Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Writer: Justin Haythe, Ric Roman Waugh (Screenplay)
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, Michael K. Williams, Rafi Gavron, Melina Kanakaredes, Nadine Velazquez, Benjamin Bratt, Lela Loren
Plot: Construction company owner John Matthews (Johnson) learns that his estranged son, Jason (Gavron), has been arrested for drug trafficking. Facing an unjust prison sentence for a first time offender courtesy of mandatory minimum sentence laws, Jason has nothing to offer for leniency in good conscience. Desperately, John convinces the DEA and the opportunistic DA Joanne Keeghan (Sarandon) to let him go undercover to help make arrests big enough to free his son in return. With the unwitting help of an ex-con employee, John enters the narcotics underworld where every move could be his last in an operation that will demand all his resources, wits and courage to survive.
Verdict: Undercover job, well done
Story: Following one man as he risks everything to save his son, we see it isn’t just his life, his son’s life it also will risk his new wife’s life and daughter as he goes undercover. We get to see how a rookie drug mule ends up tricking some of the biggest names in drug dealing. It fails to offer anything new to the genre it does offer an insight to a based on true events. Everything turns out to be very simple to watch that plays out smart without challenging the audience too much. (8/10)
Actor Reviews
Dwayne Johnson: John small time truck transportation business owner who risks everything to make sure his son gets off prison after being wrongly framed as a distributor. Good performance from Dwayne showing that he can perform in a much more serious role. (8/10)
Barry Pepper: Agent Cooper the lead agent trying to take down the drug lords. Good performance from Pepper who creates an unrecognizable character. (7/10)
Jon Bernthal: Daniel the reluctant ex-con who helps John enters the criminal underworld. Trying to save himself from his past he ends up making everything more risky for himself by helping. Jon gives a good performance and makes a good reluctant hero. (8/10)
Susan Sarandon: Joanne the DEA who will help John but only when she gets what she wants. Good performance from Susan who never needed to push herself. (7/10)
Director Review: Ric Roman Waugh – Good direction putting together a well-paced film. (8/10)
Action: Simple action sequences that work well with the timing of the story. (7/10)
Thriller: Creates a tense build up to the final moments. (8/10)
Settings: The settings are the usual for the genre and don’t make any special memorable ones. (7/10)
Suggestion: This is something to try, it is a well-paced film that will entertain the thriller fans out there. (Try It)
Best Part: The final chase.
Worst Part: It is a bit slow.
Action Scene Of The Film: The final chase
Believability: Based on a true story. (8/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $42,930,462
Budget: $15 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
Tagline: How far would you go to save your son?
Overall: Good action thriller
Rating
