Tainted

This is novice writer and director Brent Cote's first full length feature film, with only a handful of shorts and a TV movie on his resume.

Although I found the pacing extremely slow, I was still glued to the screen waiting for what will happen next. The normally comfortable 90 min runtime could've used 10-15 min of trimming on some stretched out and/or unnecessary scenes. Although the story is nothing revolutionary, imo, it was told really well and convincingly, with a perfect ending, and in a refreshingly un-Hollywoodish manner.

The score was surprisingly perfect, especially for a low budget B-film, as was the soundtrack. Directing and cinematography were on point and showcased the film very well. Casting was decent, with most of the characters convincing in their roles. You could tell that better cast-directing by a seasoned director would've added the missing ummph in some dialogued scenes.

But we need to cut some slack for the few rookie mistakes Cote made, as new filmmakers have to start somewhere, right? Still, a very enjoyable neo-noir styled low budget B-grade crime thriller. It's a 7.5 rounded up to 8/10 from me. To see more of my 1000+ ratings and 900+ reviews, click on my username.

Greetings again from the darkness. Filmed in Canada with a mostly Canadian cast by a Canadian director, we are reminded how challenging it is to make a low budget action-thriller. Writer-director Brent Cote delivers a masterclass in genre clichés, yet there's enough here to keep anyone initially interested around for 90 minutes.

Alan Van Sprang (SAW III) stars as Lance, the rare Neo-Nazi with ties to both the Aryan Brotherhood and Russian mafia who is also the good guy in the story. Lance has recently been released after serving 15 years in prison, and he's just trying to live out a quiet life by surrounding himself with pictures of beautiful scenery as he dreams of escaping the world he's known. He clocks in and out at work, and mostly avoids chit-chatting with others, except for his friendly neighbor Anna (Sara Waislgas), who happens to sing at the local lounge where Lance periodically buys a bottle.

Of course, it's only a matter of time (maybe 10 minutes) before Lance's old world catches up with his new one. Gregor (John Ralston, READY OR NOT, 2019), his old Russian handler, needs him to kill a few guys that have been infringing on the meth business. So, are you keeping score on clichés? We have an ex-con trying to start over. We have 'one last job'. We have a girl caught in the middle ... there's always a girl! We have the Aryan Brotherhood versus the Russian mob. Plus, we have the underling trying to earn his stripes. In this case, it's Gregor's nephew Malik (Aaron Poole). There's even an imposing Russian mobster named Vladimir (John Ryhs-Davies from two huge franchises - Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones).

The film begins with a Pope Francis quote about evil and violence, but ironically, the film's best segments involve neither evil nor violence. Despite his past, Lance is a brooding type who listens to blues music, and serves up inspiring words to Anna. The film offers a new and very quick (though surely indescribably painful) method for removing swastika tattoos from one's chest, although you should know the violent scenes are few in number and brief in runtime. Gregor's philosophy towards Lance is that "a fighter needs to fight", but we actually enjoy Lance's time with Anna more than the gangster bits. Filmmaker Cote may follow the checklist for this genre, however, we do hand it to him for a twist at the end.

The cast here is mostly little known talent, at least to American audiences. The director is new to the genre, and possibly new to the business, for that matter. What counts is the talent displayed by everyone involved. Even the bit actors turn in good work, and the director avoids many of the pitfalls that directors with longer histories routinely fall for through hubris/inattention. In this film it's almost as if the director sees this as his only chance to make something good and he's careful to do so.

The script is low-key and almost bare bones, so there's nothing much in the way of the storytelling. This is not a feel good film by any measure. It does avoid being relentlessly depressing, though the circumstances in which some of the characters find themselves are bleak.

A great crime thriller with well drawn characters, great acting, good storyline and direction. The action sequences are well done and it will keep you gripped throughout.

And matter of fact it was. As High Sierra with Humphrey Bogart. Just as one example among many The plot is an old one, and was very old even then. Much older than any film or play that used it in the past two centuries, with a lineage that was likely familiar going back even to the ancient Greeks. Which should give you an idea of its timelessness. And when done right, that never wears out.

This film did it right. Once again.

So a ten star rating from me.