Hounds of War

I think I'm being generous with this rating. Hounds Of War the latest film from prominent DTV director Issac Florentine and the second Grillo film of the year so far following Lights Out, is derivative, poorly paced and worst of all boring.

Robert Patrick can play roles like this in his sleep at this point. Same could be said for Rhona Mitra. Mitra and Grillo are supposed to play an ex couple here but without this movie telling you that you likely wouldn't know, since they have virtually no chemistry at all in their scenes together. Grillo even though he's the lead barely has any screen time or lines of dialogue for some odd reason. The action scenes feel drawn out and like pure visual noise to draw out the runtime and make up for the fact that this movie barely has a story.

Grillo has another movie, Long Gone Heroes also releasing this week. Hopefully it's better than this.

Grillo always make the B grade action movies looks better.. Yeah it's a cliche story but enough to you chill n relax in 90min..a little bit harsh if lower than 4/10... The careography of the action, the locations of the movie.. the camera.

Hounds of War" is a gritty action film that focuses on mercenaries involved in a conflict in a fictional country. The story delves into themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the moral complexities of war. It showcases intense action sequences and character-driven narratives, exploring the personal motivations of those who fight for profit rather than patriotism. The film is noted for its realistic portrayal of combat and the psychological impact of warfare on the characters.

Despite the stale beginning and above average combat/action, the film has a unique storyline. There are some parts of the film that have some ups and downs, but mostly ups since Frank Grillo performed beautifully in some scenes during the film, whereas there are some characters that really need atleast a storyline for us to get a grasp of their presence.

I would have preferred the dialogues to be a little more enticing and fresh, but unfortunately some aren't that fresh. The overall pacing of the film is quite uneven, with some scenes dragging on while others feel rushed. This inconsistency can make it difficult for viewers to stay fully engaged throughout the entire movie.

However, the action sequences do provide some much-needed excitement and help to keep the momentum going. However, there are some scenes that are really entertaining and the action sequences are thrilling. All in all, the film is an enjoyable experience..

While the film is long winded in the exposition of locales at times, I think it's a solid B action movie. I'm not sure why anyone would call it trash as it's better than 90% of the stuff being made today. It has a solid cast, and the acting is on par with a film of its caliber, if not better. The action is well done and if it had any real fault, I would say it's the editing. There is a little too much filler to seemingly pad the runtime and I'm not a fan of starting a movie with a scene and then travelling back in time to see how the protagonist got to this point. It never works. I didn't like it in John Wick and I don't like it anywhere else. It's basically a movie spoiler shown up front.

Hollywood should stop being scared of making shorter movies. I would easily accept a 75-minute B movie with good pacing that kept you in the meat of the story.

Overall, this movie was enjoyable, and I watched it all the way through, which is more than I can say for a lot of other movies recently.

This is a bog standard B movie actioner with a surprisingly good cast. It is also pretty dark at times and cynical about politicians. The fight scenes are pretty good and the supporting cast is packed with minor martial artists from round the world.

Frank Grillo is always good value and Robert Patrick reprises his bad guy role from Season 3 of Reacher. He really does a good slime ball!

It clocks in at 90 minutes and is set in Malta which makes a change, although Accident man 2 was also filmed there so maybe they offer tax breaks. The only thing it lacks is Scott Adkins doing his terrible American accent to make it the perfect Friday night no brainer!