The Aggression Scale

Many people have been describing THE AGGRESSION SCALE as HOME ALONE for adults, and while it does feature some home invasion-style nastiness, for the most part I would say they miss the mark. Despite the prevalence of the household setting for much of the action, THE AGGRESSION SCALE has more in common with the likes of the recent MOTHER'S DAY remake, featuring a gang of remorseless criminals and some unwilling victims who decide to fight back rather than take what's coming to them.

It's a surprisingly decent little production, well staged with maximum suspense wrung from the simple premise. The likes of Ray Wise, Derek Mears and in particular Dana Ashbrook make for some unpleasant bad guys, the sort you'll love to hate, while Ryan Hartwig's maladjusted young lead is atypical and intriguing, a true antihero who the scriptwriter doesn't bother trying to make sympathetic. The film is more effective because of that, refusing to give the viewer an outright protagonist to cheer on, instead enmeshing them in violent subterfuge as the titular scale goes through the roof.

There are occasional missteps, like the ridiculous detour into a car park in which none of the characters act as they really should, but it all comes together for a deliciously nasty climax that doesn't disappoint, given the set-up that comes before it. THE AGGRESSION SCALE has an edgy, modern feel to it that lifts it above other recent home invasion flicks to make it one memorable B-movie outing. It's this kind of fresh, inventive, lower budgeted fare that gives the big blockbusters a run for their money these days.

This movie is not for people who grew up with home alone, the film could go all the way back to "The Lord of the Flies" because it's the pure reflection of every kid who existed, in the past or the present. The difference? Not all of the kids act (fortunately) on the actions of every demon that a human being carries inside, regardless of being a kid. How many kids, wish to mess up a bully so bad, a mad man or everyone who has crossed our path on a bad way? My dad, who used to be the nicest man in the world, told me a couple of times, "respect everybody in your life and try to be respected, but if ever in your life someone hurts you badly, hurt them back in such way that they dig a hole in the ground wanting to hide themselves and pull the dirt over their own head." Well, I never did, but the kid's character does it! People, who did not like the movie, need to have a better knowledge about hundreds of movies as I do, yes, I watch movies from all over the world, and even before I knew my ABC's I knew what the real concept of movie making was. This young actor was extremely convincing from playing dumb and dull to to wicked with that evil smile, I could go on and on but I will leave you with this: if you are good with movies, watch this one! PS, the ending has not much to do with Bonnie and Clyde, if you make this comparison, you might as well try to compare it to Thelma and Louise, so both assumptions are ridiculous.

At first I thought I was watching a poor mans "B" movie with the typical torture the parents until they get what they need. By the end i was watching Home Alone 4 rated R style and zero jokes. This movie was downright brutal.

This kid was awesome, now some of the acting is stale but the silence of the young man made this a better movie. The bad guys in this flick were also very good, they came in to get what they want and didn't waste our time torturing them but straight up killing.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for Saturday night popcorn flick. Turn off your brain and enjoy the action!

To say that I thought the plot was predictable would be an understatement. But to say I didn't enjoy watching the movie would be a lie. It has some graphic scenes mind you (and while you might have seen better special effects, this still can be called gruesome at times), so it is not for the squeamish.

There's not a lot of plot involved in the story, but I still will not say anything about that. You shouldn't care too much about it anyway and let the underdog story carry you through it. You'll understand my summary line too (especially if you have seen a movie I'm obviously referring, though this is of course a somewhat adult version of that). All in all a decent thriller movie, that can be entertaining

Four heavily armed hit men and two unusual teenagers go to war over $500,000 of stolen cash.

The film is advertised as "Home Alone" with more death. And, yes, I can certainly see that. Granted, it is not funny (unless you spend your 85 minutes making fun of the lead character's stupidity and terrible outfits). And it is not Christmas. But, the basic concept is there.

The real selling point for me was the reunion of Dana Ashbrook and Ray Wise ("Twin Peaks"). If you have not seen Ashbrook in a while, you may not recognize him (twenty years later and he is no Bobby Briggs). I can only imagine what it must have been like being on set for the scenes they share.

The plot in general is a bit convoluted. Just a bit. You might wonder how the first half is in any way connected to the second. They run together, the film just has a few false starts before it gets going. But, it is relatively short, which I think is a strength -- rather than drag on, the creators knew how to keep the pace going.