Dominic Purcell's second film is with Uwe Ball, who have Bulgaria ahead and both are stuck in Saddenley for now. Yes, that’s the name of the town (and the film itself, and not straight-forward – under siege), which runs along the path of the US President. It seemed that this movie had chances for success: the plot - norms, locations - norms, love story - norms, director - well, norms, castes - norms, and all of them worked well - with Ray Liotta a year before, DP starred in quite decent Bad Karma, and with the rest came to Suddenley directly from Wall Street (the attack on Wall Street, 2013). To be fair, it’s one of 7 movies that came out with the actor in 2013 and maybe he’s just tired. Because he's not trying to talk at all. There is no sense in the text being spoken - he is not obsessed with his idea, nothing burns inside him, he does not suffer or suffer for what he does. He's just walking. From scene to scene, from house to street. When he threatens hostages or shoots, it doesn’t even get scary, because you know he’s just your favorite actor who’s so bored playing an American patriot that you’re so bored watching it. Maybe that's the point. And shouldn't a pronounced non-American be cast as obsessed patriots? Maybe he just doesn't believe he's being made to play? One way or another, the film is boring, linear, predictable, there is no zest in it, it was not saved by forest, snow, castes - nothing and nothing. I do not recommend wasting a minute of your time. It feels like you've been taken hostage and tortured in front of your own TV.
Christmas is a time of miracles! Just at this moment in a small town, citizens are preparing not only for the meeting of Santa Claus, but also for the god-chosen herald of tolerance Barack Obama. But, this event is not to everyone’s taste, and what can turn the holiday into chaos? That's right, a deliberate terrorist attack! But Christmas wouldn't be Christmas if there wasn't a drunken law enforcement officer in that backwater. No, not Bruce Willis, the other more textured guy. Soushka Rey, from Good Boys and other reference films, he miraculously looked up to Uwe for a light. What awaits the viewer in this amazing adventure?
I have noticed that Mr. Ball loves his job and works despite any problems, including the financial part and the search for locations.
So, here is the recipe for the winter action movie by Uwe Ball.
Take one city in the Canadian wilderness. We pay all residents a little, so that there was something to drink and eat, we involve the homeless and all who can as a labor force. We take a couple of friends, a couple of fans, they're producers, one Dominic Piorsell, and we're actively hanging noodles on Ray Liotte's ears. We interfere at the level of plot collisions in the spirit of the films of the nineties. We withstand the charisma of the main villain, not especially forcing Dominic to play, with his face and so everything works out, add to the character of Ray a little tragedy in the form of love for the bottle, and in addition write the character of a small assistant. Voila, the Christmas action movie is ready!
Honestly, Liotta plays nothing, from the word in general and look at him sadly. Respect causes only how Uwe Ball implemented all this business, and moreover, passed it all off as a serious product, and also implemented the plot and launched interaction with the whole city, and these are not small locations, and the film was on closed screenings. Learn young neophytes how to do distribution, this movie is a vivid confirmation of the distribution of funds with good intentions.
Gradually completing the filmography of almost the most uneven director in the world Uwe Ball - we will only have to watch the third film with the participation of Purcell and two parts of the adventures of Bill Williamson. Well, for now – the movie, which has nothing to do with any of the franchises created by Bolle – a typical original film shot between famous projects (Ball and famous projects, of course, passed). This can be interesting - as you know, Luc Besson shot the famous "Leon" also in the break between major projects, shot "for rest" and without making any bets on it, but it turned out you know what. Let's see if Uwe Ball's got something cool too. Suddenly. Very little.
So, before us is the criminal thriller Uwe Balla "In Siege". The last film of comrade Bolla, officially released on DVD in Russia. I can’t tell you why the next DVD movies stopped being published – either the distribution company shut down (although CP seemed to still exist) or whatever. However, the movie was officially released and "Suddenly" suddenly became the namesake of the film with "Stephen Seagal".
The plot tells us about the small town of Saddenly - you know, a town where everyone knows each other, where there is a sheriff and local brawlers. Despite the fact that the story is American, the whole case was filmed in Canada. In general, a typical Canadian snow town of cheap SyFy movies. One day, the President of the United States decides to drive through the town Barack Obama (the name is not called, but the politicization Ball makes itself felt - the actor is really very similar to the former head of the United States). At the same time, quite negative people come to the city, wanting to feed the president lead during his speech to the residents of Saddenley. To do this, they dress up with the security of the President and seize the house, from where the best view opens.
To begin with, this is the first Uwe Ball movie in many, many years that does not start with the Event Film logo, which gives us the right to believe that the film was made to order for a small TV channel. All friends Uwe on the spot - Michael Pare, of course Brendan Fletcher, also failed to finish shooting in The Attack on Wall StreetPurcell and Carplac. Surprised by the presence in the film Ray Liotta, which was already filmed at Uwe in In the Name of the King. Nevertheless, the friendly line-up in place, faces all familiar, proceed to action. It is unclear only the absence of a permanent composer and operator - but to be honest, especially here this role did not play.
What can be said about the film itself – before us is a standard thriller for TV, without action, written and filmed on the knee clearly “upside down”. Absolutely no one is trying – not the writer, not the actors, not the director. The main thing is to release the movie as soon as possible, so that it scored 2 hours of the air grid, and forget about it. I think it was in that mood that it was all filmed. Let’s take into account the fact that this is a remake, not an original idea – everything will become clear. I had to make a film, another explanation for me.
To sum up, the film is of no value. There are good heroes, there are bad ones, the bad ones grab the good ones, the good ones try to resist, but not very hard. As usual, a lot of far-fetched and far-fetched moments, but I do not scold for this Uwe - this is the style of a person. It is up to you to watch or not, but the bottom line is that the film from and to secondary may come off as a background.
Thank you for your attention
God forbid you accidentally stumble upon this. A group of rebels plot to overthrow the president, but only one alkash policeman confronts evil. The synopsis promises an analogue of some “Olympus Fall” or the great “Storm of the White House”, but, unfortunately or fortunately, nothing like this is foreseen. This is a two-kopeck, almost amateur chamber under-thriller, shot on the knee of Uwe Ball and his faithful friends.
If you do not have almost family (and equally inexplicable) feelings for Ball and his company, then it will be quite difficult to watch this action, and even more so to feel sympathy for him. This is a cabbage to Michael Pare, Tyrone Letso, Brendan Fletcher, who came in from a nearby film Erin Karplak and Dominic Purcell. If these names do not tell you anything, then there is absolutely nothing to do here.
For others, we ask for mercy. Liotta, previously seen at Ball except that in the first "In the Name of the King", without much strain, creates a charming hero with a disgustingly written script. Surprisingly charming Karplak from Assault on Wall Street as a military widow.
Strangely, this film is missing its regular cameraman Neumann and composer Jessica Rui. Instead of the first, some man who previously shot a couple of budget-free horrors, but here his aesthetic resembles a cheap sitcom in which the camera shakes for some reason. The background sounds funny tracks, extremely rarely suitable for what is happening. The film is not based on the Ball Event Film Company. Most likely, a small part-time job for the great Canadian thrash industry, executed on a solid "two".
There is no hint of an atmosphere being blown up. Boring filling light, faceless nature with an uncertain time of year (snow appears and disappears every 15 minutes), comic attempts to justify the concentration of action in one place. Ball may well cope with this genre (see “Rightless Storm”), but here he works, to put it mildly, through his sleeves. And what else to do with such a wretched script written by the author of “American Robbery” Andreasyan? - That's right, screw around. This is a cheerful German here and is engaged in the company of old and new acquaintances.
It’s funny to watch it right after The Attack on Wall Street. Purcell plays a clinical idiot who wants to destroy an American president because of social injustice. No, it's not a sequel. The avenger invented a mysterious organization, allegedly controlling his actions, and the character is shown as the most evil uncle. If you wish, you can think that this is a replica in the direction of the previous film. They say that they showed the same “executor of justice”, but in different situations and from different angles. But in favor of such a theory says absolutely nothing, so we will throw it into the remote Canadian swamp.
Unlike the stylish, but rather pretentious directing of the sequel Rampage and other audience hit “Attacks on Wall Street”, the production here is extremely simple, artless, but even soulful. Remember the good old trilogy about catching fascists in the winter season “Bladraine 3”, “Blubarella”, “Auschwitz”, or unique in the history of cinema “Bladraine 2” (have you seen a lot of thrash-westerns about vampires, where the action takes place in a slush snowfall and mainly at night?). This is a clumsy, shot on the knee, but somehow charming near-professional movie. Uwe Ball is a unique director.
If we are willing to do anything for our purpose, the Americans will finally get off their knees!
The name Uwe Bolla became a synonym and parable in the tongue. After all, no matter what the witty German looks at, it always turns out a homogeneous brown mass that can spoil the mood for a few days ahead. In any case, this is generally considered and thanks to their previous “merits” in the field of filming video games, all Ball’s paintings receive a finger down from the mass viewer and a minimal assessment. But this is just the dark side of the coin, while there is still a light side. How's the light? Cleaned of the dirt, soot and waste products of our younger brothers. It includes the controversial adaptation of the computer game "Postal", as well as independent projects of the cunning German - "Fury" and "The Age of Greed." And no, these pictures are not masterpieces in their genre or something outstanding, but these are attempts to make a normal movie, successful I must note. Actually, it was the presence of such films in the filmography of the “chief Nazi of cinema” that prompted me to view his next creation. Did you? I saw it. You regretted your time? Of course! Well, that's "In Siege."
A small provincial town where kind and responsive people live. Locals regularly pay taxes, work from dawn to dawn, and on weekends play cards in the bar and sometimes arrange fights. In general, nothing unremarkable town which in America is enough. And it would have remained unremarkable if beloved President Barack Abumba... sorry, Barack Obama would not have dared to drive his motorcade through this glorious town and push a speech in the main square. And according to the glorious Hollywood tradition, if the President appeared in the film, then expect trouble. Of course, this film is no exception. On the horizon appear three “concerned” citizens who fought in Iraq and want to “thank” the President with a bullet in the heart. To do this, the extremists pretend to be the president’s security guard, take a family of three hostage, take a position convenient for shooting and wait for a convenient moment to fire a fatal shot. But will they be able to follow in the footsteps of Lee Harvey Oswald, or is this crazy adventure doomed to failure? I think the answer is obvious, but I'll pretend it's intrigue, ooh.
And in fact, from a film with that title and with that plot, you expect something good. Why not? I'm optimistic. Unfortunately, there will be nothing good in the film. There will be no action film, as there is no shooting in this film. There will be no drama about how the government deceived soldiers into shedding blood for their country, as throughout the film we will never know anything about the people who plan to kill the president, nor who they work for. No, I would certainly bet on the Illuminati, which have been a plug in every barrel lately, but it went too far even... though no, for Uwe Ball just right. This is not an adventure movie, because despite the fact that there is a child in the picture and does not smell of violence as such here, there will also be no adventures as such, since all the action takes place in one location and what is happening can be described in one word - boredom. I can not even call what is happening thrash, as this genre is famous for trying to somehow entertain the viewer. This is another film from Uwe Ball for which it is not a sin to give the German genius another Golden Raspberry, or even more than one. He's good at collecting them.
I don’t know how Uwe Ball manages to lure well-known and not-so actors into his paintings, but I suspect that Lucifer was involved. Did Dominic Purcell sign a contract for at least three Ball movies? Speaking of Purcell, the star of the television series "Escape" and a man whose facial expressions can rival the stone. In Ball’s previous film, and I’m talking about the Age of Greed, Dominic showed acting. I don’t know how Uve managed to get the ever-grudging actor to portray sadness, pain, laughter and other emotions, but the German managed it. And since I succeeded once, I sincerely hoped that I would succeed in the second. I should have. Dominic Purcell in this film is a nightmare. He goes with a pistol on the edge, while the hand with the pistol is pointed in one direction, and the actor looks in the other. Dominic, you'd at least smile for a pro-forma, fucking lyceum. Ray Liotta, on the other hand, spends most of the film with a misunderstanding in which the question, “How did I get here?” I used to play in Revolver and Nice Guys, and now I’m playing at... Uwe Balla? Yeah, Ray, life isn't fair. But we must give the actor credit - the character of his hero as such does not have dialogues carrying at least a cumbersome semantic load, too, but Ray Liotta still manages to demonstrate acting. Unfortunately, it is not possible to fully enjoy it, since Liotte should only begin to show emotions as the action immediately switches to wooden dummies, which only thanks to an annoying misunderstanding can be called actors.
As for camera work, it can be described approximately as shooting during calm. That is, the image twitches a little, but generally tolerated. But the musical accompaniment I never heard. Well, it's howling in the background, but only that.
To sum up, Mr. Ball is a masochist who is capable of making a good film, but he prefers to unnerve both critics and ordinary viewers with his creations and receive tons of angry letters with wishes for “long years of life”. This film, despite the interesting idea and the presence in the picture of such a good actor as Ray Liotta, is a dummy that can only take your time and give nothing in return.
2 out of 10