American Muscle

Grindhouse has become the cool thing to do ever since Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez made it popular again with their double feature Death Proof/Planet Terror. Those movies spawned a lot of ''homages'' throughout the years which have been deemed ''throwbacks'' to the exploitations of the 70's and 80's but most of the time just come across as stylized comedies. Some have managed to come close to capturing the movies of yesteryear and retain their essence but they're still essentially comedic homages more than anything, but brilliantly and respectfully done (Grindhouse, Hobo With A Shotgun, Dear God No, Black Dynamite), where as others have been very entertaining, stylish romps (Drive Angry), and others have just tried too hard and came up short (Bounty Killer, Machete Kills, Bitch Slap). All of these movies have screamed at us, ''Look At Me, I'm A Grindhouse Movie,'' I've found enjoyment in most of the modern, self-proclaimed, Neo-Grindhouse movies, even the ones that do come up short, but I've often craved something truly authentic. American Muscle does have an element of being a deliberate homage to the drive in movies from the golden era. It is very stylish, slightly comedic and written as a tribute, but what makes it more true to those movies is how unapologetic it is. There's no winking at the audience here. It's just a straight up balls to the wall action flick full of gratuitous sex, violence, drugs and cars. It is stylish but it's probably the grittiest of the modern Grindhouse features since Dear God No.

American Muscle is a revenge thriller about a man named John Falcon, who has just been released from prison. With vengeance in mind, he sets out to kill everyone who had a hand in sending him there and finding his wife, who happens to be a junkie. Along the way he has sex with every woman he encounters. Everyone he meets who he doesn't bone just gets added to the body count. Essentially, all this movie consists of is sex and violence with a few flashbacks of people doing drugs, having sex and committing acts of violence. There isn't much in the way of deep story or fleshed out characters. We know John's motives, why he's doing what he's doing and the rest is his violent rampage unfolding. Boyhood this is not, but it's one of the most fun movies you'll see this year provided you don't have high standards and you enjoy senseless sex and violence. If you don't love it your grandmother definitely will.

One of the better modern Grindhouse movies.

I have always been a fan of films that wants us to root for an anti-hero.In our world of good guy wear white ,i like movies that feature a less-than-perfect hero.American films don't do that as much as films from other countries.I was lucky enough to see this film with friends down south,and i was happy i did.Director Ravi Dhar has weaved a simple tale of revenge that,if you like this sub-genre , should be seen.He will be accused of doing a blue-plate special ,with little complexity ,and not much story,but its really just a matter of simple story telling ,and whats so wrong with that?. Danny Trejo says "A movie needs 3 things,Blood ,Bullits ,and Boobs " ,and this film has that.A tale of a bad guy going after some even worse bad guys.That simple !. Actor/writer Nick Principe kicks ass and checks off names with quiet style ,and bare-knuckle flair.Todd Farmer is the supporting actor and gives a decent part in this potboiler.Good production values ,and lots of action gave this movie the meat between the bread for me,and the guys i watched it with.So ,its not hard to guess what happen;s next ,but with movies like this ,thats par for the course.Gore,girls ,and guns,this one should be seen if you like action ,plain and simple.The comparison to Fast,or others like it is not really a fair one,but in thats it is an action/revenge story,thats on the money.Its got my vote for action film of 2014,and with that said,ignore the low rating here on I.M.D.B. ,and be brave ,do yourself a solid ,and see this one...if actions your thing ,you wont be let down!~ . Remember," If you owe,You Pay" ! ! ! .

Start with a hero who is big and strong, covered with tattoos and vicious looking, who kills without remorse and has a true cause: To save his wife from the clutches of his evil brother who betrayed him 10 years ago. Add in the trashy hot chicks and the resulting heedless adultery, the drugs and alcohol, the rampant killing of bad guys and a few mostly innocent folks as well, bikers (never forget the bikers), drug money and lots of guns..

And ta da, you have yourself a Mantasy. A compilation of all the animalistic, pointless behaviors associated with big, strong, dangerous looking men as they rage through the neighborhood being.. well, stereotypically manly. The idea is that men don't think. They react on instinct. Revenge, hate, rage, lust and delusion. It could be fun, but this time it wasn't.

In order to make this style of film really work, the hero (as it is entirely hero-centric) needs to be someone that the viewer can empathize with. If there is no empathy, there is no entertainment.

This hero is set up as a showpiece more than a character. I think the writers and director wanted to believe that he was the perfect manly character: with the perfect manly name, the right sized muscles, the tough looking exterior and tattoos, and doing all the right manly things like winning the fights, killing the bad guys, boppin all the ladies, fighting for justice, etc. But unfortunately all those shiny archetypes of the manly hero are tarnished when we add in all the little blemishes to his heroic luster: He cheats on his wife, he kills even mostly innocent people without remorse, he is clearly delusional on some level and irritatingly fatalistic, etc, etc. And we have a hero that you just don't feel inclined to love.

All in all, the film was simply just unsatisfying. The acting was not great, the plot development was handled as well as it could be for a plot that really makes little sense, and the camera work was only shaky when it really counted. It just didn't entertain, but instead skirted along in shallow waters, so to speak. It never achieved convincing depth, which is a shame because it tried too hard.

John Falcon (Nick Principe) is out for revenge/out for a kill. His muscle car and pump gun are ready. On the day he leaves prison, blood will be spilled. This is fun to watch. Didn't expect too much in the first place, was then surprised by the crew's obvious enthusiasm. Honest, low budget, hard hitting. Some superbly directed shots, some straight forward action. Some of the acting is better, some is worse. Altogether a good mix for a wild ride (some nude dance included). I wasn't too keen on Machete Kills (the second one) by Roberto Rodriguez, but this is the kind of Grindhouse I personally like. As this seems to be the director Ravi Dhar's debut, I guess there is more to come. I'll watch out for it.

I watched this film with several friends, who are all fans of horror and genuine grind house films. I was the only one who lasted throughout the entire crap-fest.

The lead character John Falcon (whose name coincidently is a tad too similar to the writer, John Fallon), gets out of prison after 10 years. His only desires are to get revenge on those who put him there, and to get back to his wife.

Seems reasonable enough. This is where the film stops making any semblance of sense and becomes just gratuitous sex and violence, along with terrible acting and atrocious writing.

If a man is desperate to get back to his wife,then why does he have sex with any woman he encounters? This makes zero sense. Even more so, his wife is having sex with anyone she meets. And I do mean anyone. Male and female. So if she is such a slut, then why is Fallon, err, I mean Falcon, so eager to return to her?

Another problem I had was how all of the women are depicted in this film. All of them are made out to be whores, only looking for sex. All of them. John Fallon has some serious issues with women, to say the least, which is his business and that is fine. Just please leave that out of your screenplays.

I was hoping this atrocity would be saved by Todd Farmer, cast in a role which I thought he would shine in. Instead, he fell short and came across as meek when he was supposed to be a bad ass. Perhaps the sub par acting of the others in this "film" affected his performance. Either way, it just fell apart long before it was over.

This film tries way too hard to be a grind house revenge film. To call it such is a huge insult to the genre. Nick Principe as the doppelganger for Fallon falls hideously short in convincing us that he is a ruthless killing machine. His acting is wooden, and his appearance as a sex symbol is laughable at best. And that voice? Never has there been a more annoying attempt at "toughness" voice-over since Christian Bale's Dark Knight. I have heard this guy speak in films. He should have used his own voice rather than try too hard to be a tough guy. But I doubt even that would have saved this film.

If you are a fan of Fallon or Principe, you may enjoy this. If you enjoy gratuitous violence and sleazy sex with bad acting, it may be for you. But if you are expecting some kind of storyline and decent acting, keep looking. Perhaps try the film Faster, which this one so closely resembles that Tony and Joe Gayton should take note. Imitation is a form of flattery,but not in this case. This film is garbage.