Homefront
3/4
Starring: Jason Statham, Kate Bosworth, James Franco, Izabela Vidovic, Rachelle Lafevre, Omar Benson Miller, Winona Ryder, Clancy Brown
Rated R for Strong Violence, Pervasive Language, Drug Content and Brief Sexuality
"Homefront" does exactly what it sets out to do. It gives us interesting characters in a compelling story with action scenes that get the adrenaline pumping. It doesn't do much more than that, although the characters are a little more gray than we usually get in action movies like this, and that makes things more interesting.
Phil Broker (Statham) is an undercover cop who has infiltrated a motorcycle gang that cooks meth. After the bust goes violently wrong, Phil retires and settles down with his daughter Maddie (Vidovic) in the bayous where his late wife used to live. But an altercation with a classmate (Austin Craig) raises the ire of the kid's mother Cassie (Bosworth). To teach them a lesson, she convinces her brother Gator (Franco) to scare them. Tensions rise when Phil won't back down, even though he tries to resolve this peacefully. What Gator doesn't realize is that Phil was an undercover cop on the bust that went bad, and he knows who wants revenge.
The film was originally developed for Sylvester Stallone years ago, but it never came to be. After Stallone grew too old, he passed the project on to Statham (whom he has worked with in "The Expendables" movies). His screenplay is the one that is used, and he is still on board as a producer.
Despite that, the role of Phil Broker appears to be tailor made for Jason Statham. The British tough guy who came to fame from Guy Ritchie's first two movies "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch," has more dramatic range than people give him credit for, and he puts that to good use. Phil is a good man who is trying to live his life in peace, but as Maddie's counselor Susan Hetch (Lafevre) tells him, feuds and rivalries form easily here. Phil tries to reason with his new found enemies; violence is a last resort for him.
The supporting cast is good. Leading the pack are Kate Bosworth, who is terrific as Cassie, and Rachelle LaFevre, who is lovely and natural as Susan. James Franco is mixed. He doesn't blow it, but he's not very menacing. Young Izabela Vicovic is also great except for the scenes where the script forces her to be too cute. Poor Winona Ryder, however, is given a thankless role of Sheryl, Gator's squeeze. Once one of Hollywood's leading ladies, her star has fallen to bit parts.
I liked the way that the characters are painted in layers, especially the villains. For example, in the trailer Cassie is painted as a nasty trailer trash bitch, but in the movie, she's far from that. She's just protective of her son. Likewise, Gator and Sheryl are not as bad as they seem. They want Phil to pay, but when things go too far, the try to make it right.
Gary Fleder directs the film with a firm hand. He doesn't get flashy and he doesn't shake the camera. Fleder has been behind some good films, like "Kiss the Girls" and "Don't Say a Word." He knows what he's doing, and concentrates on telling the story and developing the characters rather than showing off what he can do with a camera. This looks like a movie, not a music video or a comic book come to life. And we can be thankful for that.
Starring: Jason Statham, Kate Bosworth, James Franco, Izabela Vidovic, Rachelle Lafevre, Omar Benson Miller, Winona Ryder, Clancy Brown
Rated R for Strong Violence, Pervasive Language, Drug Content and Brief Sexuality
"Homefront" does exactly what it sets out to do. It gives us interesting characters in a compelling story with action scenes that get the adrenaline pumping. It doesn't do much more than that, although the characters are a little more gray than we usually get in action movies like this, and that makes things more interesting.
Phil Broker (Statham) is an undercover cop who has infiltrated a motorcycle gang that cooks meth. After the bust goes violently wrong, Phil retires and settles down with his daughter Maddie (Vidovic) in the bayous where his late wife used to live. But an altercation with a classmate (Austin Craig) raises the ire of the kid's mother Cassie (Bosworth). To teach them a lesson, she convinces her brother Gator (Franco) to scare them. Tensions rise when Phil won't back down, even though he tries to resolve this peacefully. What Gator doesn't realize is that Phil was an undercover cop on the bust that went bad, and he knows who wants revenge.
The film was originally developed for Sylvester Stallone years ago, but it never came to be. After Stallone grew too old, he passed the project on to Statham (whom he has worked with in "The Expendables" movies). His screenplay is the one that is used, and he is still on board as a producer.
Despite that, the role of Phil Broker appears to be tailor made for Jason Statham. The British tough guy who came to fame from Guy Ritchie's first two movies "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch," has more dramatic range than people give him credit for, and he puts that to good use. Phil is a good man who is trying to live his life in peace, but as Maddie's counselor Susan Hetch (Lafevre) tells him, feuds and rivalries form easily here. Phil tries to reason with his new found enemies; violence is a last resort for him.
The supporting cast is good. Leading the pack are Kate Bosworth, who is terrific as Cassie, and Rachelle LaFevre, who is lovely and natural as Susan. James Franco is mixed. He doesn't blow it, but he's not very menacing. Young Izabela Vicovic is also great except for the scenes where the script forces her to be too cute. Poor Winona Ryder, however, is given a thankless role of Sheryl, Gator's squeeze. Once one of Hollywood's leading ladies, her star has fallen to bit parts.
I liked the way that the characters are painted in layers, especially the villains. For example, in the trailer Cassie is painted as a nasty trailer trash bitch, but in the movie, she's far from that. She's just protective of her son. Likewise, Gator and Sheryl are not as bad as they seem. They want Phil to pay, but when things go too far, the try to make it right.
Gary Fleder directs the film with a firm hand. He doesn't get flashy and he doesn't shake the camera. Fleder has been behind some good films, like "Kiss the Girls" and "Don't Say a Word." He knows what he's doing, and concentrates on telling the story and developing the characters rather than showing off what he can do with a camera. This looks like a movie, not a music video or a comic book come to life. And we can be thankful for that.
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