If it wasn't for IMDb, I wouldn't have heard, or seen this movie in the first place.
Uwe Boll has already made a name for himself as the "Ed Wood Of The New Millennium". I agree with that statement, for I had to endure "House Of The Dead", "Alone In The Dark", "Bloodrayne", even being a fan of Jason Statham won't save you from "In The Name Of The King". Those were just jaw-dropping, shockingly awful films. And the more famous stars Uwe gets, the more crappier his movie becomes. Then came along this gem.
At which point I urge you to forget, not forgive, everything you know about Uwe Boll and watch this film with an open mind. This disturbing thriller packed with social commentary is not only Uwe Boll's best film, but also one of the best films of the year. I can't believe that I'm saying "Uwe Boll" and "best of the year" in the same sentence. But hear me out before you start flaming.
First, we have a simple story. Just a young kid who gets frustrated and decides to mow down half of his town. "Falling Down", perhaps? Not exactly. For we get a very interesting main character who spites the condition of the world today and decides to clean up the planet, one small step at a time, beginning with massacring the town where he lives. This character, Bill, is played to perfection by relatively fresh Canadian face Brendan Fletcher, whom deserved an Oscar nomination in my opinion. However, it sadly didn't and wouldn't happen since Uwe Boll's name and reputation destroyed any chances of this film getting an Oscar nomination.
While Fletcher acts his role with ease and focus, Boll directs the film, especially the action sequences, with his usual frenetic directing style seen in his previous movies. Back then those were just merely miserable attempts to pull the audience into the action. Now it works with brutal and unflinching force. The cinematography and music have also improved considering these are some of the same crew that worked with Boll in some of his debacles, and the production design is somewhat slick, a feat if you take the film's low budget into account.
Yes the film has it's flaws - , some repetitive editing, some dodgy and obvious CGI in one scene and the actress playing Bill's mom giving a mediocre performance, but the film has a message to tell us and with that purpose alone Boll has succeeded brilliantly. It's as if Boll was reflecting upon gamers' affection towards video games and violent ones to boot. Remember video game fans are the ones who especially hate Boll's guts. Boll shoots the violent scenes where people, mostly innocents get shot down mercilessly, something commonly seen in games like "GTA", "Hitman" and "Call of Duty". I couldn't play "Hitman" for two weeks after watching this film, for it made me think whether we are like Bill, or Bill is like us. Boll also puts in some neat drifts of social commentary within the movie, making us think about those other real-life massacres.
So in short, well done, Boll. I'm amazed that he can pull off a magic trick after so much crap from him... I won't forgive him yet for those four video game atrocities of films but it's interesting to see where he goes to from here... that "Darfur" movie looks intriguing...
Goodness... I'm awaiting Uwe Boll's next movie... isn't that insane?
Overall value: 74/10
Uwe Boll has already made a name for himself as the "Ed Wood Of The New Millennium". I agree with that statement, for I had to endure "House Of The Dead", "Alone In The Dark", "Bloodrayne", even being a fan of Jason Statham won't save you from "In The Name Of The King". Those were just jaw-dropping, shockingly awful films. And the more famous stars Uwe gets, the more crappier his movie becomes. Then came along this gem.
At which point I urge you to forget, not forgive, everything you know about Uwe Boll and watch this film with an open mind. This disturbing thriller packed with social commentary is not only Uwe Boll's best film, but also one of the best films of the year. I can't believe that I'm saying "Uwe Boll" and "best of the year" in the same sentence. But hear me out before you start flaming.
First, we have a simple story. Just a young kid who gets frustrated and decides to mow down half of his town. "Falling Down", perhaps? Not exactly. For we get a very interesting main character who spites the condition of the world today and decides to clean up the planet, one small step at a time, beginning with massacring the town where he lives. This character, Bill, is played to perfection by relatively fresh Canadian face Brendan Fletcher, whom deserved an Oscar nomination in my opinion. However, it sadly didn't and wouldn't happen since Uwe Boll's name and reputation destroyed any chances of this film getting an Oscar nomination.
While Fletcher acts his role with ease and focus, Boll directs the film, especially the action sequences, with his usual frenetic directing style seen in his previous movies. Back then those were just merely miserable attempts to pull the audience into the action. Now it works with brutal and unflinching force. The cinematography and music have also improved considering these are some of the same crew that worked with Boll in some of his debacles, and the production design is somewhat slick, a feat if you take the film's low budget into account.
Yes the film has it's flaws - , some repetitive editing, some dodgy and obvious CGI in one scene and the actress playing Bill's mom giving a mediocre performance, but the film has a message to tell us and with that purpose alone Boll has succeeded brilliantly. It's as if Boll was reflecting upon gamers' affection towards video games and violent ones to boot. Remember video game fans are the ones who especially hate Boll's guts. Boll shoots the violent scenes where people, mostly innocents get shot down mercilessly, something commonly seen in games like "GTA", "Hitman" and "Call of Duty". I couldn't play "Hitman" for two weeks after watching this film, for it made me think whether we are like Bill, or Bill is like us. Boll also puts in some neat drifts of social commentary within the movie, making us think about those other real-life massacres.
So in short, well done, Boll. I'm amazed that he can pull off a magic trick after so much crap from him... I won't forgive him yet for those four video game atrocities of films but it's interesting to see where he goes to from here... that "Darfur" movie looks intriguing...
Goodness... I'm awaiting Uwe Boll's next movie... isn't that insane?
Overall value: 74/10