- Actors: Michael Pare, James Remar, Johnny Messner, Vinnie Jones
- Disc Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Region: Region 1
- Rated: R
- Studio: Lionsgate
- DVD Release Date: December 6, 2016
- Run Time: 80 minutes
There is a rich
tradition for drama and comedy in the world of low budget independent
filmmaking; all you really need is a script, some actors, and a camera. Films
have been shot entirely on cell phones with this simple formula. Even genre
films have their place among independents, with many horror films made with a
little innovation and creativity. But action films are another beast entirely,
and it takes a sturdy set of stones to tackle the expected spectacle of the
genre. Timothy Woodward Jr. has established himself as one of the few
filmmakers bold enough to embrace this challenge, filming the ambitious
narrative of Decommissioned for a
cool million, with mixed results.
The storyline is
clearly borrowed from a collection of larger studio films, most resembling the
latest addition to The Bourne Identity
franchise, Jason Bourne. This begins
with a conspiracy within the American government, conspiring to dispatch of a
newly elected liberal president (Richard Burgi). Though this president’s
politics seem to resemble Obama far more than the cheese-puff-dusted president-elect,
there is a level of corruption and deceit in the political process that does
feel relevant to our current climate. But all of this is given the backseat to
a typical action film trope in which retired CIA agent John Niles (Johnny
Messner) is forced out of the shadows by conspiracy to assassinate the
president.
When Niles’s wife (Estella
Warren) and son are taken, his only hope of seeing them alive is by following
the orders to assist in the assassination attempt. He reaches out to his former
mentor in the CIA (Vinnie Jones), providing an obvious excuse to put the
British actor into the film despite his accent never making much sense for an
American government agent. The roles Jones plays is supporting, removed from
the sequences of action despite the misleading DVD art which features him alone
in front of an American flag, holding a pistol never used in the film.
Even though
Jones is mostly just a cameo used for phone conversations with the protagonist,
Niles does have
some backup in the form of a detective who happens to stumble on the
conspiracy. Tom Weston (Michael Paré) joins Niles for the final showdown against the
shadowy figure pulling the strings (James Remar). The ambition in the action
sequences is where the film thrives, constructing most through action
choreography and practical effects. There is some use of CGI that occasionally
fails to mesh with the performances, such as grenades exploding that are
unconvincing when paired alongside actors that hardly react. It is also
noticeable when the CGI is missing, such as a couple shots of gunfire without
any muzzle fire or movement from the actors. Sound effects alone are not enough
to make these moments convincing.
But thankfully
most of the action doesn’t rely on computer effects, but instead on the
performances. This is an asset during the action, though not all of the
performers are as capable of handling the film’s dialogue. There are more than a
few supporting actors who have trouble getting lines out believably, many of
which overcompensate with melodramatic performances. Perhaps a bit more humor
would make these shortcomings easier to bear. Many of the 1980s action films
that Woodward Jr. seems to have grown up on have just as many shortcomings, but
they overcame these issues by embracing the campy elements as an element of the
entertainment. Rather than hiding the budgetary limits (which Woodward does
surprisingly well for the amount of money spent on the production), it may have
benefited the film to spend a little more time embracing these restrictions.
The DVD comes
without special features, save a few trailers before the film.
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Special Features: 0/10
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