HOMEFRONT is the latest action flick from modern-day action star Jason Statham, who seems to be churning these movies out with a monotonous regularity. The good news is that the last few I've seen (SAFE, HUMMINGBIRD, PARKER) have been of a far better quality than the earlier ones (THE MECHANIC, BLITZ), so he's going in the right direction. HOMEFRONT continues that trend.
The story was written by Sylvester Stallone and concerns a DEA agent who retires to New Orleans in order to bring up his daughter after the death of his wife. Inevitably, before long, the guy runs into trouble with some local drug dealers who seem to be making their own crystal meth out in the sticks. Statham is the typically tough-but-with-a-heart lead, while James Franco's casting raises eyebrows as the villain; imposing he ain't.
The film in many ways feels like the star vehicles of old; Seagal's toxic-waste thriller FIRE DOWN BELOW came to mind a couple of times. It's certainly adequate enough to succeed as a movie in its own right; the action scenes are short and sweet, and the plot is interesting enough to keep the viewer's attention. And I have to say that Winona Ryder does a good job after being away from our screens for a good while. Not a classic then, and not a film with a lot of depth, but one that passes the time nonetheless.
The story was written by Sylvester Stallone and concerns a DEA agent who retires to New Orleans in order to bring up his daughter after the death of his wife. Inevitably, before long, the guy runs into trouble with some local drug dealers who seem to be making their own crystal meth out in the sticks. Statham is the typically tough-but-with-a-heart lead, while James Franco's casting raises eyebrows as the villain; imposing he ain't.
The film in many ways feels like the star vehicles of old; Seagal's toxic-waste thriller FIRE DOWN BELOW came to mind a couple of times. It's certainly adequate enough to succeed as a movie in its own right; the action scenes are short and sweet, and the plot is interesting enough to keep the viewer's attention. And I have to say that Winona Ryder does a good job after being away from our screens for a good while. Not a classic then, and not a film with a lot of depth, but one that passes the time nonetheless.