I Declare War (I) (2012)

Summer war games between neighbourhood kids turn deadly serious when jealousy and betrayal enter the mix.

Directors:

Jason Lapeyre, Robert Wilson

Writer:

Jason Lapeyre

Stars:

Siam Yu, Gage Munroe, Michael Friend

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview:
Siam Yu	...	Kwon
Gage Munroe	...	PK
Michael Friend	...	Skinner
Aidan Gouveia	...	Quinn
Mackenzie Munro	...	Jess
Alex Cardillo	...	Frost
Dyson Fyke	...	Sikorski
Spencer Howes	...	Joker
Andy Reid	...	Wesley
Kolton Stewart	...	Caleb
Richard Nguyen	...	BAK
Eric Hanson	...	Kenney
Alex Wall	...	Scott

Storyline

Bang, bang, you're dead. No, really dead. A group of twelve year old kids play war in a forest but the audience views the action through their eyes. They fire real machine guns, hear mortars exploding around them, and dodge bloody shrapnel from grenades. I Declare War is a movie for young and adult audiences alike, featuring twelve to thirteen year old actors in the tradition of Stand By Me. With overtones of Lord of the Flies, I Declare War is a parable for not only events broadcast nightly on newscasts throughout the world, but a chilling depiction of the capacity for youth and man to take charge and to win at all costs.

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Plot Keywords:

war game | betrayal | gun | summer | game | 

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Taglines:

Rules were made to be broken

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 2012 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samaritan Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

User Reviews

War ... It's child's play

Like many fellow viewers at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Films that afternoon, I didn't have any clear idea on what to expect of "I Declare War". It plays at this prominent and reputedly brilliant genre festival, so it must contain some sort of significant cult value, that's for sure. But what exactly to prepare for, I didn't know… Drama and valuable coming of age life lessons like in "Stand By Me"? Adventure and thrills like in "Lord of the Flies"? Or maybe something entirely unique and innovative like "War of the Buttons", or something extreme and shocking like "Battle Royale"? It became somewhat of a mixture of everything, in fact, and yet at the same time something totally new and original. Although I certainly can't state that "I Declare War" is one of the greatest and most eye-opening films ever made, I'm nevertheless very glad that I watched it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a wide variety of film fanatics. It's an atmospheric and occasionally very suspenseful motion picture with sublime performances from the youthful ensemble cast (not a single adult in the film) and a well-scripted scenario that thankfully doesn't get overly moralizing or metaphoric near the finale. It's summer vacation and the neighborhood boys gather every afternoon in the woods to play war. The rules are quite simple: two camps and two generals instructing their teams to capture the opponent's flag through smart tactics and ingenious war strategies. The soldiers use wooden sticks and water balloons, but through their vivid and wildly imaginative eyes we see rifles, machine guns, bazookas and grenades. Today also promises to become a special day for the troops, as there will be mutiny within the platoons, female soldiers joining for the very first time and ordeals that will genuinely put the soldiers' friendships to the test. "I Declare War" is reasonably fast-paced and benefices from terrific filming locations as well as from steady direction and – as mentioned already – stellar performances. The sound, visual and make-up effects definitely aren't childish, but neither are they provocative or graphic. In other words, this isn't just intended for physically grown-up people, but also for emotionally mature audiences … largely accomplished by kids! What I appreciated most of all was that, at all times, the children remain in fact children. Their reasoning, motivations and interactions are exactly like any child of whatever origin or culture would react. That sounds logic, but it really isn't as the movie will make clear, and that's why it's such an impressive and highly recommended effort.