Delivered

"Delivered" has a definite "Killing of a Chinese Bookie" vibe, with fine acting and surprising twists. I loved Michael Madison's brooding performance. As a war vet trying to fit back into society, he conveys quiet strength and inner struggle. As the director also, Madison's love of movies is obvious in the visual homages to noir classics.

I'm not sure I actually saw the same film all the reviewers here saw, because it is definitely NOT the cinematic masterpiece they claim! Admittedly, it did start out promising, and I thought I'd really found a great little indie film. Then about 45 minutes in, it just started to go downhill and ended up one pointless, convoluted mess. I thought Ryan Gosling was the worst actor in Hollywood, until I saw the lead actor, Michael Madison's wooden performance. Wow, I can't believe he even gets any roles; he's really that bad. The only really redeeming performance was the actress who portrayed his mother. The ditzy blonde he picked up halfway in was annoying as hell and couldn't act her way out of a wet tissue. I'm sorry, but I have nothing redeeming to say for this film. I'm giving it two stars because I've actually seen worse.

DELIVERED delivers the goods sum it all up.

This gem is a real heartfelt Indie crime thriller that did not let the modest budget get in the way of a great story. You can tell this movie was well planned and perfectly executed.

Michael Madison flawless direction takes you from one scene of the tightly written screenplay by Brandon Manbeck seamlessly to the next scene pulling crisp and dead on performances by an amazing cast. There were some scenes that made you think twice but they were well planted for a purpose to be revealed later.

I found this movie to be as enjoyable as many of my favorite films growing up and I have no problem recommending it to anyone.

Shane (Michael Madison) is a wounded veteran comes home to find his parent's home has been foreclosed and his widowed mother (Alana Stewart) close to being evicted.

Modest and unassuming with the endearing charm of a lost puppy Shane learns and grows quickly. Starts off wearing his father's hand me downs for job interviews and you can see and feel this character growing and gaining confidence as the story progresses. Promising to get his mother's home back he reluctantly takes a job as an armed courier for a shady private delivery service. Everything is going great until one delivery does not go as planned and there are some dire consequences.

We understand Shane's coolness as he does not go to pieces when thing go awry but one can't help feeling that under that calm exterior is a Jack Nicholson or Joe Pesci ready to explode any minute.

Shane's mother portrayed by Alana Stewart was reminiscent of Melissa Leo's Oscar winning role in THE FIGHTER. This tough, determined, and proud widow will not let the misfortunes life threw at her keep her down. She did her best to keep her son from knowing what she was going through. She went to work as a janitor keeping her head high by wearing her uniform with dignity and her make-up impeccable.

Jeanette Steiner is charming and surprisingly multi-dimensional as Cindy the woman in peril.

Toshi Toda's deliciously over the top performance as the gangster Katsuro was phenomenal as well as Tadamori Yagi as his coke head son.

Chic Daniels, Kenny Lombino, Brian McGuire, Yoshi Ando, Jesse Weinberg, Koji Wada round out the first-rate supporting cast.

Cinematographer Ricky Fosheim did a terrific capturing the spirit through excellent images, Production Designer Jennifer Nelson along with Wardrobe and Make-up by Tiffany Anguiano and Nancy Fregoso kept it real. I generally find movies where the leading actor is also the director as sappy, egotistical, and self-indulgent with the "Look at me, I am a big star now" kind of thing. Michael Madison would have none of that here. His laser like focus on the characters and story was clear from the beginning.

So many elements of DELIVERED reminded me of the fun drive-in movies of American International Pictures and Hammer Films with a little Robert Mitchum in YAKUZA (sans giri), Peter Falk in the 1962 THE PRICE OF THE TOMATOES, and Jim Brown in the SPLIT thrown in for good measure. While it would be easy to reference DRIVE, VANISHING POINT, or TRUE ROMANCE, even TO LIVE ND DIE IN LA, I think that the feel is closer to the 1955 THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS with John Ireland.

Here you have a well-crafted true to the bone Indie with an excellent story.

Linda Nelson and Michael Madison team made a small budget independent film with a heart of a lion.

Might be hard to find but it is well worth the search.

Delivered is a film worth watching. The cast of seasoned actors shines with remarkable performances. The storyline is filled with responsible topics such as war, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, love, revenge, injustice, and economic difficulties including foreclosure. Many people can relate to the various occurrences in the film. It is action-packed, gritty, intense, and entertaining all while sending a powerful message to viewers. The storyline is anything but predictable. It will leave you thinking about what you might do if faced with similar circumstances. The locations throughout the film are amazing. This film is a great model for independent filmmaking. Kudos to Linda Nelson and Michael Madison!

This is a true independent film. The cast is well chosen and very good. All the actors gave 100%. The story line leads you down the road very well with a surprise ending. Well shot with the RED camera. I was very surprised how good the stills and video from the RED camera looked. The editing was done on a PC system with Nvidia and Adobe CS5. The future of independent films is there. Affordable NLE editing that provides a very high quality product.

The film crew did a fantastic job under extreme heat conditions. I am sure the students learned a lot.

The trailer is fantastic and the movie lives up to it. Good job! I can't wait to see the next Nelson-Madison Films project.