Swelter is an interesting movie, but do not expect the classic action movie with JCVD. If I had to compare this film with others, I would say "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." There are clear references to the "spaghetti western genre", in fact many of the characters are modern versions of classic roles of those films (see the old man with the pick-up truck collecting corpses, the preacher who has a past to hide, the good doctor we can find in all the villages of the old west, the sheriff deputy who is absolutely stupid and the prostitutes in the brothel ... The warm atmosphere and the sweaty faces, the constant creaking of fans who remind the hinges of the doors of the old saloons, the Indians that seem to come from the 1800s: all these elements make us forget very often "when" the story takes place and take us forcefully into the genre films.
The four outlaws are assorted like 4 aces in a game of poker, some by accident, some by luck and the sheriff is the fifth card that has little to do with the others. Do not ask why the four are together: they are just part of a game, as the bandits in the old west, they are together because they have nothing else to do, or maybe just to exercise their arrogance and their greed for gold. Metaphor of American history, the town of Baker is a border post where humanity emerges in all its misery and where time has stopped in the mid-nineteenth century when Americans survived on a horse and with their gun. Remarkable in this film is a very good photography, a respectable cast and intuitions directing the epic story that follows perfectly the spaghetti westerns genre, both with the themes but especially in the way of "making the movie" (someone surely will understand what I mean).
Finally a few words on the acting of JCVD that will surely turn up their noses at the hardcore fans, used to seeing him perform in his famous split. Have you seen "The Wrestler" with Mickey Rourke? OK, you get the idea of the attempt JCVD is making to engage in deeper and more exciting roles than those shown so far. Finally, if you expect a "classic" JCVD movie because the posters and DVD covers show basically only him, blame the distributors and the marketing department ;) Recommended for fans of the spaghetti western.
The four outlaws are assorted like 4 aces in a game of poker, some by accident, some by luck and the sheriff is the fifth card that has little to do with the others. Do not ask why the four are together: they are just part of a game, as the bandits in the old west, they are together because they have nothing else to do, or maybe just to exercise their arrogance and their greed for gold. Metaphor of American history, the town of Baker is a border post where humanity emerges in all its misery and where time has stopped in the mid-nineteenth century when Americans survived on a horse and with their gun. Remarkable in this film is a very good photography, a respectable cast and intuitions directing the epic story that follows perfectly the spaghetti westerns genre, both with the themes but especially in the way of "making the movie" (someone surely will understand what I mean).
Finally a few words on the acting of JCVD that will surely turn up their noses at the hardcore fans, used to seeing him perform in his famous split. Have you seen "The Wrestler" with Mickey Rourke? OK, you get the idea of the attempt JCVD is making to engage in deeper and more exciting roles than those shown so far. Finally, if you expect a "classic" JCVD movie because the posters and DVD covers show basically only him, blame the distributors and the marketing department ;) Recommended for fans of the spaghetti western.