Director: Edward Drake
Cast: Kevin James, Christina Ricci, Luis Guzman, Joey Diaz, Melissa Leo
Running time: 92 mins
Kevin James and Christina Ricci star in this blackly comic action movie from Australian writer-director Edward Drake (Gasoline Alley, American Siege). Combining punchy fight sequences and strong characters, it’s a fun action romp with a delightful twist.
Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop) plays ex-cop Ray Hayes, a devoted husband and father who leads a double life, working as an enforcer for mob boss Michael Temple (Melissa Leo) and her right-hand man Ignatius Locke (Luis Guzman). Ray has been saving money to open a diner with his wife Alice (Christina Ricci), but just as he is about to leave the mob life behind, a change of leadership puts vicious one-eyed gangster Lonny Castigan (Timothy V. Murphy) in charge, and he refuses to let Ray walk away.
Things quickly go from bad to worse, as Ray’s attempt at negotiation ends in the accidental death of Lonny’s no-good nephew Antonio (Maximilian Osinski). And when Lonny targets Ray and his family – including teenage daughter Siobhan (Keana Marie) and pre-teen nerd Henry (Leo Easton Kelly) – in revenge, they are plunged into a desperate fight for their lives.
The action sequences are impressive throughout, clearly influenced by John Wick, which gets a specific shout-out in the script. Drake has a considerable set of skills when it comes to staging all-out mayhem, pulling off hand-to-hand combat, gunfights and knife battles with aplomb, and throwing several other improvised weapons in for good measure.
Furthermore, it’s to Drake’s credit that the action remains consistently exciting, despite taking up a large portion of the efficient 92 minute running time. A key part of that is the aforementioned twist, which kicks things up a notch, just in time for a thrilling finale.
Kevin James makes a solid lead as Ray, handling himself well in the fight scenes and carrying a world-weary look throughout that works well, although his protestations that he’s “not one of you” (i.e. not a mobster) are a little hard to take when he’s doing so much cold-blooded murdering, even before Lonny takes over.
Similarly, Christina Ricci is enormous fun as Alice, and it’s a treat to see her enjoying herself so much. This is a gift of a part for her and she absolutely nails it, investing Alice with a wild, unhinged energy that pretty much steals the film.
In addition, there’s strong support from both Luis Guzman and Melissa Leo (both of whom add an extra touch of class), while Keana Marie is good value as Siobhan, and has a couple of snappy one-liners. On top of that, Murphy makes Lonny a distinctive villain, thanks to the eyepatch and some offbeat voicework, and both Miroslav Barneyashev and Solomon Hughes are well cast as his main henchmen, bringing distinctive physicality to each role.
In short, this may be light on plot, but it’s still an enjoyable action romp, thanks to Drake’s punchy direction and strong character work. Great final scene too.
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