Beckman

BECKMAN is weird. It's weird in concept, and it's weird in execution. Not because of the filmmaking or anything, but because of precisely how...normal it all is. Unless you knew David A.R. White on-sight or were a Pure Flix obsessive (I'm sure they exist), nothing about this film would indicate that it's from the same people that brought you such classics as GOD'S NOT DEAD and GOD'S NOT DEAD 2: THE QUICKENING. By all measurable standards it just seems like another one of those DTV action flicks that, in this particular instance, apes JOHN WICK. Frankly I think that's kind of an achievement in and of itself, a Pure Flix movie that just seems like...a movie.

The story, of an hitman-turned-preacher (David A.R. White) struggling to escape his violent past after his adopted daughter is abducted by a monologue-loving cult leader (William Baldwin) and his mercenary army of assassins and human traffickers, isn't terribly original (obvious nods to TAKEN, JOHN WICK, and MAN ON FIRE abound), but those are fairly solid potboiler plots and they're effectively recreated here. The inescapable hand of evangelical Christianity that normally pervades Pure Flix's output is kept to minimum here, and the film's much better for it. Sure you could argue that its message of forgiveness and nonviolence is at odds with the unending stream of violence and mayhem, but then again this isn't a movie that you should think about too hard. The religious themes aren't any more pervasive than, say, MEAN STREETS; which might be Pure Flix's attempts at securing a more mainstream audience, but also could be a sign that they've learned the art of subtlety (I hope it's the latter).

Action, performances, cinematography, score, editing, directing. All of these things aren't really that much more than average, but I think when the bar's set so low that has to count for something. My brain still refuses to 100% accept David A.R. White as a gritty action hero but he does give a solid, if somewhat one-note, performance and is fairly believable in his plethora of set-pieces. William "No Not That" Baldwin, Jeff Fahey, and Burt Young (whom I'd hitherto thought had passed away years ago) are all tasked with little more than making glorified cameos, but they're all consummate professionals and Baldwin is at least an effective baddie. The rest of the supporting cast are likewise uniformly solid.

There's a pseudo-DIY quality to the low-budget filmmaking that's rather endearing. Clearly these people didn't have the same money or resources that Chad Stahelski and Co. have, but dammit if they don't try. The fights are well choreographed and staged (and surprisingly bloody in places), and director Gabriel Sabloff has a strong sense of style that helps elevate the otherwise unremarkable material in many places. It helps that Sabloff is no stranger to these things, a veteran of both low-budget action movies and Pure Flix dramas, he clearly knows how to stretch a low budget. His love of DSLRs and gimbals might take a little getting used to, but it never detracted from the viewing experience and actually gave the film a bit of a (possibly unintended) personal touch. Will Musser's score, with its clear overtures toward Vangelis and Jóhann Jóhannsson, is an effective mood setter and helps set the film out from the rest of the DTV crowd.

After reading the storyline I thought, this HAS to be a comedy. Ex hit man turned preacher has his daughter kidnapped. The moral dilemma he must face. I am an ex hit man, I must kill these people and rescue my daughter but wait I am now a preacher, what ever shall I do !!! Should I pray for her return ? Should I turn my bible into ninja stars and smite these unholy heathens !!! Unfortunately this is not a comedy, how ever you might get a laugh out of it.

To decide how to rate this movie, I was entertained to an average level. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. Most of the acting was on the cringe side, so beware of that. Felt like it was based on another movie that starred Keanu Reeves. If you have nothing better to do and want to waste an hour and 30 minutes, knock yourself out.

You like action? It has action, some right at the start so your attention span stays intact. Pretty good action too I might add. You like a good story arc? Well, it's alright, hitman turned preacher rescuing a girl from a spiritual guru with some underworld intertwinings. If Baldwin's cult was fleshed out more earlier on it would have been better. He's not really much of a menacing villain, he's a bit of a pacifist but could at least been more threatening psychologically. The padding out of the story between the action makes it just average, the potential was dropped.

Have you ever had a question about something that happened on screen and thought to yourself "you know what would answer that? Punching and shooting!" If so, this is the movie for you! There is no plot hole, poorly written dialogue, or weakly developed character that can't be solved with a silly hand-to-hand combat, or shoot-out. Having said that, this isn't a 1 star movie. One star movies make me mad at them. I compulsively have to finish a movie, once started, so truly terrible movies make me furious at them for wasting my time. This is a silly, brainless, fun little romp to watch with your friends for a larf. Don't misunderstand me, it is by no means a good movie. It sets up the story with short ~90 second clips in the very beginning of the movie, which is completely unnecessary. It also spends zero time with natural, or even passably good dialogue, and only volunteers sentence tidbits that advance the shaky plot. Every fight or shooting scene features people fumbling to find a trigger, or their fists to give the protagonist a chance to fight everyone one by one. This movie also features the all-too-familiar "hero gets shot, stabbed, breaks both legs, looses his sight, or gets set on fire" only to go about his business with a slight limp. I would be reminisced if I didn't mention that I would have picked up on exactly ZERO religious anything throughout this movie. Reading the other reviews, and looking at the protagonist's other IMDB credits, I see that he has apparently contributed a lot of Christian (pro Christian) content. This must have been a conscious deviation, because this movie has no proselytizing whatsoever. Really and truly, there is no more religious undertones in this film, than in Winnie The Pooh (that is to say, none at all.) Watch this with you buds (of any gender) and make a drinking game of it. It's silly, not terrible.