High Heat

I figured with Don Johnson in it the film (movie) would be decent but I was wrong. The actors are mostly forgettable. The script seemed like something a student writer would be encouraged to seek a different career over. Meandering, uninteresting, muddled, boring, flavorless, not comedic engaging or dramatic. I think someone had budget money left over and needed to spend it so they gave Don and Olga 80% of it and then hired volunteers to fill in the cast leaving them with just enough left over to rent a street, a parking garage, 4 vehicles, and part of a commercial kitchen.

In my next life I will not watch this movie.

Well, seeing Don Johnson and Olga Kurylenko work on the same project is always tempting and interesting, however doesn't necessarily mean that it will be a winning combination. This movie is kind of a mixture between Mr & Mrs Smith meets Desperate Housewifes meets Boiling Point. The director wanted to put this all together and hope for a fun outcome, but it ended up being a drag although it is only 80 minutes... The side roles appear suddenly like they fall from the sky with no whatsoever background story or connection, just a few sentences between them to get it over with. The story is the cheesiest possible and reminds of an old school action movies when everyone was a former KGB or Cia agent etc.. In the end very boring and dragged out movie although with Don and Olga on board had the potential for more fun.

I've never seen anyone make so much hay out of: 1. A section of a parking lot on Orange Grove in downtown Burbank, 2. A probable commercial kitchen and, 3. A maybe 1,000 sq. Ft. Soundstage.

You've got to give them Kudos just for that, if not for the most convincing catfight I've ever seen.

The animated opening works, all the actors are above serviceable, some of the pacing gets iffy, but more than half the jokes made me smile. Olga is still very watchable, and her facility with languages adds a veracity you don't often see. The twins are hilarious, as is Gary the masseur. Last but not least, while not incredibly original, it's got more originality and flair than the majority of big tent productions.

I'm guessing they shot this in a few days. Give them all a break. They entertained, and they punched well-above their budget tranche.

Bravo everyone.

I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised after watching this well-paced 84 min action-comedy film. This is newb filmmaker Zach Golden's second full length feature film as director, and he did not disappoint. It is also James Pedersen's first ever writing credit, and although not perfect, it was still fun. Although some characters were your typical cliched mobsters with cliched dialogue, it still worked, and actually had some laugh out loud moments. All casting and performances were spot-on and convincing, and Golden did a great job directing his cast, especially for a newb director. Even the action scenes were exceptionally filmed and well choreographed. The dark humor was mostly hit with a few misses. Johnson and Kurylenko (who looked stunning) worked very well together, as did Kaitlin Doubleday and Chris Diamantopoulos and their twin daughters, who were a hilarious family right out of the Griswold's playbook. Even the score and cinematography were great, especially for a B film. It's not a perfect film, but it's one of the better and more entertaining B films I've seen this year, and worth a one-time watch. It's a well deserved 7/10 from me.

High Heat is a bit of a wacky Action/Spy/Thriller complete with Assassins and Mercenaries and Mobsters and Psychopathic ex-best friends!

Anna (Olga Kurylenko) is a chef and she and her husband Ray (Don Johnson) own and operate a restaurant together. But on the the restaurants opening night the celebration is interrupted by the local mobsters coming to collect on Ray's debt. Now what they did not expect was a top ex-KGB agent Anna.... a highly trained ex-KGB agent.

The restaurant turns into a bloody battleground as Ray and Anna team up to defend their restaurant.

I really like High Heat... Really good actors, Don Johnson, Olga Kurylenko and Caitlin Doubleday as Mimi Is absolutely brilliant.

The script does fall a bit short on the comedy side, I think some of the humorous dialogue goes on way too long. But still a fun popcorn movie night.