Interpol operative Russell Hatch witnesses the death of an informant when a seemingly routine raid goes wrong. Years later, he finds himself protecting the informant's son from a group of merciless gangs involved in an all-out turf war.

I really didn't expect to see Cynthia Rothrock here! Even if just for a second. The day she collabed with Van Damme finally came! Would've been even better if he refused to stay in bed or something and they could've had a friendly little battle in the hospital ward, so she'd get to show off her physical quips too.

This movie's not about the martial arts though, even if there's plenty of fighting. But it's the realer kind. It's the street brawl kind. And occasionally a gunfight or two when things really start to get hairy.

It all starts like a real Noir movie too. I'm impressed by the lighting, and the rain, the diner light you move towards... the atmosphere early on is impeccable. But maybe they spent a big slice of their budget on the first scene, cause after that it's... still good, just not spectacular.

It doesn't stand out like that. They know to leave a good first impression! That they do.

The script's not too complex. It's about a kid, and a promise, and the complexities of family, and growing up in a broken home... it ends too easily, desperation never truly peaks, the build's not perceptible, things happen and our main man reacts, but that's all. It could've been directed in a more... impactful way.

I like it though. JCVD's still got it, and despite a killer physique he looks worn as ever too. Encompassing all too many a serious tough guy role through the times. This one no lesser...

Yessir, I'll give it a...

 rated 3.5/5: not bad at all

Was expecting a crappy B-movie Mad Max spin-off.

Got a GOOD B-movie Mad Max spin-off!

You can tell straight from the intro that it's legit. With sceneries that look akin to the original films. With elaborate death trap cars and dusty deserts. With characters that could've been cast in the eighties in similar films, back when B-movie wasn't necessarily Bad, just with a limited Budget. Gritty and RAW, that's how they used to be! From what I've seen and remember.

Or so I thought.

It started well but it goes soap opera real quick. The sceneries are limited, the acting's crap, there's too much dialog... the usual. And the story's cliche. It's all about vengeance. The special effects are crap, cars are slow and some parts are clearly sped-up...

But then it does get better! The characters grow on you after all, and it turns out they really do have a fire within them.

This wasn't all bad after all but... definitely not perfect.

The girls are great though.

 rated 3/5: not bad

Read on...

Russel Crowe in another exorcism role, this close after the former?

I wonder if he secretly aspires to be a religious figure for real, or is, or is suddenly just seriously sought after when it comes to roles like this...

He's great, always, but this movie... was great! I don't get why critics bash it so. I was prepared for worse. The girls may not be the best actors too much. Standing beside Russel they seem... inferior, but they weren't bad! The way that the movie takes place on an actual set somehow makes it all the more chilling. Like they break the fourth wall in regard to what's real and no. You're on the set. You see this through a movie. It's very meta. I like seeing the technicalities of the sets, too, though of course they just show what they want you to see, so it's all so much more impressive than it really is. If that makes sense?

It may be trife with jump scares, but it was way more than the regular exorcism movie this one. With a very double-edged take on the topic of religion. On the one hand it's the requirement for victory after all, on the other it doesn't paint it in the best light as it does... does it redeem itself? The fact that a priest plays the demon is... interesting.

It's all an act in one way or another. It's all a set. Nobody's who they seem to be. Everybody plays a role. Everybody's something different. The effects are simple, but they work well that way too. The complexities lie elsewhere. They layer. They build slow.

Whatever the critics may say, I actually... really liked this movie.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

Another movie from my birth year I'd yet to see! :D

It stars a busty set of promiscuous babes, poolside eighties and a night of killing...

Some of the props are legit, but the guy in the car not so much! They managed the sledgehammer better. The music's simple and the acting's not great either but... it is thrilling. It's in line with the times. It's morbidly appealing, the topless scenes in screening, the blood that hits the ceiling, the lips a murder scheming...

The ladies look amazing, the blood's artistic and splashy, it ain't perfect but... solid softcore scary movie if you ask me.

Yeah.

 rated 3.5/5: not bad at all

Summer town, friends work at pie factory, bored Jamie meets traveler Juliana. Teens go missing, warned of virgin-targeting werewolf. Boys race to lose virginity as friends get killed. Jamie and Juliana's relationship at stake amid chaos.

What a story. :) The girls are gorgeous, the plot's all Porky's but better, it's funner and wetter, hotter than ever, a wonderful sweater.

Really though, such a feelgood movie, and I love Jessica Szohr.

Effects? Well they're... OK! What's not to love otherwise? It's an unconventional take on the classic werewolf tale - there's at least one more unconventional werewolf classic from the UK specifically, and it keeps you rooting. Great movie. Think I might've seen it earlier too...

 rated 4.5/5: almost awesome

So yes, the whole movie does take place in a trunk. Basically. And yet it does stay interesting... they did well!

It's a movie about independence, and empowerment, and daddy issues, and in the end... I wish I could relate more to the girl. Early on it doesn't seem she's the best actor, and later on she suddenly has an attitude instead. You feel her panic occasionally - the scorpion and snake were nice touches - but the snake seems a loose end in the end, and despite the desperation... you just don't start rooting for her entirely. Not as much as I would like. She's clearly the victim though so I want to! There's just something about her that makes it difficult...

She's good though. For the lead role she's good. The script's good too. The final scenery's good. The whole movie really is GOOD. It's just little things. Like how the dad doesn't immediately let her out of the trunk, yet in the end doesn't say a thing when she enters the car. Like how the guy in the driver's seat doesn't just pull back the pipe when he sees the camera. Like little things. Some things could've felt more legit.

I love the concept though. And a movie that keeps you in as long as this one does, with as limited scenery as this one has: it's special too. I wonder if she really was in the trunk of a car, or they had special room made just to look like one... it looks like a real trunk.

Good movie. Solid thriller.

 rated 3.5/5: not bad at all