It’s worth saying right away that the film belongs to the “action” genre "Killing out debts" director David Eyre has a very distant relationship. There is no need to be deceived if in some sources the word “action film” is attributed to him in the “genre” line. In fact, it is more of a crime thriller with a small dose of drama and extremely rare action elements. Although as a thriller it is very weak, and the dramatic moments there are somehow forced, and the action scenes are bad. Seems, David Eyre he has lost or exhausted his inspiration, and is now trying to find it in his usual subjects, with which he began his rise. But so far to no avail.
The film poster shows Shia LaBeouf: supposedly the main star and the main character rolled into one. So important that there are even two of him on the poster. One in a black suit, sunglasses, with guns crossed in his hands, which were not shown in the tape, and the second below, half naked and covered in tattoos, which I don’t want. It’s clear that this is a marketing ploy, because you have to do something to attract the viewer. It is very unlikely that an ordinary white person will be interested in some Mexican no-names, and he will happily run to the cinema to watch their gang warfare. And the budget for a film of such a modest scale, according to sources, was quite large, which means it needs to be recaptured. By the way, the first "John Wick" It cost a third less, and what a film it turned out to be! One can only guess where the money allocated for the production of this creation was used. Well, he doesn't look like he's worth 30 million dollars. In general, it feels like they filmed it for 5 million, and even deceived LaBeouf, because not only is his role not the main one, but also (spoiler!) he doesn’t live to see the end. My point is that people should not be fooled by what is shown on the poster. The picture on the poster and the content of the film may not correspond. We must not forget about this! This tape is further confirmation of this.
And this is doubly offensive, since LaBeouf’s image turned out quite good. I was skeptical about his role (as were probably many) because, based on his external and anthropometric characteristics, he does not at all resemble a frostbitten gangster. But it’s not that he surprised me, but he was able to reduce my level of skepticism to a minimum in relation to his hero. He (the hero) speaks more than once about how crazy he is, that it costs him nothing to shoot a person, no matter what. Well-groomed facial hair, plus dark glasses, confident behavior on camera. He is still far from the image of an action hero, but he looks quite normal in the role of the protagonist’s partner. However, the whole problem lies precisely in this. Shia doesn't have enough screen time to open up; the director doesn't let him do it. As a result, his words about his defeat remain just words. He simply does not have time to confirm them. More precisely, the script and director don’t give it a chance. But potential oozes from LaBeouf’s character; his role could have been much broader and more significant than it turned out to be in the end. This is a shame. The only more or less interesting character in the film. Without him, looking at unknown Mexicans became even more boring than it was before. Yes, and it would be something to look at.
As mentioned above, the action here is criminally low for an action movie. Several times a feeling came over me, like: “now something will happen” or “well, now blood will be shed and teeth will fly,” but the suspense, not even reaching half of its apogee, gradually or abruptly faded away. If you are here only for the “action”, then pass by - you should not waste your time in this way, and you will also avoid disappointment in this regard.
The first relatively full-fledged battle scene took place only at the 56th minute of the film and lasted no more than 3 minutes. It was a low-key shootout between our debt collectors and our main competitors. It was filmed and staged in an uninteresting and even boring way, with no adrenaline at all, and it ends before it even begins. Further, there is almost no action, but with a strong emphasis on drama. The main character's family suffered, which is why he, according to the classics, floods the whole city with "crocodile" tears. Then, also according to the classics, he goes to administer justice, having previously enlisted the support of one of the allied gangs. Which, in fact, is correct, the dude is not Arnie, not Chuck or Sly, so he can go alone against an enemy many times outnumbered and well-armed. In fact, he has “one and a half diggers” among his opponents. Once again, I was perplexed by how the creators managed the budget. A couple of pathetic guards who do not pose a serious threat - that’s all the danger that awaits the hero in the enemy’s lair. They can be removed without much difficulty. On the technical side, all the flaws are in place: a twitching camera, bad angles, harsh editing. The final hand-to-hand fight with the head of the cartel suffers especially from this disease. The entire final disassembly takes a little more than 5 minutes with a timing of 1 hour. 36min.
Action movie fans have nothing to gain here. It's better to reconsider "Collectors" with Scott Adkins и Louis Mandylor. Their duet is brighter, more interesting and livelier than the duet Shia LaBeouf и Bobby Soto. And in general, a duology Jesse Johnson better except for the ending. Either Johnson or Eyre has it, as they say, not a fountain. Fans of crime films are also unlikely to be satisfied. There are examples of much better films in the genre, many of which have become classics. Talent admirers David Eyre better let them reconsider it "Training Day", which at times even echoes this tape. LaBeouf fans (if there are any) will not be happy that their idol did not live to see the end. The rest watch at your own risk.
Sergey Volkolak
Especially for Fight-Films.info
You can watch it once
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