Hey folks, Valkor here. And I'll admit, when Stone Cold Steve
Austin started making movies… I was a bit skeptical of his talents
as an action star. I'm sure crossing over from the WWE to the
big/small screen sounds simple, but it doesn't always flow so
well (with the exception being The Rock of course). But after
three films having passed through the TOV gates – Damage,
Tactical
Force, and The
Expendables passing with high marks, can the superstar of
wresting score another victory? This round we're digging into
Recoil; it's simple, but a very effective action film.
In Recoil, Stone Cold plays cop gone vigilante Ryan Varret. His family was murdered and he was believed dead. However, he survived the onslaught and now he wants some serious payback; not just on those who killed his family, but anyone who's slipped through the cracks of the judicial system. The film opens up with him choking the life out of a child killer. He then moves on to a small town called Hope. The town, even its police force, is in the back pocket of one Drayke (Danny Trejo) and his vicious motorcycle gang called "The Circle". Ryan only went to the town to kill Drayke's brother Rex, to which he succeeds. But in doing so he's shaken up a hornet's nest of trouble that not only risks the life of his new love interest Darcy (Serinda Swan), but also the quiet little mountain town of Hope.
To steal a quote from Stone Cold: If you're lookin for someone runnin around dancing to a bunch of sparklers and music, you bought the wrong damn video.
The premise of the film seems awfully familiar, but I can't seem to put my finger on just what it reminds me of…
Just messing with ya, most action films follow the same or somewhat similar premises and it's not always a bad thing.
The Good:
As an action film, Recoil plays by the numbers giving you a straightforward, by the book, solid plot with a heaping dose of fist to face pounding action to keep you interested. There's no drag as the film moves at a sweet pace breezing through its 90 minute run time. There's also a nice little twist that connects our hero to teh villain, though it's sorta predictable and nothing that's jaw-dropping, it still very effective. The action is what really carries the film and you get a lot of it – mostly hand to hand stuff, with some shooting and weapons. I did find the editing on the fight scenes to be a bit choppy, however it doesn't make the hurtin that Steve Austin is dishin out on the bad guys, hard to follow. The acting isn't the greatest, but with a film like this it really doesn't have to be. However I thought Stone Cold performed well, along with Danny Trejo (who can play a bad guy like nobody's business). Serinda Swan (Smallville's Zatanna) gets some acting kudos as well, with a bonus of "PerfectView" hottie. Overall? Yea I was impressed.
The Bad:
It could have used a couple more explosions… maybe a car chase. But I'm not really complaining.
The Ugly:
N/A
Recoil is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray and if you're looking for some no-brainer, hard hitting action, with a decent plot then you need look no further because Stone Cold has got you covered. Would I recommend it? Hells to yea! And out of TOV 5 stars, I'm giving recoil a 4.5. Now get ta steppin before I shove my roody-poo foot up your roody-poo ass!!
Sorry… I don't know what came over me…
