Paydirt (2020) Review

Directed By: Christian Sesma

Starring: Luke Goss, Val Kilmer, Paul Sloan & Mercedes Kilmer

Synopsis: Set in the scorching Californian desert, the heat is on as career criminal Damien Brooks aka The Brit (Luke Goss), fresh from prison after a five-year stretch, is determined to find the buried stash of cash that landed him in a cell after a DEA
bust gone wrong. He’s served his time…now he wants his pay. As he rounds up his old crew of mismatched badasses, all with their own problems, a plan starts to form…but the word is out that a real-life treasure hunt is going down and other criminal firms want in on the act. Then there’s retired Sheriff William Tucker (Val Kilmer)…he’s on the warpath, obsessed with righting past wrongs and he’ll
stop at nothing to find the perpetrators, whatever the cost.

Review: Director Christian Sesma reunites with leading man and action star Luke Goss and Val Kilmer who star in this slick thriller.

Right from the go this movie ticked every box. Christian Sesma is a very talented director and lead actors Luke Goss and Val Kilmer are a sure sell for action fans, right? This was a must see movie.

The movie features cool title cues when we meet new characters. This added such an old school Robert Rodriguez or Quentin Tarantino vibe to the movie which is never a bad thing. The movie played out like an Oceans Eleven movie with Luke Goss playing the cool headed Danny Ocean type, who never once breaks a sweat. He’s confident in himself, the plan and most importantly his team.

The movie is fun and keeps you hooked it features hints of the crime-heist aspect you may have seen from Guy Ritchie in say Snatch or Lock Stock. You can clearly see that Sesma is a big movie fan and his inspirations in film really shine through in very subtle ways.

Another cool addition to the movie is Val Kilmer. Kilmer plays a Sheriff who is out to bust Luke Goss and his crew. Val shares screen time with his real life daughter Mercedes in her breakout role which was a great addition as her and Kilmers scenes felt so much more genuine. Before we get all sentimental. A Val Kilmer highlight is when his character pops the trunk of his car, grabs a machine gun and gets the identical stance and facial expression… Everything to a complete T of his character in Heat and then opens fire! Will not lie, i had a massive smile on my face. Sesma really did fan boy with Val! It pays off. Val is still badass.

The movie moves at a solid pace. It would fall more into the crime/thriller/heist genre rather than action but has some cool shootouts spliced in for Good measure. Paydirt has a fun story that keeps you hooked, there is a twist which was pretty cool and i didn’t see coming.

Overall i would say get your ass in a seat and enjoy this movie! Val Kilmer is ice cool as he brings the heat! It was amazing to see him back on screen, his screen presence was truly missed. Luke Goss is on top form and always delivers on the roles he plays and when partnered with Sesma we know the he will be golden.

Christian Sesma doesn’t disappoint in the writing and directing department. Paydirt is a love letter to the classic crime/thriller/heist genre. You can really see Christian admires directors such as Robert Rodriguez, Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino. Paydirt is a fun movie which, as I’m writing i have watched twice already.

Paydirt is In theaters, on Demand and Digital Now And Is Also Available On DVD & Digital In The UK!