Banlieue interdite

In Wrong Side of Town (a film that deserves some kind of award for having the most bogus and misleading DVD artwork in recent memory) ex-WWE wrestler Rob Van Dam plays a family man who gets in hot water with a vengeful crime boss, and has to battle his way out of it. Luckily, Van Dam's character happens to be an former Navy SEAL...

Look, this film is terrible. I mean, truly awful. For a start, the DVD cover features prominently WWE big gun David 'Batista' Bautista, but as Van Dam's old Navy buddy, he only turns up in a couple of scenes, and majestically unconvincing ones they are at that. Mind you, even Bautista has more screen presence and charisma that the woeful RVD, who, in terms of acting ability, makes his nearly-namesake Jean-Claude Van Damme (Van Dam originally adopted the ring name because he vaguely resembles the 'Muscles from Brussels') look like Robert Mitchum by comparison.

Featuring a shockingly amateurish script, softly-softly fight scenes that just don't cut it, and lots of appalling acting (even from the non-wrestlers), this film sucks on every level. It's the kind of film in which a man can get shot in the leg, only for the police to send him home in a taxi rather than ordering him to hospital. It's the kind of film in which the leading man arms himself with lots of guns and knives, and dresses in black for the final showdown with the villains, and slips on his sunglasses...even though it's the middle of the night. It's the kind of film in which, after beating up a load of street trash, one ex-military tough guy says to another 'Just like old times...' It's also full of odd gambits that left me scratching my head, like the bizarre James Bond-inspired opening credits, a lingering shot of topless adult film star Stormy Daniels, and rapper Ja Rule turning up in a cameo part that should have led him to fire his agent; any day-player could have took the small role of the generic dirtbag 'gangsta' he plays here. Even in the largely worthless pantheon of dodgy genre pics that attempt to showcase wrestling stars in the lead roles, Wrong Side of Town hits a new low. Avoid, and then some.

This is the cheesiest action film ever made. The actors are the very worst, and the whole story is too predictable. The music is way too hard rock too, the film director got stuck in the 1980's. The whole thing is a joke, the fighting is so fake. The same thing applies to all the emotions, the characters get angry and the wrong time, shout at the wrong time... Normally I like predictable Hollywood films, but this crosses the line... by about a mile. The 'hero' is supposed to be this old navy seal, but all he looks like is a old truck driver. You'll get bored before the action is supposed to even begin. Definitely not a keeper, not even worth watching. They'd have to pay me to look at it again. It's just ridiculously bad.

..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.

First off, I'm extremely embarrassed to say I actually took the time to watch this movie. That being said, I'm still sad that this hour and a half of my life was toilet bowled, but I did get to laugh out loud quite a few times. Unfortunately those were supposed to be very serious moments.

Where to begin with this debacle I do not know. As I was watching this absolutely ridiculous and cliché drenched mess I kept saying to myself "surely a teenager made this movie!" There's no other possible answer for this horrific story, acting, everything, you name it!

If I am able to save at least one poor soul out there the agony I've endured then I feel I've done my job here trying to help out mankind at least a bit. So please, please for the love of God stay as far as humanly possible away from not only this wrong side of town, but the same city, state and continent if at all possible. It doesn't matter if it's free on cable, pirated, you're drunk, stoned, or all of the above, it's not worth it!!!

If you absolutely must, then make sure someone pays you handsomely first.

Bottom line, if you're in the mood for a decent action flick, see anything else, even if you've already seen it 100 times!

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