Writer: Corey Pearson (Screenplay)
Starring: Paul O’Brien, Aji Santosa, Verdi Solaiman, Mario Irwinsyah, Agni Pratistha
Plot: A retired assassin’s past catches up with him and his brutality surfaces as he goes on a final killing spree to make things right.
Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Ultra-Violent Action Film
Story: Message Man starts as Ryan Teller (O’Brien) parks his boat off the coast of a small Indonesian island, he meets a local boy Doni (Santosa) who helps him around the small village, where his mother Jenti (Pratistha) offers him dinner, but human traffickers run by Lee (Solaiman) having been picking off the residents for their own profit, leaving them helpless to defend themselves.
After Doni becomes a target for the criminals actions, Ryan fights back showing his deadlier side as a former assassin, one known as the Message Man, one that Lee has been searching for, leading Ryan to go on a bloody battle to get revenge for their actions.
Thoughts on Message Man
Characters – Ryan Teller is a retired hitman, he lives an isolated quiet life away from the world off the grid, he finds himself on a small island, where he discovers the island is a target for human traffickers and looks to eliminate this problem, against an old enemy. Ryan is proven combat machine who can beat countless enemies in the most effective quickest way. Lee is the human trafficker who sees Ryan and wants him alive so he can get his revenge on him. We do get to meet the family that Ryan tries to help, a poor family that he wants to help in exchange for a few favours, the family he is willing to fight for.
Performances – Paul O’Brien as the relentless killer is great to watch, he handles the combat with ease, while seemingly like the quiet guy who doesn’t want the conflict, with a heart. The rest of the cast are solid enough, though none of them stand out like in other action films.
Story – The story here follows a retired assassin living a quiet life who finds himself coming out of retirement to eliminate human traffickers that have been targeting a small island town. This is a simple story, it never needs to get complicated, it is the old retired assassin takes one more job for the right reasons and shows just how deadly he is. The villains could do with more dimension if we are going deeper into things, as most are just introduced for Ryan to kill, violently.
Action – The action in the film doesn’t hold back with blood flying everywhere during the fight sequences in this film.
Settings – The film is mostly set in the small Indonesian island town which helps show how Ryan is trying to stay off the map, turning to people he could trust to be honest, while criminals see them as targets they can pick off.
Scene of the Movie – The first fight, we see just how deadly Ryan will be.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not enough of the villain.
Final Thoughts – This is a by the book violent action movie that doesn’t hold back and gets to highlight Paul O’Brien in the action role.
Overall: Violent Delight
Signature Entertainment presents Message Man on Digital HD from August 17th