Jericho Ridge

I put this on expecting it to be background noise while I worked on my laptop but was immediately drawn into the story. The premise is pretty basic and we've seen it a million times but you don't mind it here because all the characters, even the side ones, immediately feel like real people with real baggage. The acting in general is solid all around but Amuka-Bird is amazing. The action is pretty brutal too. There are some scenes where you know what's about to happen but the impact of the violence still hits. Between this and Average Joe, also on BET+, the service is starting to come into its own. The app itself is still trash but that is a different story.

Jericho Ridge is another rip-off of John Carpenter's Assault On Precinct 13 (from 1976). It's not the first time they used that story to make a movie and this one is certainly not the worst. I thought it was entertaining the whole time. It's just a more modern version of Assault On Precinct 13. Nikki Amuka-Bird plays the main character and she was very believable in her performance. The acting from the small cast wasn't bad at all. Constant action makes it worth watching. Maybe not always the best decisions were made during the assault but you could blame the stress that comes with it. In short, I've seen worse movies in this genre.

Well that is actually only one police member who walks "funny" - limping for reasons as you will find out! No pun intended - stuff happens and that also in one of those things that ... well happened and helps elevate and further down the suspense we will have watching this.

This obviously is larger than life, yet there is at least some degree of reality that you can find here. A movie and a thriller, but it does tend to its characters and the script is well written (or tight if you prefer that term). We have mostly a one location setup - and while we are there .. a lot of things are going to happen. Some violence and also explicit one - so just be aware of that, if that bothers you or not ... really well done, cinematography, sound design, acting, script ... well I could list many things I suppose ... John Carpenter would be proud ...

If you're looking for a deep, well-paced, original action film with twists that you don't see coming - then this definitely is not the film for you.

Strong female lead, has a hard life and works as a sheriff's deputy in a small town.

Following a very convoluted, yet obvious plot involving her dead beat son, she is forced to fight for her life when criminals descend on her police station. Yes, it's a discount remake of assault on precinct 13.

Just about the whole films is shot in the police station, which was most likely done for budgetary reasons.

The main problem is the convenience of the timeline. The attackers pause whenever they are needed to. They literally disappear for minutes at a time while the main characters wade through the plot exposition only to return as soon as they're done.

The others problems (in no particular order are): Plot armour, some characters are literally unkillable.

The main character's son's and main bad guy's American accents are TERRIBLE

The entirely predictable ending.

The way cameras etc cut out at the critical moment

The marksmanship on display would make stormtroopers blush.

The weapon handling would make Alec Baldwin blush

The back up showing up right after everything is over.

There are more, but you get the picture.

Given my time again, I wouldn't bother, but it's up to you.

The story has been told many times: A siege of a police station. Where have you heard that before? Unfortunately, there is no other way, but this film has to be measured against the classic Assault on Precinct 13 by John Carpenter. And unfortunately it falls short compared to the 1976 original (and even compared to the 2005 remake).

There are attempts to introduce some (insignificant) subplots, but ultimately it is only about the said siege.

And here a few peculiarities are noticeable: firstly, there is the almost complete lack of weapons (we are talking about a station that is not supposed to be abandoned). Then the main character has full access to the Internet and telephone...but instead of moving heaven and earth to get help...No, she probably doesn't think of such things.

Finally, we have the main character who is severely handicapped by a leg injury...it is actually doubtful that such a person would be reinstated as fit for duty...even for a desk job.