Month: November 2018

Today’s quick review: Standoff. When a girl named Bird (Ella Ballentine) witnesses a multiple homicide, she becomes the next target of the hitman responsible (Laurence Fishburne). Bird flees to a nearby farmhouse, where Carter Greene (Thomas Jane), a veteran mourning the death of his son, promises to protect her. But with only one shotgun shell left and no way to call for help, their survival depends on the outcome of a lengthy standoff with the hitman.

Standoff is a minimalistic thriller set primarily in a single house. The premise is simple but promising: Carter and Bird are trapped upstairs, while the hitman Sade prowls around downstairs. Neither Carter nor Sade can safely get to the other, so they resort to mind games, insults, and every trick at their disposal to gain the upper hand. As such, Standoff consists of long stretches of dialogue punctuated by brief moments of violence.

Standoff makes for a heavy watch. Carter is suicidal, Sade is murderous, and Bird gets exposed to plenty of trauma for a girl her age. Throw in the movie’s graphic violence and the tension of a protracted confrontation, and Standoff falls squarely on the gritty, realistic end of the action spectrum. The emotional arc is passable, but it’s missing the extra spark needed to be truly moving.

Standoff’s main draw is Laurence Fishburne. Sade has a weighty presence from the first moment he steps onscreen. Fishburne captures the menace necessary for Sade to feel like a threat, as well as the unnerving attitude that makes the character interesting. The result is a surprisingly satisfying villain whose taunts and mind games carry the movie.

Beyond Fishburne’s performance, Standoff is a decent but unexceptional thriller. By its very premise, the plot is static. There are no real twists, and the situation changes only incrementally. Standoff has less action than similar movies, saving it for the few moments when it really matters. Thomas Jane and Ella Ballentine give fine performances, but their characters are not especially memorable.

Give Standoff a shot if you are looking for something dark and tense. Laurence Fishburne’s performance gives the movie a unique selling point, but Standoff has enough flaws that it will only really appeal to fans of budget thrillers. Skip it if you are looking for a movie with more polish, payoff, or action. For a similar premise, a similar budget, and more action, check out Security. For a more fulfilling action thriller, check out 16 Blocks.

6.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for a decent premise and an impressive villain held back by a limited plot progression and minimal action.

Today’s quick review: Security. Out of work and desperate, veteran Eddie Deacon (Antonio Banderas) takes a job as a security guard at a shopping mall. His first night on the job erupts into violence when Charlie (Ben Kingsley), a hitman for a powerful gang, and his men chase Jamie (Katherine de la Rocha), a teenage girl set to testify against them, into Eddie’s mall.

Security is a budget action film that pits five guards and one teenage girl against a ruthless team of assassins. The setup is simple: Eddie uses his combat training to mount an improvised defense of the mall with the help of his fellow guards. Security offers fairly good action, a premise that is interesting enough to hook the viewer, and a passable plot progression. Thin characters and lack of innovation keep the movie from doing more.

To the movie’s credit, it delivers some satisfying action. Eddie mows through the attackers with all the efficiency of an action hero, but the combat never loses its sense of grim desperation. Security wears the trappings of a gritty action thriller, but underneath it has plenty in common with more traditional action movies. The two strains blend together about as well as can be expected in a movie of its caliber.

Where Security’s low budget shows is in its character development. Eddie is set up as a haunted character with a rocky relationship with his family, but his background is never explored in depth. The same goes for Jamie, whose past with the gang would have been easy dramatic fodder, and Charlie, who comes across as a single-minded villain rather than a character in his own right. The characters’ relationships are likewise simple and briefly sketched.

Security makes for a fine watch when you are in the mood for straightforward action and a serious tone. The movie lacks the extra care needed to appeal to anyone but action fans, but it does reasonably well with the tools at its disposal. For a better action movie with similar types of conflict, check out Die Hard. For a family comedy with a similar premise, check out Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

5.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for being a decent but unexceptional action flick.