#leitch

Medium- DVD

Entirety or episode?- Entirety

Overall verdict- All the reviews I’ve since read of this saying it’s a B movie and Wesley Snipes must have been desperate are making me roll considering the amount of actual B movies I’ve watched for this project. Honestly? I was kinda expecting a dumb Hollywood action flick with five minutes of stock-villain Sheppard. Instead I got this, and it’s effing majestic. Initially I thought the hallucinogenic-drug-driven plot seemed far-fetched but after watching this whole thing it’s actually a really neat and original idea. This might be cheesier than a German breakfast, but it is a bloody good action film. It’s apparently not high-budget (for real, my views have been skewed by the amount of trash I’ve been watching, because this looks high-budget and so pro to me, even the CGI (especially the CGI!) perhaps in comparison?!) but it’s fast, fun, well-made, solidly written and I enjoyed the heck out of it. Plus, it features a lead protagonist who has an actually believable reaction to seeing their best friend killed in front of them ie PTSD. I found all the characters likeable (even the unlikeable ones) there was nothing that seemed off-kilter to me. Despite the violence and obviously distressing wartime backstory, there was a distinct lack of the type of go-to sexism, racism etc unpleasantness that can dog this type of film. Plus, bonus Kim Coates and there’s even a cute happy ending. Three thumbs up.

Screen time- Major supporting character! In it from the first scene (which I’m mentioning because I’m mildly embarrassed that I recognised him solely from his hands… I am clearly watching way too much of his back catalogue!)

Accent- American

Mark’s character- Oh my days, Leitch and Petersen are my favourite. This is a golden duo of bumbling henchmen, like Deblanc and Fiore, but even more delightfully inept. They’re so dumb it’s a bit precious and it will make you like them even though they’re basically hired thugs with zero conscience, they’re just so dryly funny. It’s like they’re constantly accidentally breaking stuff and are then in awe of their own destructiveness. Mr S is brilliant in this – like I said, I wasn’t expecting this to be a huge role, so I was so pleased he actually got to show what he can do.  Also, in the process of trying (and failing) to get screengrabs of Leitch getting his arse handed to him by Dean, I’m pretty darn sure Mark did his own fight choreography/falls in this, which is also super impressive.

Highlight- Leitch’s bemused game face while he does his best to convincingly threaten/beat up an imaginary Scott.

Leitch’s hilariously worried “Shit. Did I do that?” when he’s blindly shot the electrics out and the lights start flickering. Petersen’s solemn answering affirmation.

Leitch’s stroke of inspiration “the whole place is on fire!” that doesn’t turn out quite the way he thinks “He’s ‘saving’ all the patients!” The resultant escapee asking “Has anyone seen my pony?” and Leitch’s exasperated little head shake in response is possibly my favourite bit of the whole movie.

Dean setting the sprinklers on them. Petersen is so very done.

When they blow up the petrol tanker. “Ohhhh yeah.” “Wow.”

Petersen’s summing up of the whole situation, really: “Shoulda got paid in advance.”

Rewatch?- Hell yeah.

(Sorry, I went nuts with the caps for this one, and Tumblr always imports them out of order!)

That would be a terrible sight to regain consciousness to.

I really try to keep these reviews unbiased and non-objectifying, but I have to say, this is probably the cutest screengrab I have ever screengrabbed.

1001% done

“Wow.”

Leitch prepares to duff up the invisible man.

“Did I do that?!”

“Has anyone seen my pony?”

Smoking apparently isn’t big or clever but guys, blowing smoke rings is both, true fact.

Don’t do it, Leitch.