Kaufman Tactical Porn: latest offering "Shrapnel"
William Kaufman films from the past are "guilty-cordite-smoking, room-clearing pleasures", best viewed by those seeking a simple testosterone rush with a cold fermented beverage in one or maybe both hands, and the higher-thinking part of the brain powered all the way down.
This is not sophisticated complex cinema.
Kaufman films literally and figuratively are gritty grind-house "point & shoot" tactical porn with a simple story supported by the Magpul-like methodology of offensive and defensive shooting.
Unfortunately, there has been a noticeable decline in the originality and "impact" i.e. Effectiveness/ engagement with the latest William Kaufman action offerings "Warhorse" and this movie "Shrapnel". William, goddam it-go back to your roots!
"Shrapnel" suffers from lack of initial character development. Especially a strangely cast Jason Patric who comes off as very wooden and stiff with "PLUG IN LEAD PROTAGONIST HERE" stretched across his botoxed face and dyed old man hair.
This is a dumbed down "Taken" clone with flat characters and paint by the numbers action set pieces.
Cam Gigantec's performance as the veteran combat USMC buddy to Jason Patric's protagonist offers initial promise but never gains altitude because of the lack of backstory and character development remains flat. His character does get a cool "trophy at the altar" closing scene.
The tactical action set pieces drag. The combat scene at the ranch feels overly long, and for highly trained ex-military operatives there are a number of questionable tactical decisions made despite their superior fire power, numbers, and supposed special forces training.
There would be no movie if these cartel ex-SPECOPs operatives stacked up and entered the ranch all at once.
That could have been the REAL plot twist-anticipated hero Jason Patric and rest of family gets gunned down at the ranch by highly trained cartel exSPECOPS operators, then his friend Cam Gingatec gets Johnny Strong and other ex-unit USMC to punch the ticket of the cartel.
The closing gun battle set piece at the cartel Jefe's hacienda is "MEH". Like watching your pet clean its privates. Nothing unique or noteworthy other than clock is running while you watch people ducking behind cover as rounds "spang" off the cover, then people return fire. This is very boring and just eats up time.
Funding a film is hard. Writing a good screen play is hard. "Shrapnel" goes easy and and the result is dull. Even the title "Shrapnel" feels phoned in.
For better William Kaufman films, please watch "Sinners & Saints" 2010. This film has "grind-house heart", better decent tactical set pieces, and Johnny Strong channels some Clint Eastwood which is entertaining. Feels gritty.
Also for a Sci Fi tactical shooter, please check out, "Day Light's End", 2016 interesting "parallel" to "I am Legend" also starring Johnny Strong.
William Kaufman films from the past are "guilty-cordite-smoking, room-clearing pleasures", best viewed by those seeking a simple testosterone rush with a cold fermented beverage in one or maybe both hands, and the higher-thinking part of the brain powered all the way down.
This is not sophisticated complex cinema.
Kaufman films literally and figuratively are gritty grind-house "point & shoot" tactical porn with a simple story supported by the Magpul-like methodology of offensive and defensive shooting.
Unfortunately, there has been a noticeable decline in the originality and "impact" i.e. Effectiveness/ engagement with the latest William Kaufman action offerings "Warhorse" and this movie "Shrapnel". William, goddam it-go back to your roots!
"Shrapnel" suffers from lack of initial character development. Especially a strangely cast Jason Patric who comes off as very wooden and stiff with "PLUG IN LEAD PROTAGONIST HERE" stretched across his botoxed face and dyed old man hair.
This is a dumbed down "Taken" clone with flat characters and paint by the numbers action set pieces.
Cam Gigantec's performance as the veteran combat USMC buddy to Jason Patric's protagonist offers initial promise but never gains altitude because of the lack of backstory and character development remains flat. His character does get a cool "trophy at the altar" closing scene.
The tactical action set pieces drag. The combat scene at the ranch feels overly long, and for highly trained ex-military operatives there are a number of questionable tactical decisions made despite their superior fire power, numbers, and supposed special forces training.
There would be no movie if these cartel ex-SPECOPs operatives stacked up and entered the ranch all at once.
That could have been the REAL plot twist-anticipated hero Jason Patric and rest of family gets gunned down at the ranch by highly trained cartel exSPECOPS operators, then his friend Cam Gingatec gets Johnny Strong and other ex-unit USMC to punch the ticket of the cartel.
The closing gun battle set piece at the cartel Jefe's hacienda is "MEH". Like watching your pet clean its privates. Nothing unique or noteworthy other than clock is running while you watch people ducking behind cover as rounds "spang" off the cover, then people return fire. This is very boring and just eats up time.
Funding a film is hard. Writing a good screen play is hard. "Shrapnel" goes easy and and the result is dull. Even the title "Shrapnel" feels phoned in.
For better William Kaufman films, please watch "Sinners & Saints" 2010. This film has "grind-house heart", better decent tactical set pieces, and Johnny Strong channels some Clint Eastwood which is entertaining. Feels gritty.
Also for a Sci Fi tactical shooter, please check out, "Day Light's End", 2016 interesting "parallel" to "I am Legend" also starring Johnny Strong.