Peter Sobczynski is a contributor to eFilmcritic.com and Magill's Cinema Annual and can be heard weekly on the nationally syndicated "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" radio show. The slasher scenes are brutal and terrifying, and the staged kills could be seamlessly plopped into any Hannibal adaptation. We can only hope that the upcoming Death Wish remake will rescue Bruce Willis from the level of B-movie hackdom that's become his stock-in-trade. Still, anyone who comes to Acts of Violence looking for colorfully sleazy characters and shootouts — as opposed to nuanced public policy briefs — should find enough reasons to stick around. Instead, the film is a technically proficient, fairly acted pile of puff. In hindsight, perhaps that comparison isn’t fair because as bad as those movies were, Bronson at least put in some effort, which is more than one can say for Bruce Willis here. He Said, She Said Movies - September 6, 2020. Todd Walker (Jesse Williams) is the writer of ‘Slasherman’, a gruesome but successful graphic novel about a serial killer slaughtering his way across the highways and byways of America. But the film’s confrontational nature took me out of the film repeatedly. Honouring that medium, the film is … It is both a slasher film, and a satire of slasher tropes. During the Coronavirus, we are switching our focus to streaming entertainment. EMAIL ME. If the script had more thought put into it, then it could have had more to say about the nature of violence and violent media; it would have felt more like a message than an excuse. Ultimately, Random Acts of Violence offers a promising subject and then drops it on the floor. While Random Acts of Violence is riddled with issues, it’s hard to remember them when the film is so gleefully violent, in the best possible way. Nothing. I dug the comic-infused flourishes with hyper-stylized colors that made some scenes look like an old E.C. Minor banding and a little noise are visible in the encode. The bad news is that “Acts of Violence” is a gross, creepy and generally tacky piece of claptrap that plays like an unholy blend of ‘The Boondock Saints,” a sweeps week report from a less-than-reputable news station more interested in prurience than edification and one of those lousy bits of Cannon fodder that Charles Bronson churned out during the waning days of his career. The groom's 2 big brothers looked after their kid brother as kids and do so now again as veterans, "looking" for her and the 2 guys. Parents need to know that Random Acts of Violence, which was directed by co-star Jay Baruchel, is a meta slasher movie based on a 2010 comic book. It's hard not to notice, however, that Ashmore's character displays a particularly unlucky tendency to get shot. Set on the mean streets of Cleveland, the story begins as Roman McGregor (Ashton Holmes) is about to marry childhood sweetheart Mia (Melissa Bolona). Terms of Use | Near the beginning of the film, for example, we see Deklan blowing up at an ineffectual VA stooge for being incapable of offering any help for his emotional problems and rage issues other than more medication. The bad news is that “Acts of Violence” is a gross, creepy and generally tacky piece of claptrap that plays like an unholy blend of ‘The Boondock Saints,” a sweeps week report from a less-than-reputable news station more interested in prurience than edification and one of those lousy bits of Cannon fodder that Charles Bronson churned out during the waning days of his career. Random Acts of Violence’s contrast is affected in several scenes, resulting in limited shadow delineation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest Reddit. | California Privacy Rights johnny-burgundy 21 January 2018 Acts of Violence (2018) This is an action film about a woman kidnapped by human traffickers. It’s all about keeping you and yours safe. This is a good, old-fashioned slasher that touches upon some deeper themes, but it’s really the kills and the … On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 0% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 2.56/10. Since he and his partner (Sophia Bush) are hamstrung in their pursuit of the bad guys by their superiors in the manner familiar from so many generic cop thrillers, Avery proves all too willing to let the brothers pursue their own brand of vigilante justice which claims more than a few victims, some of them innocent, along the way. Receiving a limited theatrical release to elevate its standing on VOD listings, Acts of Violence evaporates from your mind while you're watching it. It's a cruel and ugly movie, possessing a warped political and philosophical foundation. 11:42 AM PST 1/10/2018 By Dennis Harvey This is an issue of real concern to many people but as it turns out, the film has no use for it other than to serve as a clumsy explanation for Deklan’s abilities as a one-man killing machine. Pinterest. Still nothing. Editors: Frederick Wardell, Ryan Eaton ACTS OF VIOLENCE Review: Cleveland Finally Has Its White Boy MAN ON FIRE Cole Hauser hunts sex traffickers in the Browns' hometown, while Bruce … It occupies the same space it is criticizing, and then it fills that space with blood. TWITTER 3588. In Acts ' view, the police are too weak and stupid to, say, question witnesses (they don't -- in fact, they don't do anything resembling police work, apart from arresting the "good guys"). The film may be completely worthless from an artistic standpoint but it certainly can’t be beat from a convenience standpoint. Instead, violence is used to cover up faults in the film. Willis isn't actually the star of the film scripted by Nicolas Aaron Mezzanatto and directed by Brett Donowho. By. I was shocked to find that its violence made my stomach turn, and anything that can break through my wall of desensitization deserves, at the very least, a recommendation. All rights reserved. Random Acts of Violence (2019) The biggest achievement in Jay Baruchel’s first horror feature (he directed, and wrote alongside Jesse Chabot) is the scares. Hauser, Ashmore and Holmes at least lend some conviction to their performances and have the added advantage of actually looking credible as siblings. Random Acts of Violence Review. Expect to see dead bodies, severed heads, headless bodies, entrails, and much more. Privacy Policy | With Bruce Willis, Cole Hauser, Shawn Ashmore, Ashton Holmes. Divorced from its preaching, Random Acts of Violence is a solid horror film with a truly nightmarish climax. It's all a tad too serious for a movie that's essentially a tawdry pulp thriller. Director of photography: Edd Lukas That’s the fun of Random Acts of Violence. Acts of Violence was shot digitally using Arri Alexa Mini digital cameras and the movie is presented in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio. However, what pushes “Acts of Violence” from the merely stupid to the decidedly unsavory is the way in which it drags in serious issues to serve as window dressing for the garbage at hand. (Even more distastefully, once all the ensuing slaughter has concluded, we get a final shot of him clearly feeling a lot better, suggesting that bloodshed is the only real cure for PTSD.) Jesse Williams stars alongside Jordana Brewster and writer-director Jay Baruchel. Its screenplay feeling not so much written as mapped out on an Etch-a-Sketch, Acts of Violence displays both unearned self-importance — demonstrated by an early scene in which Declan has an … My first thought was that its distributor, Lionsgate Premiere, had pushed the release back. Film Review: ‘Acts of Violence’ Ex-military brothers face off against human traffickers in Cleveland, vigilante-style, in this slick time-filler. Share. Why he would want to squander his still-considerable talent and screen presence on something as low-rent as this is beyond me—as it could not have been for the money, my only guess is that he wanted to squeeze in a few quick rounds before doing the “Death Wish” remake. Casting: Lillian Pyles. At a bachelorette party in a nightclub, the bride tells 2 guys offering blow to go away. Read full review Production companies: Emmett Furla Oasis Films, Colecar Productions, River Bay Films The two younger brothers seem willing to let the police handle the matter, with Brendan plaintively asking, "What are we gonna do?". They abduct her. © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. It’s laudable of Canadian Jay Baruchel to generally eschew the trappings of Hollywood so as to focus on filmmaking in his home and native land. Audience Reviews for Acts of Violence Aug 26, 2019 A rote crime thriller, Acts of Violence is a pretty standard revenge film. Human trafficking is another important and troubling issue, but the film uses it as little more than a gimmick to justify the violence rather than to really examine it at any length. Review: Random Acts of Violence. Random Acts of Violence (2019) The film is based on a comic of the same name, making it more of a meta tale adapted for screen. The MacGregor clan finds its world turned upside-down when Mia, partying at a nightclub with her bridesmaids, is kidnapped by the henchmen of arch criminal and human trafficker Max Livingston (Mike Epps). Make an initial post telling the class about how many acts of violence you counted during the video. Her fiance and his ex-military brothers set out to track her down and save her before it is too late. A self-serious take on the slasher format with attempted social commentary, Random Acts of Violence isn’t at all what I was expecting. Cast: Cole Hauser, Bruce Willis, Shawn Ashmore, Ashton Holmes, Melissa Bolona, Patrick St. Esprit, Sophia Bush, Mike Epps Random Acts of Violence – Shudder Review (2/5) RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE is a new Shudder horror movie about a serial killer. Although sympathetic to their cause (having already dropped another trafficker off a building during the opening action sequence), Detective James Avery (Bruce Willis) doggedly tries to counsel them against vigilantism while building a proper case against against Max, but soon finds his attitude changing when his noble efforts prove to be for naught. Random Acts of Violence has more than enough blood and brutal kills, but Jay Baruchel manages to avoid sacrificing genuine relationships, a charming script, and character development. Director Donowho (Salvation) stages the violent mayhem with reasonable proficiency, but it's all so narratively unconvincing that it inspires yawns. Producers: Randall Emmett, George Furla, Anthony Callie, Mark Stewart At the beginning of this review, I compared “Acts of Violence” to the garbage on which Charles Bronson frittered away the latter part of his career—things like “The Evil That Men Do,” “Murphy’s Law” and the lesser “Death Wish” sequels. On the bright side, Roman’s two older brothers, Deklan (Cole Hauser) and Brandon (Shawn Ashmore), are both military veterans who apparently returned from the front with a lot of leftover hardware (and plenty of issues with unchecked rage in the case of Deklan) and the three of them, convinced that the police are powerless to do anything, band together to track Mia down and kill every bad guy they come across. Rather, it's his frequent co-star Cole Hauser (Hart's War, A Good Day to Die Hard), who plays Declan MacGregor, a war veteran coping with post-traumatic stress. Unfortunately, such lines as "Sayonara," uttered by Willis' cop character as he lets a suspect fall to his death from a rooftop, don't exactly have the memorable panache as "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!". Yes, this is another one of those anonymous action movies that he has been specializing in as of late—the kind that turn up in a couple of theaters and on VOD with virtually no advance word and featuring listless performances by him that, based on the available evidence, were apparently shot in no more than four or five days, most of them utilizing the same office set. The extreme color correction plays with strong green and red shades. Its screenplay feeling not so much written as mapped out on an Etch-a-Sketch, Acts of Violence displays both unearned self-importance — demonstrated by an early scene in which Declan has an angry encounter with a VA therapist — and a straining for action-movie cred, including the apparent mandate to include at least one scene set in a strip club. Willis walks through the proceedings with his by-now usual bored expression. The film also benefits from its location shooting in Cleveland, Ohio, which provides the opportunity for the action to be set in gritty settings that haven't been overexposed. Random Acts of Violence (Review) in Reviews. 0. Executive producers: Ted Fox, Vance Own, Brandon K. Hogan, Marc Goldberg, Barry Brooker, Stan Wertlieb, Henry Winterstern, Arianne Fraser, Delphine Perrier, Wayne Marc Godfrey, Robert Jones, Martin Wiley Costume designer: Stephanie Powers At one point, in what proves to be the only remotely realistic moment on display, his character remarks “I’m tired of this”—by the time “Acts of Violence” reaches its conclusion, any still left watching it will doubtlessly feel the same way. The latest example features the iconic star of Die Hard and its numerous sequels in a rote thriller indistinguishable from the countless others he's cranked out in recent years. Read our full Random Acts of Violence movie review here! Overall, Random Acts of Violence is a decently entertaining movie. Fans of VFW will enjoy this one due to the amount of amazing practical effects but the story is a little lacking at times. The good news, on the other hand, is that with the advent of VOD, audiences can go about completely ignoring it from the comfort of their own homes rather than having to venture out to the local multiplex in order to snub it. I believe this is the first movie I've reviewed shot completely with Arri Alexa Minis, and I like the results – which are similar to the standard Arri Alexa. Rated R This includes Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, AppleTV, HBO and Showtime. Acts of Violence is, simply, a full-throated, empty-brained endorsement of vigilanteism. I still enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as I should have. for violence, language throughout, sexuality/nudity and drug material. Keeping in mind your answers above, provide a definition for violence that should be used when watching the video.4. 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