Wrong Side of Town

How could you give this movie one star? The dialogue is very silly and the acting is goofball central, but you can't say the plot doesn't make any sense: the original 80s version called 'The Warriors' is widely considered a classic. This movie is goofy, but it's way more fun than it should be and the two WWE stars detract from the story only to the same degree The Rock used to when he was busting skulls. Van Damme's younger brother (in name only) is a bonafied action star, and I hope he continues to make movies.

For seekers of unintentional comedy this is a gem. Find it and give it a shot. For low-budget action aficionados this will be a great addition as it has an independent feel with an above average production value. For people who only watch Eisenstein films ... well, you probably won't be on this page anyways. Happy viewing!

Rating: 22/40

..and I'm talking about the Film technical side! how is it even possible that an elevator show up in a movie (which has some awful editorial work!) which has nothing to do with the scene or even the situation within the scene?! i just don't get it. i really am upset!

the technical side of this movie is pure horrible. I'm glad i don't own it. but i thought the world should know this: the acting is one thing, but if the editing is bad - and i mean really 'bad' - how worse can it be?

watch it yourself with an eye on the little details.. sometimes it seems the actors weren't told what to do.

I rated it 2 out of 10 because the acting overall didn't blow as much as the technical incompetence that leads through this movie.

• one upset movie lover.

In one word for this film it is 'classless". Poor acting all the way throughout, mediocre action sequences, and to much of an original plot.

If you find yourself extremely bored and with absolutely nothing to do then watch this.

Too many wrestlers who want to be actors nowadays and this film does nothing for the acting of Rob Van Dam or Dave Bautista.

Less than thrilling in it's sequence of movement. The only thing I found interesting in this film was the cars and bikes.

I have come to the conclusion with the Rock being the exception to the rule is that wrestlers need not go into acting.

Lionsgate is known for many things: Releasing controversial movies ("Irreversible", "O", "American Psycho"), prestige pictures that get award attention ("Precious", "Crash", "Away From Her") and of course Horror movies (too many to count-though that genre has unfortunately taken something of a back seat as far as theatrical releases are concerned.) But the one thing people tend to forget to associate Lionsgate with is Straight to DVD movies. For who knows how long, Lionsgate has been giving the world the best (well, usually worst or most mediocre) in straight to DVD Horror, Action and general Exploitation. David (the absolutely abysmal "Last House on the Left" rip off "Chaos") Defalco now gets into this market with "Wrong Side of Town", a really bad but at least laughable blend of Wrestlesploitation (B-Movie with a Professional Wrestler(s)) and Rapsploitation (B-Movie with a Rapper(s).)

Bobby Kalinowsky (Rob Van Dam) is living a peaceful life with his wife and daughter, when they are invited to a night club run by a corrupt crime lord named Seth (Jerry Katz.) When his wife is nearly raped by Seth's coked up younger brother, Bobby comes in to save to day-and inadvertently kills the guy. None to pleased by this turn of events, Seth puts a bounty on Bobby's head, and hires local gangs (which include R&B singer Omarian, rapper Ja Rule and wrestler Viscera) to hunt him down. Thing is, Bobby is an ex-navy seal, and knows how to fight back. He knows he can't go at it alone though, so he turns to his old buddy Big Ronnie (Dave Bautista) for help.

First thing's first: "Wrong Side of Town" is not anywhere near as bad as DeFalco's prior movie "Chaos", as it's nowhere near as downbeat or ugly as that film. It's still an inept exercise though, with atrocious acting (more on that in the next paragraph), poorly choreographed action scenes, poor direction, heavily advertised actors not getting particularly huge roles (Ja Rule is barely in it, and probably wondering what the hell happened to his career in that he has ended up having a small role in a terrible Straight to DVD movie from the director of "Chaos", and Bautista, despite getting top billing, is barely in the thing), bad editing, and so much more. Sure, you can throw in all the nudity (including a cameo from porn star Stormy Daniels) and action you can, but that doesn't make the movie good.

And back to the acting. Oh boy, it is atrocious. Nobody in this movie can act worth a damn-especially star Rob Van Dam, who acts stiff and boring to the point that you wonder if he's an inanimate object and not a living being. In fact, the terrible acting ends up becoming the sole saving grace of this movie, as it becomes hilarious. My stomach actually hurt from laughing so hard, especially when we first meet the character of Big Ronnie. It's almost worth cherishing in that respect.

Apart from it's casting, there is no real distinguishing "Wrong Side of Town" from any other bad Straight to DVD action movie from Lionsgate. Everything from the cheap "James Bond" inspired opening credits to everything else on display is low rent to the point of inanity. That out of the way, if sh!%%y Straight to DVD action movies are your thing, and if you want a good laugh out of cinematic ineptitude, then by all means watch this.

This movie appeals mainly to macho meat head types, but is actually quite funny and entertaining in a B-movie way. If you're a B-move fan like me, you'll probably like it. Otherwise you probably won't. The dialog reminded me of an 80's or early 90's cheesy action movie. It felt like watching something along the lines of kick boxer 2. It's too bad Ja Rule wasn't in the movie longer, because he's actually a pretty talented actor. The fight scenes could have been better, but some of the stunts and the showdown on the bridge were pretty good. They throw some random jokes in here and there which are actually pretty funny and remind the viewer not to take the movie all that seriously. RVD's acting wasn't that great, but it was tolerable. Batista's acting was convincing, and i liked RVD's foxy daughter. overall, the movie is predictable and simple, but entertaining in it's own special way - plenty of cursing, fighting, cheesy action, girls, and boobs. Watch it with a group of friends, some munchies, and a case of beer.