Writer: Nikolai From, Clayton Haugen, Chris LaMont, Joe Russo (Screenplay)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Jesse Metcalfe, Sergio Rizzuto, Tyler Jon Olson, Natalie Eva Marie, Texas Battle, Lala Kent
Plot: The work of billionaire tech CEO Donovan Chalmers is so valuable that he hires mercenaries to protect it, and a terrorist group kidnaps his daughter just to get it.
Tagline – Take on a Madman. Save the World.
Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Action 101
Story: Hard Kill starts when a group of mercenaries led by Miller (Netcalfe), Sasha (Marie), Dash (Temmel) and Harrison are recruited by Fox (Battle) to provide a defence for billionaire Chalmers (Willis) whose technology has gotten into the hands of dangerous terrorist The Pardoner (Rizzuto) who has already shown the damage it can cause.
The Pardoner has taken Chalmers daughter Ana (Kent), he has arranged a meeting, which is why he has hired the team, who are outgunned, outnumbered and under prepared for a battle against a known terrorist, they must use their skills to make it out alive.
Thoughts on Hard Kill
Characters – Miller is the leader of the unit of mercenaries, he is known for his loyalty to his team, getting the job done and for having history with the Pardoner, he talks his team into this one big pay day with one rule, he knows everything going on. Strong leader, tough in battle, he knows how to stay ahead of the game. Chalmers is the ex-soldier turned tech billionaire whose latest creation can have devasting consequences, it is in the hands of terrorists, only he has the code, while they have his daughter, he hires the team to get his daughter back and protect him. The Pardoner is a known terrorist that has been waiting for his chance to bring in his vision of a new world order, he has Ava and will use her to make a deal to get the passcode to give him ability for destruction. We do have the rest of Miller’s team, which fill the military side of the film, Fox being the middle man between Miller and Chalmers, along with Ava the daughter of Chalmers who is the visionary behind the device that was designed for good.
Performances – Bruce Willis is back in another low budget action film, while he does do better than most of the more recent ones, he never hits the levels we know he can. Jesse Metcalfe handles most of the heavy lifting in this film, showing the leadership skills and military character well. Sergio Rizzuto does get some strong scenes as the villain, he will get to feel like a threat, only we don’t get to see enough of combat threat.
Story – The story here gets to see a group of mercenaries that as hired to protect a tech billionaire and retrieve his daughter from known deadly terrorist. The story can be broken down to be simple enough, terrorist wants information to show their true threat to the world, which will involved a military team needing to go against the odds to defeat them, with a couple of twists thrown in along the way. The idea of some form of technology that could change the world for the better, being turned into a weapon is what we know well and is used too often. This doesn’t re-invent the wheel, keeping things simple and entertainment.
Action – The action is in the film is by the book, with gun shots flying around and military takedowns, not always shot the best way though.
Settings – The film is set in an abandoned warehouse, it is a tactical nightmare, it keeps the action contained, with the job being keep someone safe in the location, while people are trying to get in.
Scene of the Movie – The unit meet and great.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing fresh in action.
Final Thoughts – This is a by the book action film that can be enjoyed later at night, it is one of Willis’ better recent pile of action films, but still nowhere near his very best.
Overall: Late Night Action 101.