Hellfire
review by Bobby Blakey
Director Isaac Florentine knows his way around action bringing some classic ones to the big screen including Ninja 1 & 2, Savate, Undisputed 2 & 3, Close Range and many more. His latest Hellfire teams him up with a great cast including Stephan Lang, Dolph Lundgren, Harvey Keitel and Mighty Morphin Power Ranger vet Johnny Yong Bosch, but does it bring his usual action to fans, or should it have stayed out of town?
Hellfire follows a haunted ex–Green Beret drifter who wanders into a Southern town ruled by a ruthless crime boss and a corrupt sheriff. When violence erupts, the man wages a one-man war for justice, redemption, and the soul of a broken town.
These kinds of movies come along all the time with that old school vibe with a story focusing on the mysterious stranger and the corrupt small town. When handled right it gives the audience a simple set up but plenty of opportunities for some great action moments. This film leans into all those familiar tropes and thanks to the cast involved is better than it might have been otherwise. That doesn’t mean it’s a great flick or bringing anything new to the table, but it’s not trying to either.
I don’t think Stephen Lang gets enough credit. He is one of those great actors that can bring the drama to action or horror to elevate it to something more than average. His presence in this film is why it works at all. The rest of the cast are fine for the most part with a lot of them being cliches and forgettable. Keitel has a part that could have been a great villain but isn’t given much to really chew on to take it there.
The story is essentially a version of First Blood and that isn’t a bad thing, but it lacks anything to really make you care. The sudden willingness for the stranger to get involved in and the flipping back and forth of characters on sides or decisions makes it just limp along when it could have been more engaging. The final act is decent enough action although pretty average at best leading into a less than impactful finale.
I was happy to see Bosch here in a great menacing role and get the chance to showcase his martial arts skills. This is easily the best action sequence of the entire film. He hasn’t lost a step and brings some great technique and skill to the screen to give this film the injection of awesomeness that it needed.
In the end it’s a worthy straight to home release film for those that enjoy the old school action genre, but nothing that stands out as a must see. Decide for yourself and check out Hellfire available now on DVD from Sony.