User reviews

Now you'd expect the typical reviews for this kind of movie from most critics, "it's just another mindless action film" or "Statham can't act". Ignore them, If your an action/statham fan you won't be disappointed.

If your like me and miss the traditional action films from the past that had Charles Bronson or Chuck Norris, your gonna appreciate and like this movie. Statham is the last action hero of our time. He consistently delivers solid action movies where you know what your gonna get. In Homefront thats some bloody shootouts, great fight scenes and some good one liners. It has a good cast, People may not take James Franco seriously as a villain but it's interesting to see him in a movie like this and he does a good job with it. Kate Bosworth was very believable as a crazed meth head. It has a straight forward, thrilling story that builds the tension nicely to an action packed ending.

You don't get these type of movies anymore. These days pg-13 with dumb cgi is what most "action" movies are about. The days of the action hero as they once were are dying out, but Statham is their to provide some vintage style action flicks like Homefront which is one of his better films. Overall, whatever your thinking - watch this movie.

7/10

Alright, 'Homefront' may not offer a strong premise or a power-packed Script, but what it has, is, Jason Statham. The Action-Star rocks in his portrayal of a hero, who defeats each & every snob out there & refuses to lose, ever.

'Homefront' Synopsis: A former DEA agent moves his family to a quiet town, where he soon tangles with a local meth drug-lord.

Stallone's Screenplay isn't wow, but its interesting nevertheless. The Action-Sequences are magnificent, with Statham executing all the moves with style. Gary Fleder's Direction is fair.

Performance-Wise: Statham is the life of the show. James Franco makes a sincere attempt to portray a baddie, but fails to evoke much terror or fear. Kate Bosworth is commendable, while Winona Ryder does her bit well.

On the whole, Love Statham? Watch 'Homefront'. Simple.

Single ex-agent with a child, settling down in a new closed place where a self-claimed boss has set his own rules - there are (and definitely will be) lots of similar stories, about past, present and future. As it is difficult to add a new angle or approach, it is usually acting and solution of issues that counts, are they logical, or just ridiculous and unrealistic. Homefront has evidently more pluses than minuses - pleasant performances by "the good guys" - Jason Statham as a caring but tough father Phil Broker and Izabela Vidovic as sensitive but tough Maddy, realistic atmosphere, catchy fights, meaningful use of violence... True, "the bad guys" are too plain, the ending has predictable structure and elements, and there are scenes not necessary for the general course of events, but absence of dudikoffs-seagals and torpid chases and fights is already a valuable feature. It is nice to see that Statham as an action hero has followed in the footsteps of e.g. Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis.

All in all, a good and proper-time (1,5 hours) thriller. Not a conceptual one, but no flop either.

"Transporter" rocketed Statham's name as a well rounded action star. Since then, most of his action films have felt the same, just with a different title. That was my mind set going into watch this film. "Homefront", isn't your usual Statham film, and it's nice to see it play out the way it did. A change of pace for Statham movies, and hopefully a turning point for the actor. But let's keep things simple: Story: Good Acting: Good Action: Very Good Pacing: Good If you're looking for a good action film with a lot of heart, watch this. It's not bad.

7.1/10

Homefront truly is boosted higher by good performances by the cast. Winona Ryder really did a great job as the skanky bad girl Sheryl, she and James Franco had a really good chemistry and kinda bad guy dynamic going throughout the film. As for Jason Statham, he was perfect for his starring role, I mean could NOT have picked a better action star to lead this movie! He is sexy, rugged, tough as friggin nails, and overall a real badass, but a badass with a good big heart. Him and his daughter really had great father/daughter chemistry here, you could tell that they really had a great relationship and loved and cared about one another, which was needed for a movie like this one. Kate Bosworth is pretty darn good as well, she is almost unrecognizable here, Redneck trailer trash, anyways, she plays a well written character well here. Now as for the movie itself as a whole, it's kinda average action movie fare, nothing to distinguish it from the rest in this genre. The action and shooting sequences are pretty run of the mill, nothing all too special to see unfortunately. The plot has some nice attachments to it, like the father daughter relationship/connection that I mentioned before. Homefront tries it's hardest to be this edgy awesome new action film, but it did not accomplish that goal. It's just too average to be called awesome or even all that edgy. I mean yah there is time of crude language because of the degenerate characters, and yes, it has some rough violence to some scenes, but that still doesn't make it all that edgy. But hey, it's not a total loss, good performances all around! 6/10 for Homefront.

Sylvester Stallone writes the screenplay for the Jason Statham and James Franco led Homefront, and we love it! Yes, you read the right.

For all intents and purposes, Homefront should be a train wreck of an abomination in film-making. But if you squash your preconceived biases that will doom Homefront to failure, you open yourself to watch a supremely entertaining, funny and highly thrilling film.

Phil Broker recently widowed and struggling to raise his 9-year old daughter Maddy the only way a father knows. Broker also happens to be a well trained DEA agent who chooses to leave the dangerous action and retire to a small town in Louisiana to care for his daughter. With small town life comes small town trouble, and Broker is quickly thrust into the drama despite his fervent effort to remain impartial and uninvolved. Unfortunately, his past history and the criminal occurrences of his new residence makes matters more complicated and he must soon use his skills to protect his daughter the only way he knows how.

Homefront has an energy and vibrancy about it, a spark, that revitalizes the potentially stagnant action film type. It does not deviate from the formula too much to make it feel forced and contrived, but it has a well formed and original enough plot thanks to the source material from Chuck Logan's original and synonymously titled novel. Sylvester Stallone, the film's screenwriter and executive producer, who never makes a token egotistical cameo, translates Logan's narrative into an un-caricaturized action-crime-drama, a pride worthy feat. The difference between Homefront and its inferior counterparts is Homefront focuses on the story and the characters and the creative direction of Gary Fleder never veers into nonsensical excess.

Jason Statham is quintessential Statham as Phil Broker, bringing his stoic charisma and martial arts ability to be used perfectly in this film as the steadfast protagonist. No protagonist is complete without an equally matched antagonist, of which Homefront has several players, all of which fully formed and complete characters. Kate Bosworth, James Franco and Winona Ryder are all notable in their acting and contributing to the film's overall success.

At first glance, Homefront should be an uninspired derivative action flick solely for box office numbers. But, it is not. It is a surprise of a film and a shame that some potential viewers may choose to overlook this film due to their misinformed prejudices for the actors, crew and subject matter. Anyone willing to take my word for it and give this film a chance will not be disappointed.

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There is nothing wrong with this film. I thought JS's acting was pretty good. Compares favourably to other action stars' attempts over the years. I really enjoyed seeing Kate Bosworth, Winona Ryder and James Franco playing against type. Franco can be a bit hit and miss, he shines in the right roles, but others he struggles with (Annapolis for example). Definitely a hit here, his bad guy had more nuance than was strictly written into the part. Deserves a bit more than the 6.5 it's got as I write this.

Great action movie from beginning to the end. Great story of the good guy protecting his family from criminals.

I was very pleased with this movie. Its got the action you want, a believable story to keep the momentum going and a handful of good actors to support it.

First of all, I LOL at all the people criticizing the plot, dialog, character development etc, again let me LOL. People watch Jason's movies for the a** kicking action and fight scenes. I will admit, some of his movies I think about giving up at the half way mark, but this was one of his better films for sure.

Transporter, Homefront, Hummingbird would be my favorite Statham movies not including the Guy Ritchie classics of course.

8/10 will definitely watch again.

I suppose it's not surprising that Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay, since the plot is so ancient it might have been etches as hieroglyph on Rambo's machine gun. There's an appeal to simple action movie, but it's nowhere to be found on the uninspiring Homefront, and even the capable cast can't save it from mediocrity. Either it's from the poor casting or lackluster predictable content, audience will most likely have little to none enjoyment watching Jason Statham bludgeoning random thugs, again.

Jason Statham plays Phil Broker, a former undercover cop who retires into the countryside after his testimony incarcerated a drug lord. Little did he know that his past, and untidy file saving, will haunt him and his daughter. The concept is to portray the antagonist as a man involuntarily dragged into fights as he defends a frail looking little girl. Statham has done this concept in last year movie Safe, and to approximately the same undistinguished effect. The movie doesn't offer anything novel; in fact Arnold Schwarzenegger's Commando back in '80s has more flair and arguably more personality.

There are several big names here, but they are underutilized or badly cast. James Franco brings plenty credibility, and originally I thought he'd offer more challenge in acting department for Statham, however his role as Gator just doesn't work. He doesn't convey the menacing threat to Statham, and if the movie opted for more cerebral contest, it could've been better, but instead his actions just seem random and unorganized. It is far from clever scheme the backwater hoodlum runs, it more resembles panicked redneck rampage with money as incentive.

Winona Ryder is looking messy and not in intentionally thought provoking or sympathetic way. Honestly, I didn't even recognize her at first, she's too hectic to give more impression than just Gator's confused lackey. Kate Bosworth goes full hillbilly crackhead, profanity firing in all cylinders. Another thing that's wrong with the movie; it spews curses constantly. There are many ways to make profanity works, peppering it as ham-fisted way to lure any reaction from audience is not one of them.

Screenplay builds up inconsistently as it gives the illusion that something dramatic might happen soon, although it unfortunately turns into average brawl yet again. Music and sound effect try too hard to sell the dynamic, in which there's barely any, they function more as loud distractions if any. Perhaps the nicest thing in the movie is how the action is done. These scenes are pretty well done; they have rough impact and believably pain-inducing, although there is only modest amount of it.

Homefront doesn't bring anything new. The cast is talented and action is passable, but for extremely abysmal plot which audience can find at cheap bargain or rerun at Cinemax, it's hardly worth anyone's time.

HOMEFRONT is the latest action flick from modern-day action star Jason Statham, who seems to be churning these movies out with a monotonous regularity. The good news is that the last few I've seen (SAFE, HUMMINGBIRD, PARKER) have been of a far better quality than the earlier ones (THE MECHANIC, BLITZ), so he's going in the right direction. HOMEFRONT continues that trend.

The story was written by Sylvester Stallone and concerns a DEA agent who retires to New Orleans in order to bring up his daughter after the death of his wife. Inevitably, before long, the guy runs into trouble with some local drug dealers who seem to be making their own crystal meth out in the sticks. Statham is the typically tough-but-with-a-heart lead, while James Franco's casting raises eyebrows as the villain; imposing he ain't.

The film in many ways feels like the star vehicles of old; Seagal's toxic-waste thriller FIRE DOWN BELOW came to mind a couple of times. It's certainly adequate enough to succeed as a movie in its own right; the action scenes are short and sweet, and the plot is interesting enough to keep the viewer's attention. And I have to say that Winona Ryder does a good job after being away from our screens for a good while. Not a classic then, and not a film with a lot of depth, but one that passes the time nonetheless.

At first glance most Jason Statham movies are pretty much about the same thing. Some quiet, keep to himself guy finds himself using exceptional fighting skills against the bad guys. Turns our he's usually the fastest gun, in this case fist in the west. This time Jason Statham is a retired-likely forced retired DEA agent who raising his daughter after his wife and her mother pass away. They move to a quiet town somewhere in Louisiana and settle in. When his daughter gets harassed by the local bully in school, she drop kicks him into another dimension--hey, she did warn him before she broke the fat tub of lard's nose. Next we meet his mother, a very loud, unrecognizable Kate Bosworth who disrespects both daughter and Statham. When she fails at intimidating him by having her husband try to assault him in the school parking lot-a one-two takedown by Statham, she enlists the help of local meth kingpin brother, James Franco. There is a back story in the beginning and some actual character development dealing with Statham's former life and an undercover cop. Frank Zito, who in my opinion is very under rated both as a character actor and villain in this case, steals the opening sequence as motorcycle gang leader bent on revenge. This movie has some exceptional fight scenes, explosions, and very intense show down between Franco and Statham that was actually pretty surprising and satisfying. This is a Jason Statham movie but a strong supporting cast of Franco and Zito steal the show as both small time and big time antagonists. Action fans will enjoy this latest blend of action and drama from the last true action star of this genre. At 100 minutes, its just long enough to hold your interest. Surprisingly, Statham's last few films have contained some human elements to their stories. While it's not going to win any major awards, this movie is sure to please action fans and others looking for a decent night out at the movies.

The ever prolific Jason Statham is back for his third film this year! First it was Parker, then Redemption and now, finally, the Sylvester Stallone penned Homefront, based on the book by Chuck Logan. My reviews of his earlier outings this year were full of pride and praise for the guy who, despite harsh, incorrect criticism and rarely stella box office, continues churning out diverse, yes I said it, diverse films. This time round please take that as read because, actually, in Homefront, Statham has delivered his most throwback, recognisable and just down right enjoyable action film of the year. While the junkets and interviews for this have tried to emphasise the emotion in the story, Statham showing vulnerability as a father and talk of him trying something different, actually this is the one movie this year that he's made that is just a straight up, old school, actioner.

When the movie starts we see undercover agent Stath's last case gone bad when his delicate work undercover with a biker gang is shattered by the heavy and messy hand of the DEA. He resigns, his wife gets sick and dies and so his daughter (Izabela Vidovic) and him move to the Louisiana countryside that his wife loved so much. He hasn't been there long when trouble at the daughter's school escalates into confrontations with the local, strung-out hillbilly woman (an almost unrecognisable Kate Bosworth) and her no good, dentally challenged, lank haired man. Bosworth happens to be the sister of the local nut job meth dealer Gator (James Franco), who is unceremoniously banging an ex druggie biker chick (Winona Ryder) who, in turn, happens to know the old biker gang who still hold a massive grudge against our musclebound, monosyllabic, balding hero. The stage is set for all hell to break lose and for The Stath to do what he does best and clean house. Throw in a crooked but charming sheriff (The always welcome Clancy Brown), the dependable, one good man in a hick town, best friend (Omar Benson Miller) and the beautiful, red headed, more than perfect, school psychologist (Rachelle Lefevre) and you've got yourself a damn enjoyable, by the book, nostalgia tinted, kick ass action movie.

If you've seen and loved Walking Tall or Road House then you'll like this. In fact I had to chuckle when I heard the name he was using, at the beginning, as an undercover biker. You'll see what I mean...

Much has been made of the script being written by Sylvester Stallone, you know because short-term memory critics forget the man has written a ton of screenplays, was Oscar nominated and developed three of the most successful franchises of all time, but, here, again, he shows that he hasn't lost his touch. Stallone writes relatable, human and enjoyable, kick ass entertainment and he does it almost better than anyone else. That's what you get here, some pretty decent character moments, some recognisably entertaining and enjoyable interactions, the odd cool one liner and action on and off through out. There is a pause in the middle to allow for character and plot development, some father and daughter bonding scenes and a nice sense of building tension for the third act fight but Statham dispatching some lunk headed rednecks is never far away.

As for the action we get a couple of car chases, some old fashioned fisty cuffs and even an enormous explosion. Statham is an old pro at this stuff and, thankfully, there isn't too much shaky cam-itis or heavy handed editing to ruin his masterful handling of the rough and tumble, although, ideally I'd prefer my fight scenes with no added style or flash from, overly twitchy, DPs at all. The direction from Mr. Old-reliable, Gary Fleder (Kiss The Girls, The Runaway Jury) is absolutely fine. He captures everything with the minimum of fuss and you're never unsure of what is going on. I imagine it would be difficult to make Louisiana look ugly but Fleder and his DP do their best to really make the surroundings pop with colour and texture.

As for the acting, the mad hodgepodge of a supporting cast do their roles pretty damn well actually. Kate Bosworth stands out in her role of the tweaker sister and it's by far the best she's been in anything I've seen her in. Franco is good, he doesn't overplay it and while he lacks overall menace, he does his best to portray the strung out Gator as a ruthless, wasted loser who could snap at any minute. Winona Ryder doesn't have a ton to do and neither does Rachelle Lefevre but Clancy Brown and Omar Benson Miller are effortlessly enjoyable and welcome whenever they're on screen.

Statham is his usual strong self, with maybe even less to say in this than in his normal roles and while he seems comfortable and it's never jarring, he does, sadly, lack great chemistry with Izabela Vidovic, the girl playing his daughter. Which is odd because in Safe he formed a very real and pleasing on screen bond with the girl in that. It is not that Izabela is no good, either, because she's a great little actress and they do have some affecting scenes together, it's just not 100% believable, not that it has to be for the film to work.

So, for all of you who don't believe Statham does anything but the same character in the same film, hopefully 2013 has proved you wrong, if it hasn't, Homefront is hardly going to go any further to change your mind, that being said, if you watched Parker and Redemption and longed for some of the wham bam, throw back days then Homefront should help stop that craving. For me, personally, I like them all. If I had to rank his last three it would be Redemption, Homefront and then Parker but there's really very little between them. They're all damn cool.

Homefront is an action flick written by Sylvester Stalone and based on some novel. The movie's poster did not seem promising, as it was badly designed with an American flag clumsily photoshopped over the lead's body, but I decided to give it a chance on Netflix. What I got to see was nothing awe-inspiring, but also nothing awful.

Stalone does not appear in this movie, and instead the main star is the former-athlete-turned-action-hero Jason Statham. He plays a DEA agent Phil Broker who, after a failed undercover mission that resulted in a bloodbath, decides to retire and live peacefully with his young daughter Maddy, played by Izabela Vidovic, in a small American town. However, this town happens to be the headquarters of a mad drug-lord known as Gator played by James Franco, who starts causing troubles to this small family. The actual reason why Gator hates the Brokers is very implausible and unclear, and has to do something with Maddy punching his nephew once in school. This small incident is apparently enough to motivate Gator to join forces with the remaining members of the gang that got busted in Phil's last mission and plan a violent revenge. I guess character motivations aren't the best part of this movie.

What ensues after this buildup are some modest action scenes during which Statham beats and shoots numerous thugs while protecting his daughter. Gary Fledel does a very terrible job at directing Homefront, so most intense moments are ruined by annoying shaky cam. Statham is a good wrecking havoc and still remembers to show a little bit of emotion, but the rest of the cast gives some mediocre performances, with the exception of Franco, who is extremely unconvincing and forgettable as the villain.

I liked how the movie is set in an ordinary Southern town where most of the citizens are just regular folks minding their own business and taking care of their land and families. However, that also makes me wonder why Statham is cast, since he is an Englishman and does not seem like somebody who'd enjoy riding a horse, although he does that a lot in the movie.

As a whole, Homefront is obviously nothing special, but fans of action flicks and/or Jason Statham will probably find this film entertaining.

Great cast. Beautiful shots. Good plot.

Really enjoyed this movie, although I thought I had the plot figured out , it wasnt how I expected it to be. Really interesting when you think about how one thing can lead to another.

A couple of times the scenes were shot a lot better than what I would have expected from an action movie, from lighting, to camera angles to clarity in action scenes. I really enjoyed the R rated action as it really does add to a movie, and Ive never been a fan of a cut right before somebody gets shot and not show the wound... so more action scenes like this please!

All actors are really delivering strong performances although Jason does sound very british for being an american. James Franco plays a good redneck and overall this movie is very enjoyable. If you wonder what JS looks like with long hair....this is the movie for you.

Torn between giving it a 7 or an 8 but since its one of the better action movies I think it deserves an 8.

If you're a Jason Statham fan, as I am, you will be disappointed with this film. The action scenes are few, brief, and scattered, and the "sensitive" scenes with his daughter are labored and painful. Statham shows more concern for his cat than his daughter. "Hey, Jason. Not everyone can be a well-rounded actor. Take some kudos from your roles as an action hero and spare us the sensitive roles." Of course Statham is not the only one to blame here. The screenplay from Stallone is by-the-numbers and has so many cliché scenes it's embarrassing to watch. Stallone has written some excellent films ("Rocky", "First Blood") but he also has some real duds ("Cobra", "Rhinestone") and this is clearly one of those duds.

If you want a film where Statham shows a sensitive side, I thought "The Bank Job" was one of his best. But that was long ago and most of his work before and after has been one-dimensional and that's OK.

Along with the sad script and Statham's inability to project emotion, most of the actors phone in their performances. Winona Ryder is completely wasted and James Franco puts in one of his lesser performances. Rachelle LeFevre ("Under the Dome", "Twilight") was the only bright spot.

Give this one a miss. It's OK for a rainy night on TV.