Hellhound

An interesting take on the issue of kidnappings and killings in the Southeast Asian region, this action thriller failed to attract audiences around the world. For me it was not only slow-paced but anticlimactic. The performances, not only by the supporting characters but by the protagonist as well, were bland and so stereotypical of action movies wherein the dramatic performances were slowly diminishing in quality and depth. The storyline, however, was solid and interesting. The amount of violence and gory scenes were just sufficient for me. It would have been a more thrilling ride if it was longer.

When I happened to stumble upon the 2024 movie "Hellhound", I opted to sit down and watch it, as the movie had Louis Mandylor on the cast list.

Sure, I had never heard about the movie, but that hardly mattered, as it being a movie that I hadn't already seen was essentially sufficient to make me want to watch it. And since I had never heard about it, then director Joshua Dixon had every opportunity to impress and entertain me.

The storyline in "Hellhound" was pretty straightforward, though one might argue that it was actually generic. However, it wasn't really an outstanding or particularly memorable viewing experience.

The acting performances in the movie were good. I was only familiar with Louis Mandylor of the entire cast, but I will say that they had some good actors and actresses on the cast list. It was a bit difficult to take the Tar character (played by Panya Yimmumphai) serious given the tattoos.

Suitable for a single viewing perhaps, "Hellhound" is essentially a generic action crime thriller, though it felt like director Joshua Dixon was setting out for it to be a tad more. However, there wasn't enough action sequences or adrenaline-filled sequences to make it a memorable viewing experience. Instead, you are in for a lot of dialogue-driven scenes, that has a tendency of dragging on for a bit longer than necessary.

In fact "Hellhound" felt like so many other action crime thrillers, so director Joshua Dixon failed to make it an outstanding or memorable movie. Sure, it was semi-watchable, but you're not in for anything grand here.

My rating of "Hellhound" lands on a three out of ten stars.

At first the movie has a great atmosphere, the soundtrack works and the opening scene truly set the tone for what to expect in this movie. However the lead actor could have been better cast instead of this Bruce Willis meets Daniel Craig like guy. At times his accent can be incoherent The second the movie goes down hill is when the fight with the big tall guy after he brings the pretty woman home.

The fights were well choreographed but the issue unless I missed quite a lot not having subtitles for the other language was what made this get boring. It's an action movie so it's not like I'm going to miss much.

Without ruining anything I didn't like the ending either. I watched this 2 days ago and already forget most of the movie.

5 stars out of 10 for Hellhound is generous. It's just not very good. But good enough to watch to the end if you're in the mood for an action movie and don't have high expectations. Louis Mandylor stands out compared to all the other actors as he clearly has more experience carrying a movie. The dialogues are clearly written by someone that did not have the imagination and sense of realism to create something that makes the viewer believe it's real. It would have probably worked better if the actors had not been given a word by word script. The action scenes in the movie are also a 5 out of 10. There are some good bits but as many bad ones. The story isn't half bad but there is nothing new here. But after seeing one great movie after another it is sometimes just fun to watch something like this. That's where it serves it's purpose.

The is a "B" film with a very weak story and many weal elements, including the script and the overly complicated nature of how the story is told. The saving grace of the film is the screen presence of Lousi Mandylor. Mandylor has established himself as the most solid and consistent presence in "B" action and tough guy films. He has had some great ones, most notable the two Debt Collector films, but this one falls short of those. Regardless, he s good here. So is the action. The fights and settings are fun. I happen to watch this on the day after the big Earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand, which was by coincidence, but made it a little different to watch.