This film opens in a brash and obvious manner; in fact it quite put me off how direct it was and how it played up the screeching tyres and loud music of the initial drive. However as the angry father arrives to confront his daughter's "boyfriend", we get a turn in the main character and the film as a whole, which makes it all a much more rewarding and interesting affair.
The man is confronted by the father of the boyfriend, and this confrontation knocks the heat out of him a little, at least to the point where he is already of a sober mind when the boy's father forces violence into the situation. This realisation on the main character reveals a lot about the undesirable default of male reaction, and the cyclical nature of unchecked emotion and violence. By itself it is well enough done to but the downbeat ending makes it work better as it forces the man away from violence, but acknowledges that he isn't able to turn away from it to the point that he suddenly learns a whole new set of skills. It is a bit on the nose perhaps, but it works and is cutting in how well-paced (short) it all is. It all occurring on 4th July, which again seems a bit too much to add, but I get the point it is making and this only added to it.
It doesn't look like much at first, but it is a well-done commentary on male reaction and violence, done in an engaging and clear fashion.
