deadbull-95171 Review of Painkiller

Painkiller (II) (2021)

Are we really meant to take this seriously?

[1/10 · 29 January 2023]

Not much more to say then the title of this comment. Oberst is an interesting film presence, at least on occasion, like in Stressed to Kill, but this is not one of them. The ridiculous mask he always wears, to establish himself as some sort of all-American fantasy action anti-hero, the extremely marginal acting by everyone involved, the wearisome rag of a plot, the endless repetition of his weird martyred vigilantism. The lack of depth in character development (everyone is already fully packaged as GOOD or BAD, or in plot development, are obvious from the start, as is the low budget cinematography, which while used brilliantly by people if they happen to be brilliant, here just seems shoddy. The movie just does not go anywhere. It's just a guy in a ridiculous mask that runs around with a 6 shooter killing guys associated with moving opioids Even the shootings are silly. The weapon, except for one occasion I recall where he uses a snubby, is always a long barreled 357 magnum, or certainly appears to be such. Now that caliber , particularly with a short barrel, produces significant recoil and often a lot of muzzle flash, not to mention the distinctive sound that is very loud. Here it sounds like a cap pistol, there is zero recoil, and he always fires it double action at speeds that would often give Jerry Miculek a run for his money. The biggest disappointment, beyond the poor film-making, is Oberst himself, who can bring a lot more to the table then he does here. But then, the script , confines him like a strait-jacket. A mask does not have to be a deal breaker. Urban in Dredd never takes his off the whole movie, but it actually becomes part of his hard shelled character, or some of the Batman movies, require it as a critical plot element of internal character schism or identity threat etc. In Painkiller it is just silly.. Is there anything redeeming here? Well, I have definitely seen worse, and, for the wrong reasons, usually because you are staring in fascination at something so stupid, it has moments that really are sort of eye-bugging, reality checks, like, am I really seeing something like this actually committed to film?.....and one that purports to take itself, and the audience, seriously? A few minutes of this are entertaining for those reasons, so if you're bored enough, give it a go.