivated, and how they made the choices they made to make some sense. Throughout the movie I felt like something essential was missing which was hard to explain except for it being the time I wasted watching this turkey. I find reviews that give this an ok rating for action, or anything else hard to comprehend. Except to say this was time spent in which I felt the loss of a chance to do something interesting; instead I watched this.

The movie could have used a better script and character journeys. A lot of these reviews knock the script which is true but the acting isn't bad. Michele Plaia is a fresh new talent and a baddie with some great range. Cam Gigandet was solid for most of the movie. I enjoyed the love triangle and would have liked to see more of the relationships driving the movie direction.

The premise is an ex-con's daughter is in the hospital with some mystery ailment. Her dad needs money so he orchestrates a bank robbery. The job goes off without a hitch. His crew double crosses him and he's left for dead. He survives and revenge follows.

Movies usually have some point or message or reason for their existence. This movie offers nothing. Before the robbery a nurse told him his daughter would be cared for regardless of his ability to pay. So much for the premise. The guy committed armed robbery, so we sure as heck aren't rooting for him. He pursues revenge on members of his crew (no spoilers here) and we're not rooting for them, either. The police are trying to catch them, and we desperately want to root for them. Except the good guys are cardboard cutouts who could have been named Officer One, Officer Two for all we know about them.

Randy Coutour and his girlfriend were both laughably bad. The rest of the performances were Oscar worthy in comparison.

What is terrible is the movie begins with a thirty minute flashback of the robbery. Problem is the details of the robbery are entirely inconsequential. It could have been condensed into two sentences without impacting the plot. By the time the actual plot kicks in, it's been nearly an hour of pointless activity on screen. The final hour is slightly more engaging, but the director who couldn't make armed robbery interesting likewise couldn't make revenge interesting.

Four stars because I didn't turn it off. No additional stars because this is not a good movie.

Have to agree with some of the other reviewers that Couture is HORRIBLE. Dude cannot act and in this type of flick it stands out. The rest of the cast was good except Mandylor and the black FBI actor who was a clown.. Mandylor has never been better than B-Movie casting anyway.

Like I said in my title, not a horrible movie but a strange plot that isn't very believable but standard fare I guess for these type movies. Wasn't worth $7 but if you can see it for free then it's 'ok' if you got nothing else to watch.

A B-rated action flick that was simply lacking. The movie had potential but simply fails to deliver. The acting for the most part was mediocre at best, although the protagonist lead delivered better than most. Although Couture is not a great actor by any means he simply falls flat in this movie. The script is below par but the dialogue comes across as mostly believable. The cinematography was fine. Directing was lacking. Nothing new in terms of a story - a guy with a past doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Given the cast the movie certainly could have delivered more. Overall it is watchable, but very forgettable.