Out of gritty depths and urban dreams comes 2011's "Stand Off," the relentless gun-toting, slam-bang action ride written and directed by Blinky maestro Chris Notarile ("Methodic").
Bank Jobs and big scores are what sit within the sights of the Executives...a squad of high class thieves who not only know the rhythms and motions for performance; they've studied them through the most accessible outlet for contemporary education.
Film.
As street smart Police Officer Cole (Roberto Lombardi) and his partner (Kasey Williams) track the case, the Executives are revealed to be a team of buxom femme fatales; realist Sims (Ella Jane New), headstrong Tess (Kerri Miller), rookie Youngblood (Kim Santiago) and Fox (Mandy Evans), the broiled sociopath leader.
All's well for the Executives, coming off a successful job...until a connection's made that brings a game changing revelation to light. The cops are onto them for the first time since their inception three years ago...and the only explanation is a traitor in their midst. Now the girls find themselves in a desperate situation, facing one another as the police bear down on them...caught in a web of deceit, betrayal, hatred and bloodshed.
What makes the film interesting from the get-go and as you get into it is the fact that it starts with big aspirations. Big ideas of an epic urban sprawl encapsulating the cops and their vicious hunt for the more notoriously efficient heist aficionados they've come across.
However, as the film goes along, it chooses to hint at this larger world...and instead takes refuge for the majority of the time in the hideout of the Executives as they get trapped in a stalemate that quickly turns into a morality play.
In a weird way, while the plot constructs this notion of the Executives taking tips from crime cinema, this very motive for technique seems to have impacted them more than educating them on how to pull a heist...it's outright infected their world views and how they present themselves to one another.
The girls are playing parts, even for each other, like the very actors they must've studied. The masks we wear, the parts we play for any possible scenario to ensure we come out of it successful or on top or alive.
At every turn, one or more of the girls is trying to throw the focal point onto another to avoid the cross-hairs...and it's as if they're subconsciously playing out a film fantasy that all their education created for them.
Without a doubt, Mandy Evans and Roberto Lombardi own leadership of the cast with brilliant performances that are brilliant in different ways.
Mandy is absolutely bombastic and chilling as Fox and most likely turns in the film's single best performance. She is so much more distant and internal compared to her criminal cohorts and you can honestly believe it when it's said that she's seen things in her life that would haunt and destroy anyone else. She has a sense of dominance that flat out demands focus in the scene...even existentially, to the point where she refuses to allow the film to off her until it's on her terms. And unlike the other Executives, she doesn't compromise her position. Her goals are singular and the only thing she cares about is 'the Executives' as a concept, if not necessarily those currently in the ranks with her. She's brutal but with a touch of sadness and femininity, ringing echoes of Linda Hamilton.
Roberto's performance is more understated. The film's headliners are the ladies and he's aware of that. He downplays it to support them. And yet, his charm as Cole is infectious enough that even the 'Executives' allow him the floor long enough for him to get a notable performance in. There are things that the man can do with his eyes and his body language that seem like a strange hybrid fusion of caricature and grounded development. He's over the top in a way that is beautifully not over the top and I really liked the approach.
Everyone in the subsequent cast does a terrific job with what they have. Following as second fiddle to Mandy, Kerri Miller is really the bedrock of the Executive group. She's the one that I actually believe in the most when it comes to her reactions to any given situation. She doesn't miss a beat, keeping up with every twist and turn in a human manner that's completely convincing.
Kasey, Ella and Kim fill in the texture of the cast and bring forth the film's female dominance from three different perspectives.
Logos, Ethos and Pathos.
Kasey is the logos, or logic...utilizing this trait as a capable officer who tracks the Executives through clues, hard facts and with sound mind. She represents the intellectual woman.
Ella is the ethos, or character...she attempts to defuse the situation between her teammates, bringing them back to the realm of rationality and ethics. She represents the motherly woman.
Kim is the pathos, or passion...hot tempered, hyper-sexual and rash all wrapped up in a gorgeous package. She represents the primal woman.
The cinematography is reasonably gritty; the color pallet toned down to mirror the morally gray area to which Notarile is leading us into. His camera work, given that this film was shot before "Choice," is a little more raw than in that short film...but given the subject matter, it's not only forgivable but commendable. It fits with the style he's attempting and it works.
"Stand Off" is a wonderfully contemporary throwback to early 90s crime dramas; the sense of dystopia cityscapes, subterfuge and bloodbaths are nearly in perfect harmony with "Reservoir Dogs" and other films of a similar nature. It's a piece of crime grit that touches a contemporary nerve...fusing into a display of dynamic characters, genuine suspense and humanity at its most raw.
Bank Jobs and big scores are what sit within the sights of the Executives...a squad of high class thieves who not only know the rhythms and motions for performance; they've studied them through the most accessible outlet for contemporary education.
Film.
As street smart Police Officer Cole (Roberto Lombardi) and his partner (Kasey Williams) track the case, the Executives are revealed to be a team of buxom femme fatales; realist Sims (Ella Jane New), headstrong Tess (Kerri Miller), rookie Youngblood (Kim Santiago) and Fox (Mandy Evans), the broiled sociopath leader.
All's well for the Executives, coming off a successful job...until a connection's made that brings a game changing revelation to light. The cops are onto them for the first time since their inception three years ago...and the only explanation is a traitor in their midst. Now the girls find themselves in a desperate situation, facing one another as the police bear down on them...caught in a web of deceit, betrayal, hatred and bloodshed.
What makes the film interesting from the get-go and as you get into it is the fact that it starts with big aspirations. Big ideas of an epic urban sprawl encapsulating the cops and their vicious hunt for the more notoriously efficient heist aficionados they've come across.
However, as the film goes along, it chooses to hint at this larger world...and instead takes refuge for the majority of the time in the hideout of the Executives as they get trapped in a stalemate that quickly turns into a morality play.
In a weird way, while the plot constructs this notion of the Executives taking tips from crime cinema, this very motive for technique seems to have impacted them more than educating them on how to pull a heist...it's outright infected their world views and how they present themselves to one another.
The girls are playing parts, even for each other, like the very actors they must've studied. The masks we wear, the parts we play for any possible scenario to ensure we come out of it successful or on top or alive.
At every turn, one or more of the girls is trying to throw the focal point onto another to avoid the cross-hairs...and it's as if they're subconsciously playing out a film fantasy that all their education created for them.
Without a doubt, Mandy Evans and Roberto Lombardi own leadership of the cast with brilliant performances that are brilliant in different ways.
Mandy is absolutely bombastic and chilling as Fox and most likely turns in the film's single best performance. She is so much more distant and internal compared to her criminal cohorts and you can honestly believe it when it's said that she's seen things in her life that would haunt and destroy anyone else. She has a sense of dominance that flat out demands focus in the scene...even existentially, to the point where she refuses to allow the film to off her until it's on her terms. And unlike the other Executives, she doesn't compromise her position. Her goals are singular and the only thing she cares about is 'the Executives' as a concept, if not necessarily those currently in the ranks with her. She's brutal but with a touch of sadness and femininity, ringing echoes of Linda Hamilton.
Roberto's performance is more understated. The film's headliners are the ladies and he's aware of that. He downplays it to support them. And yet, his charm as Cole is infectious enough that even the 'Executives' allow him the floor long enough for him to get a notable performance in. There are things that the man can do with his eyes and his body language that seem like a strange hybrid fusion of caricature and grounded development. He's over the top in a way that is beautifully not over the top and I really liked the approach.
Everyone in the subsequent cast does a terrific job with what they have. Following as second fiddle to Mandy, Kerri Miller is really the bedrock of the Executive group. She's the one that I actually believe in the most when it comes to her reactions to any given situation. She doesn't miss a beat, keeping up with every twist and turn in a human manner that's completely convincing.
Kasey, Ella and Kim fill in the texture of the cast and bring forth the film's female dominance from three different perspectives.
Logos, Ethos and Pathos.
Kasey is the logos, or logic...utilizing this trait as a capable officer who tracks the Executives through clues, hard facts and with sound mind. She represents the intellectual woman.
Ella is the ethos, or character...she attempts to defuse the situation between her teammates, bringing them back to the realm of rationality and ethics. She represents the motherly woman.
Kim is the pathos, or passion...hot tempered, hyper-sexual and rash all wrapped up in a gorgeous package. She represents the primal woman.
The cinematography is reasonably gritty; the color pallet toned down to mirror the morally gray area to which Notarile is leading us into. His camera work, given that this film was shot before "Choice," is a little more raw than in that short film...but given the subject matter, it's not only forgivable but commendable. It fits with the style he's attempting and it works.
"Stand Off" is a wonderfully contemporary throwback to early 90s crime dramas; the sense of dystopia cityscapes, subterfuge and bloodbaths are nearly in perfect harmony with "Reservoir Dogs" and other films of a similar nature. It's a piece of crime grit that touches a contemporary nerve...fusing into a display of dynamic characters, genuine suspense and humanity at its most raw.