Writer: Jason Hawkins (Screenplay)
Starring: Adrienne King, Daren Ackerman, Alexander Fraser, Alicia Rose, Dara Davey, Patrick Ford, Darren Hicks, Bob Olin, Brian Walker
Plot: Every 7 seconds in American a child is victimized by a bully. Adults who witness these attacks will only intervene 4% of the time. 11% of the time a friend will come to the victim’s aid – and become a victim themselves.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Brave, Bold, Brutal
Story: All American Bully starts with three friends Devon (Fraser), Becky (Rose) and Garrett (Hicks) as they go about their own high school times. Our three friends are the victims of bullying from John Brooks (Ackerman) and his friends. Devon is constantly feeling the effects of the bullying when John takes his hard earn collectors book, this leads to Devon having to retrieve his book from the bullies who were at one time friends.
Devon takes a beating from the bullies which is filmed and passed around the school but Devon isn’t letting this stop him showing up at school even if he is late. Principal Kane (King) tries to keep an eye on things in the school and she has noticed things abut Devon but somehow doesn’t notice the bullying he is receiving. Mr Taylor (Ford) tries to push Devon into using his brains to fightback against the bullies even if his ideas clash against Principal Kane. When the geeks decide the fight back they could have pushed things to a level that they can never get back from.
All American Bully brings us into the world we all see in bullying, I do think the story starts the way you expect a film about bullying going but escalates quickly. It goes in a direction you really don’t see coming and never really lets you take a breathe in the final act because you won’t believe what occurs. I do think I was surprised with what I saw because I was expecting something slightly different but I won’t go into my theory of what I thought. This will stick with you and simply put make you aware of how far bullying can go when it comes to the extremes. (8/10)
Actor Review
Adrienne King: Principal Kane tries to keep her school in check but somehow misses all the bullying in her school as she deals with the personal problems with how her own son’s life turned out. Adrienne does a solid supporting role job but really doesn’t get enough screen time. (5/10)
Daren Ackerman: John Brooks is the bully constantly picking on Devon and his friends even though the two used to be childhood best friends. It is clear he has fallen into the wrong crowd and is filled with substance abuse due to his own problems. Daren does a good job in the film and his performance in the final act is very good. (7/10)
Alexander Fraser: Devon Manning is the victim of the bullying who ends up taking a final stand against John trying to understand why he couldn’t continue to be friends with John. Alexander gives us a good performance that shows how into a shell someone can end up going while being bullied. (7/10)
Alicia Rose: Becky is Devon’s friend who is also in love with him, after seeing the beating Devon gets she take the stand by threatening to post her own video that exposes the truth about John. Alicia gives a brave performance where she has to go through the most. (7/10)
Support Cast: All American Bully has your typical high school character in the supporting roles that help certain part unfold with Mr Taylor being one of the highlights of the film.
Director Review: Jason Hawkins – Jason brings us a bold look at the bullying idea that will stick with the audience after it has finished. (8/10)
Drama: All American Bully shows the effects of bullying in a very effective way. (8/10)
Thriller: All American Bully really pulls you in as you wait to see how the final act will end up going. (9/10)
Settings: All American Bully puts us into easy to understand settings which include the high school and the small town community. (8/10)
Suggestion: All American Bully is one to watch, it will go under the radar but really is one to watch. (Watch)
Best Part: Final act.
Worst Part: The final act can also be hard to watch.
Oh My God Moment: The Final Act.
Believability: The bullying side of the story is very real but how far it all goes is hard to believe. (6/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Tagline: No one is innocent.
Overall: A film I didn’t see coming that will really leave you shocked.
Rating