In the gritty New Orleans underbelly, beleaguered Detective Sean Riley is trying to cope with the death of his young son and his failed marriage. Facing a probable suspension from the department, Riley is teamed with a young homicide Detective, Will Ganz, to help solve a series of brutal murders that have plunged the city into a major gang war. The two quickly realize there is something much bigger and far more sinister going on than either could have ever imagined. As head of violent offenders warrant squad, New Orleans Sgt. SEAN REILLY, has seen the worst violence the city has to offer. It's taking its toll on him. Life and death are never more than a breath away and this brutality has become his life. During a routine warrant "serve", Sean's team is ambushed and his partner is viciously killed. Only a year and half removed from the loss of his son and his marriage in the aftermath, this maybe the last straw that finally sends Sean over the edge. Sean's mentor CAPT. TRAHAN senses a change just may help save Sean from the dark place his is heading and he reassigns him to a baffling gangland homicide case that is plaguing the Crescent City's underbelly. Leading the investigation is DET. WILL GANZ, a smart, family man who loves his job but has clearly stumbled onto a case that is out of his element. Someone has been methodically torturing and burning the most notorious gang leaders in the city. The sheer grisliness of killings and total disregard for the victims gang affiliations or rank is something very new and explosive to the already volatile city. The killings unleash a panic throughout the mean streets. A deadly powder keg is set to go off as both Gang member and police alike are on edge waiting for the killers next move. As the clues stack up on the "gangland" case, Sean and Will realize that COLIN, one of Sean's childhood friends, and an ex-soldier he served with, seems to be at the center of their horrible case. The street is buzzing with word that a ruthless paramilitary operative, Crowe, is hunting Colin down to recover video evidence of a friendly fire killing in Afghanistan that has political implications. With an elite multinational paramilitary group breathing down his neck, Crowe will stop at nothing to get the money back in time. Sean and Will must race against the clock to solve the mystery, save Colin and find the money before the merciless Russians do. Determined to not to let each other down, each man must confront their darkest fears and risk the lives of the ones they love the most. But in the end, will either one be able to live with choices they made or the price they pay? I had a chance to attend the Charlotte Screening of this Movie a couple weeks back. I have to say beyond a shadow of a doubt, this film is simply amazing! It's directed by William Kaufman and this is a guy who knows how to bring real action to life! Many of us grew up watching Die Hard and The Last Boy Scout and really developed a love for the Action Genre. For guys who like action, I say this little masterpiece is going to make your day. I mean, it's got solid action icons like Tom Berenger, Method Man, and my all time action Hero Sean Patrick Flanery from the Boondock Saints! The story is very engaging and you often find yourself wanting to know what is going to happen next. You have everything in this tight little package (gun play, explosions, fist fights, etc). It's backed up by a level of quality that you'll find in any mega million movie. The main star is a guy named Johnny Strong and he is a total bad ass. I saw this guy in Blackhawk Down a few years back and he was a star then. When you see him in this movie you are going to say "Holyshit, that guy can bring it". This is a movie for guys who love action movies. Kaufman has really done something special here. In my opinion, this could be the next big thing. kinda like what the first Boondock Saints was back in the day. I'm not a movie critic or anything like that. I'm just a man who loves action movies and it's good to see some of the old school moves I've come to know and love are not dead after all. If you go in with an open-mind, and with the understanding that this film was made for 700K - then you might come out of it with a serious appreciation for those involved.<br/><br/>Who in the heck is Johnny Strong, and what in the heck is he doing acting so well in a no-name, rock-your-socks-off action flick like this? His performance, along with the action sequences, carry the film.<br/><br/>The film will test your patience.<br/><br/>It starts with an earth-shattering action sequence(much like the directors previous work, "The Prodigy 3/10"), and then the film settles down to start the plot set-up.<br/><br/>It's during this set-up that the average viewer may be tempted to turn it off. The low-production values are at their worst during the early dramatic/dialog sequences. There is some schotty camera work, and the film stock gets terribly blurry from time to time. There were points when this film looked nearly as bad as a bootleg. BUT the film really starts to grab you at the half-way point.<br/><br/>Johnny Strong quickly becomes a character the audience would like to root for, and with all the films' faults, it has some moments of sheer brilliance. There are some dialog scenes(one particular in the police car towards the middle of the film) that create an emotional spike to the film, and then there's the action sequences which are extremely well-done.<br/><br/>I can see this film growing into a huge cult-hit.<br/><br/>I didn't care for "The Prodigy" at all, but it's obvious this director is progressing. He and Strong may have just punched their ticket to the big-time.<br/><br/>The storyline is decent for a genre where we shouldn't expect rocket-science. The hero of the film is balanced with a partner who is a family man. Kevin Phillips does a fine job as the partner, but Strong's character has NOTHING to lose, and all the talent and experience in the world to take on this formidable enemy. Johnny is Johnny-on-the-spot with a gun, and an ex-marine, but his partner has more to lose. This balance adds a certain dynamic to the film. <br/><br/>These characters break-out performances more than make up for the cameo-like appearances of Sean Patrick Flannery and Tom Berenger.<br/><br/>I've already mentioned some of the film's flaws, but the film also slightly overstays it's welcome with about 5 action sequences that could have been combined into about two in the films' final half. It makes the ending a little bit anti-climactic, but the second-quarter and the third-quarters of this film are very strong considering its' resources.<br/><br/>You should know if this is the kind of thing you want to take a chance on or not. If you read that statement, and still rent it, you won't be disappointed.<br/><br/>65/100 You'll like this if you liked: El Mariachi, The Prodigy, A Better Tomorrow, Narc, and The Killer.<br/><br/>JUST GET PAST the early production short-comings and stick with it and you shouldn't be disappointed.
Elmeigiz replied
373 weeks ago