Title: Cartels Lionsgate Director: Keoni Waxman Writer: Keoni Waxman & Richard Beattie Cast: Steven Seagal, Luke Goss, Georges St-Pierre, Martine Argent, Florin Piersic Jr. Rated: R (Violence/Language) Running time: 100 min Special Features: Trailer Available: Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD September 19 U.S. Marshall Major Tom Jensen (Luke Goss, Death Race 2 & 3) joins a team of […]
The post Cartels DVD Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Cartels DVD Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/19/2017
- by JM Willis
- ShockYa
Stars: Steven Seagal, Luke Goss, Georges St-Pierre, Darren E. Scott, Florin Piersic Jr., Martine Argent, Lauro Chartrand, Bruce Crawford, Adina Galupa, Claudiu Bleont | Written by Keoni Waxman, Richard Beattie | Directed by Keoni Waxman
It has been a long time since I’ve reviewed a direct-to-market Steven Seagal movie, in fact its been some time since I’ve so much as watched one for my own “pleasure”. I skipped over Sniper: Special Ops, Asian Connection, Code of Honour, and the most recent Dtv release End of a Gun, maily because after buying, watching, and often reviewing, every single film starring Seagal until the aforementioned I was suffering from Seagal burnout… A condition that often comes about in an audience when they realise that the once-agile former martial arts superstar has succumbed to appearing in extended cameos in the hopes that long-suffering fans – like myself – will buy the film on his name...
It has been a long time since I’ve reviewed a direct-to-market Steven Seagal movie, in fact its been some time since I’ve so much as watched one for my own “pleasure”. I skipped over Sniper: Special Ops, Asian Connection, Code of Honour, and the most recent Dtv release End of a Gun, maily because after buying, watching, and often reviewing, every single film starring Seagal until the aforementioned I was suffering from Seagal burnout… A condition that often comes about in an audience when they realise that the once-agile former martial arts superstar has succumbed to appearing in extended cameos in the hopes that long-suffering fans – like myself – will buy the film on his name...
- 1/26/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Stars: Derek Theler, Erica Cerra, Arnold Vosloo, Paul du Toit, Wayne Harrison | Written by Sheldon Wilson, Richard Beattie | Directed by Sheldon Wilson
Good god. Has it come to this? Someone, somewhere decided that they wanted to make a heist movie. But how to sell it to international markets? Why not stick a shark in it! And so, by some massive stretch of the imagination Shark Killer was born. For this review I will be a lazy as the filmmakers… So here’s a cut and paste of the official synopsis:
They’ve always been present, they’ve always been deadly, and this summer they’re back in the water. When one of nature’s deadliest creatures threaten your town’s tourist-beach-boom-summer, you need one man with a very big knife. You need Chase Walker. When he’s not got his hands full as a lady killer, Chase Walker is a Shark Killer.
Good god. Has it come to this? Someone, somewhere decided that they wanted to make a heist movie. But how to sell it to international markets? Why not stick a shark in it! And so, by some massive stretch of the imagination Shark Killer was born. For this review I will be a lazy as the filmmakers… So here’s a cut and paste of the official synopsis:
They’ve always been present, they’ve always been deadly, and this summer they’re back in the water. When one of nature’s deadliest creatures threaten your town’s tourist-beach-boom-summer, you need one man with a very big knife. You need Chase Walker. When he’s not got his hands full as a lady killer, Chase Walker is a Shark Killer.
- 7/26/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Stars: Steven Seagal, Byron Mann, Vinnie Jones, Howard Dell, Adina Stetcu, Josh Barnett, Maria Bata, Dominte Cosmin, Sergiu Costache, George Remes | Written by Keoni Waxman, Richard Beattie | Directed by Keoni Waxman
Mercenary: Absolution is the latest direct to market offering from action superstar Steven Seagal and marks the sixth time Seagal has worked with director/producer Keoni Waxman, previous films including Force of Execution, A Dangerous Man as well as the fantastic Maximum Conviction. Waxman also helmed a number of episodes of Seagal’s TV show, True Justice (released here in the UK as a series of direct to DVD “movies” starting with Deadly Crossing).
This time round Seagal stars as contract killer John Alexander (not to be confused with contract killer/mercenary John Seeger from Seagal’s 2006 offering Mercenary For Justice) who – after fulfilling his latest mission to take out an arms dealer – encounters a girl on the run...
Mercenary: Absolution is the latest direct to market offering from action superstar Steven Seagal and marks the sixth time Seagal has worked with director/producer Keoni Waxman, previous films including Force of Execution, A Dangerous Man as well as the fantastic Maximum Conviction. Waxman also helmed a number of episodes of Seagal’s TV show, True Justice (released here in the UK as a series of direct to DVD “movies” starting with Deadly Crossing).
This time round Seagal stars as contract killer John Alexander (not to be confused with contract killer/mercenary John Seeger from Seagal’s 2006 offering Mercenary For Justice) who – after fulfilling his latest mission to take out an arms dealer – encounters a girl on the run...
- 6/1/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Stars: Steven Seagal, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Bren Foster | Written by Richard Beattie, Michael Black | Directed by Keoni Waxman
Steven Seagal has never been a big name in action movies for me. I’ve seen the popular ones he’s in such as the Under Siege movies but he never caught my interest like somebody like Jean-Claude Van Damme or Dolph Lundgren. This is probably why when I sat down to review Force of Execution I was more interested to see Danny Trejo’s name appear than Seagal, though even that is not a seal of quality.
In Force of Execution Steven Seagal plays Thomas Douglas a crime lord who has a desire to retire and get out of the life of crime. At the same time Ice Man (Ving Rhames) is looking to make his mark on the criminal underworld and take what Douglas has built. As Ice Man makes his move,...
Steven Seagal has never been a big name in action movies for me. I’ve seen the popular ones he’s in such as the Under Siege movies but he never caught my interest like somebody like Jean-Claude Van Damme or Dolph Lundgren. This is probably why when I sat down to review Force of Execution I was more interested to see Danny Trejo’s name appear than Seagal, though even that is not a seal of quality.
In Force of Execution Steven Seagal plays Thomas Douglas a crime lord who has a desire to retire and get out of the life of crime. At the same time Ice Man (Ving Rhames) is looking to make his mark on the criminal underworld and take what Douglas has built. As Ice Man makes his move,...
- 1/31/2014
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Anchor Bay's action thriller Force of Execution hits Blu-ray and DVD shelves on December 17th, 2013, and we've got 2 clips as well as the box art from the film starring Steven Seagal, Ving Rhames and Danny Trejo. Keoni Waxman directs from the writing by Richard Beattie and Michael Black. Steven Seagal stars as mob kingpin Mr. Alexander, an old-school boss who rules his criminal empire with both nobility and brutality. For a simple prison hit, he sends his best enforcer and protégé Roman Hurst (Foster). But when the hit goes wrong, Hurst is forced to pay the price of his “failure:” banishment in the city that he almost once ruled. But a war is brewing for the soul of the city between Alexander, a cold-blooded gangster known as ‘The Iceman” (Rhames), and a merciless Mexican cartel. Hurst, with the help of an ex-con restaurant owner (Trejo) who has a few hidden moves of his own,...
- 12/9/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Nothing screams the holidays quite like Steven Seagal phoning in a performance. And while I’m not suggesting that’s the case with “Force of Execution,” the odds are definitely not on his side. Sorry, big guy. I’ve seen “Black Dawn,” “Out of Reach,” and “Out for a Kill” a little under a dozen times each. I know your game inside and out. Written by Richard Beattie and Michael Black and directed by Keoni Waxman, “Force of Execution” finds Seagal portraying a mob boss who eventually squares off against another gangster. At least he’s not playing a former military type who’s out to save the world this time around. That alone is worth a look, I suppose. Here’s how Anchor Bay describes the flick: Steven Seagal stars as mob kingpin Mr. Alexander, an old-school boss who rules his criminal empire with both nobility and brutality. But...
- 11/26/2013
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
"If you don't maneuver, you'll be out maneuvered. If you're out maneuvered, you will be killed."
Pretty much everybody needs a big dose of badass to prepare for the holiday season, so thank goodness Steven Seagal is here to provide. Starting on December 17th, Force of Execution will be available on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as digital download, and if this trailer is any indication it will be absolutely jam-packed full of action, fight scenes, and mayhem. And Steven Seagal is not the only one bringing the badass. The movie also stars Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, and martial artist and actor Bren Foster, which sounds like one heck of a good time to us. Check out the trailer and see how many of Steven Seagal's many faces you can spot.
If that trailer wasn't enough to convince you to watch this movie, here's the synopsis:
In the film...
Pretty much everybody needs a big dose of badass to prepare for the holiday season, so thank goodness Steven Seagal is here to provide. Starting on December 17th, Force of Execution will be available on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as digital download, and if this trailer is any indication it will be absolutely jam-packed full of action, fight scenes, and mayhem. And Steven Seagal is not the only one bringing the badass. The movie also stars Ving Rhames, Danny Trejo, and martial artist and actor Bren Foster, which sounds like one heck of a good time to us. Check out the trailer and see how many of Steven Seagal's many faces you can spot.
If that trailer wasn't enough to convince you to watch this movie, here's the synopsis:
In the film...
- 10/23/2013
- by Mandy McAdoo
- Reelzchannel.com
Feature Matt Edwards 27 Mar 2013 - 07:10
Steven Seagal and Steve Austin star in the straight-to-video action flick, Maximum Conviction. Here are a few things Matt's found in it...
The conviction of newly released straight-to-video action movie fight-fest Maximum Conviction was never in doubt. The film is set in a prison, after all. But its maximumness? That’s raised a few questions. I’m in the question answering business, so I sat down to watch the film to see just how maximum it was. The answer is that it was surprisingly maximum. In fact, it was so maximum that I felt compelled to list the 10 most maximum things about it. Why 10? Because it’s the maximum the editors would allow me.
Maximum Steven
How many violent Stevens can one action film handle? I’ve always assumed the answer to be one, but Maximum Conviction brings us both ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and ‘Stone Colder’ Steven Seagal.
Steven Seagal and Steve Austin star in the straight-to-video action flick, Maximum Conviction. Here are a few things Matt's found in it...
The conviction of newly released straight-to-video action movie fight-fest Maximum Conviction was never in doubt. The film is set in a prison, after all. But its maximumness? That’s raised a few questions. I’m in the question answering business, so I sat down to watch the film to see just how maximum it was. The answer is that it was surprisingly maximum. In fact, it was so maximum that I felt compelled to list the 10 most maximum things about it. Why 10? Because it’s the maximum the editors would allow me.
Maximum Steven
How many violent Stevens can one action film handle? I’ve always assumed the answer to be one, but Maximum Conviction brings us both ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and ‘Stone Colder’ Steven Seagal.
- 3/26/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Maximum Conviction
Stars: Steven Seagal, Steve Austin, Bren Foster, Steph Song, Aliyah O’Brien, Michael Pare | Written by Richard Beattie | Directed by Keoni Waxman
Yes, you read that cast list right, two of the biggest straight to DVD action stars, ex-cniematic hard man Steven Seagal and former WWE wrestler ”Stone Cold” Steve Austin have teamed up under the auspices of director Keoni Waxman, who previously directed Austin in the better than average Hunt to Kill and eight episodes of Seagal’s TV series True Justice, for a film that sees the duo star as former black ops turned partners Steele (Seagal) and Manning (Austin) who are assigned to decommission an old prison and oversee the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners… However before long, an elite force of mercenaries assault the prison in search of the new arrivals. As the true identities of the women are revealed, Steele realizes he...
Stars: Steven Seagal, Steve Austin, Bren Foster, Steph Song, Aliyah O’Brien, Michael Pare | Written by Richard Beattie | Directed by Keoni Waxman
Yes, you read that cast list right, two of the biggest straight to DVD action stars, ex-cniematic hard man Steven Seagal and former WWE wrestler ”Stone Cold” Steve Austin have teamed up under the auspices of director Keoni Waxman, who previously directed Austin in the better than average Hunt to Kill and eight episodes of Seagal’s TV series True Justice, for a film that sees the duo star as former black ops turned partners Steele (Seagal) and Manning (Austin) who are assigned to decommission an old prison and oversee the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners… However before long, an elite force of mercenaries assault the prison in search of the new arrivals. As the true identities of the women are revealed, Steele realizes he...
- 10/26/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Watch 2 new clips from Keoni Waxman's Maximum Conviction action movie, starring Steven Seagal and Steve Austin Anchor Bay Films has sent along 2 videos from the film also produced by Seagal and Austin, and including Michael Paré, Aliyah O’Brien and Bren Foster in the cast. The film finds DVD and Blu-ray release on November 6th, 2012 and is scripted by Richard Beattie. When former black ops operative Tom Steele (Steven Seagal) and his partner Manning (Steve Austin) are assigned to decommission an old prison, they must oversee the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners. Before long, an elite force of mercenaries assault the prison in search of the new arrivals. As the true identities of the women are revealed, Steele realizes...
- 10/25/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch 2 new clips from Keoni Waxman's Maximum Conviction action movie, starring Steven Seagal and Steve Austin Anchor Bay Films has sent along 2 videos from the film also produced by Seagal and Austin, and including Michael Paré, Aliyah O’Brien and Bren Foster in the cast. The film finds DVD and Blu-ray release on November 6th, 2012 and is scripted by Richard Beattie. When former black ops operative Tom Steele (Steven Seagal) and his partner Manning (Steve Austin) are assigned to decommission an old prison, they must oversee the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners. Before long, an elite force of mercenaries assault the prison in search of the new arrivals. As the true identities of the women are revealed, Steele realizes...
- 10/25/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch a new clip from Keoni Waxman's Maximum Conviction action flick starring Steven Seagal and Steve Austin. Helmed by Waxman from the script b Richard Beattie, Maximum Convicition finds Blu-ray and DVD release via Anchor Bay Films on November 6th. Also int he cast are Michael Paré, Aliyah O’Brien and Bren Foster. When former black ops operative Tom Steele (Steven Seagal) and his partner Manning (Steve Austin) are assigned to decommission an old prison, they must oversee the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners. Before long, an elite force of mercenaries assault the prison in search of the new arrivals. As the true identities of the women are revealed, Steele realizes he's caught in the middle of something far bigger than he had imagined. Fists will fly and bones will shatter as the situation escalates with every passing minute.
- 9/28/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch a new clip from Keoni Waxman's Maximum Conviction action flick starring Steven Seagal and Steve Austin. Helmed by Waxman from the script b Richard Beattie, Maximum Convicition finds Blu-ray and DVD release via Anchor Bay Films on November 6th. Also int he cast are Michael Paré, Aliyah O’Brien and Bren Foster. When former black ops operative Tom Steele (Steven Seagal) and his partner Manning (Steve Austin) are assigned to decommission an old prison, they must oversee the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners. Before long, an elite force of mercenaries assault the prison in search of the new arrivals. As the true identities of the women are revealed, Steele realizes he's caught in the middle of something far bigger than he had imagined. Fists will fly and bones will shatter as the situation escalates with every passing minute.
- 9/28/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out Steven Seagal and Steve Austin in action in the trailer, images and poster for Anchor Bay Films' flick Maximum Conviction which hits DVD and Blu-ray on Keoni Waxman directs from the sript by Richard Beattie, while stars Austin and Seagal produce. In Maximum Conviction, when former black ops operative Tom Steele (Steven Seagal) and his partner Manning (Steve Austin) are assigned to decommission an old prison, they must oversee the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners. Before long, an elite force of mercenaries assault the prison in search of the new arrivals. As the true identities of the women are revealed, Steele realizes he's caught in the middle of something far bigger than he had imagined. Fists will fly and bones will shatter as the situation escalates with every passing minute.
- 9/11/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out Steven Seagal and Steve Austin in action in the trailer, images and poster for Anchor Bay Films' flick Maximum Conviction which hits DVD and Blu-ray on Keoni Waxman directs from the sript by Richard Beattie, while stars Austin and Seagal produce. In Maximum Conviction, when former black ops operative Tom Steele (Steven Seagal) and his partner Manning (Steve Austin) are assigned to decommission an old prison, they must oversee the arrival of two mysterious female prisoners. Before long, an elite force of mercenaries assault the prison in search of the new arrivals. As the true identities of the women are revealed, Steele realizes he's caught in the middle of something far bigger than he had imagined. Fists will fly and bones will shatter as the situation escalates with every passing minute.
- 9/11/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
"High Plains Invaders", the 2009 science fiction television film, starring James Marsters, that aired on Syfy, is now available on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada :
"...in 1892, a train robber about to be handed for his crimes, his former sweetheart, a lady bounty hunter and an eccentric mine owner, try to escape a swarm of murderous 'alien bugs' that have landed to feed on the uranium deposits found under their Old West town..."
Filmed in Romania, "High Plains Invaders" is directed by K.T. Donaldson and produced by Ric Nish from a screenplay by Richard Beattie.
Cast also includes Cindy Sampson, Sebastian Knapp and Sammy Van Heteren.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "High Plains Invaders"...
"...in 1892, a train robber about to be handed for his crimes, his former sweetheart, a lady bounty hunter and an eccentric mine owner, try to escape a swarm of murderous 'alien bugs' that have landed to feed on the uranium deposits found under their Old West town..."
Filmed in Romania, "High Plains Invaders" is directed by K.T. Donaldson and produced by Ric Nish from a screenplay by Richard Beattie.
Cast also includes Cindy Sampson, Sebastian Knapp and Sammy Van Heteren.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "High Plains Invaders"...
- 11/12/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
The Syfy channel has over a hundred and fifty original movies to its credit and High Plains Invaders is one of their sillier titled numbers, but worth a look, nonetheless. The Syfy channel bills High Plains Invaders as "the Old West will not know what hit it, when cowboys and aliens square of in the ultimate showdown" (Syfy). The film is a genre bender and action packed, which the promo' shows. The movie clip below also displays an homage to the classic War of the Worlds, minus the pistoleros. A play on words of High Plains Drifter, High Plains Invaders will release on DVD April 6th. Several other Syfy original films are at the film's website, also below.
The synopsis for High Plains Invaders:
"After a good-hearted outlaw turns himself in for a fatal accident, the guilt-ridden Sam Phoenix is ready to be hanged when an unexpected pardon arrives...
The synopsis for High Plains Invaders:
"After a good-hearted outlaw turns himself in for a fatal accident, the guilt-ridden Sam Phoenix is ready to be hanged when an unexpected pardon arrives...
- 3/7/2010
- by Michael Ross Allen
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Having just portrayed an alien invader is the deplorable Dragonball: Evolution, perhaps James Marsters starring in a Syfy movie about alien bugs attacking a Wild West town might actually be a step up. Dust off your cowboy hats, folks, 'cause here come the High Plains Invaders.
High Plains Invaders casts the former Spike of "Buffy" and "Angel" as Sam Danville, a guilt-ridden outlaw who arrives in a small Old West town to be executed for his various crimes. Just before he's to be hanged, voracious giant bugs from outer space fall to earth to gorge themselves on the uranium deposits found in the town's ground. Danville finds himself the reluctant leader of a small group of townsfolk against the extraterrestrial insect onslaught.
Included in that group is a nurse who also happens to the woman Danville regretfully abandoned years earlier, a scientist who discovered the uranium mine attracting the space bugs,...
High Plains Invaders casts the former Spike of "Buffy" and "Angel" as Sam Danville, a guilt-ridden outlaw who arrives in a small Old West town to be executed for his various crimes. Just before he's to be hanged, voracious giant bugs from outer space fall to earth to gorge themselves on the uranium deposits found in the town's ground. Danville finds himself the reluctant leader of a small group of townsfolk against the extraterrestrial insect onslaught.
Included in that group is a nurse who also happens to the woman Danville regretfully abandoned years earlier, a scientist who discovered the uranium mine attracting the space bugs,...
- 4/20/2009
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
TORONTO -- Tom Conti ("Shirley Valentine") and Joely Collins ("The Dead Zone") have joined the cast of Shel Piercy's romantic comedy feature "Almost Heaven", shooting in suburban Vancouver and Glasgow, it was announced Tuesday. The quirky Canada/U.K. co-production between Vancouver-based Infinity films and London-based Rafford Films also stars Donal Logue ("The Tao of Steve") and Kirsty Mitchell ("Greyfriars"). Collins plays a bitter ex-wife starring in a TV fishing show shot in the Scottish Borders region by a charismatic, mostly drunk director (Logue), to whom her character was once married. Piercy wrote the feature screenplay with Richard Beattie. Producer credits go to Cynthia Chapman of Infinity and Allan Scott for Rafford, while Peter Simpson and Dan Carriere are executive producing. Norstar Films is distributing "Almost Heaven", which is set for a December release.
Briefly encamping in theaters on its way to the video store, "Grizzly Falls" is a heavy-handed, nonsensical family adventure about a turn-of-the-century (as in the 1900s) 13-year-old boy who finds himself abducted by an angry mother bear after hunters cage her cubs.
While it obviously has Imax-sized aspirations, this live-action Canada-U.K. co-production actually plays more like TV's "Grizzly Adams" or "Gentle Ben", minus any trace of charm or logic.
Richard Harris, looking fairly grizzly himself, serves as Harry Bankston, the picture's omnipresent narrator, as he recounts to his wide-eyed grandchildren the story of his unforgettable trip to Grizzly Falls so many years ago.
Flash back to 1913, when recently widowed adventurer Tyrone Bankston (Bryan Brown) makes an effort to atone for his long absences by taking Young Harry (Daniel Clark) on a bear-hunting expedition into the Canadian Wild West.
When the elder Bankston's plans to capture rather than kill his intended prey with a heavy-duty tranquilizing dart go terribly awry, the highly agitated mama bear, upon finding her cubs locked up, takes Harry hostage by dragging him from the campsite.
Unharmed but not wanting to do anything to further upset the animal, Harry and the grizzly end up forming a close bond as they traverse the mighty Rockies, teaching each other about trust and sharing tips for food foraging.
Meanwhile, as the boy and bear go over the mountains, Tyrone and his hunting party, which includes the obligatory noble Indian tracker (Tom Jackson), desperately try to pick up their scent.
Alternately stilted and silly, the seriously intentioned parable, scripted by Richard Beattie ("Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil") and directed by Stewart Raffill (the most recent "Swiss Family Robinson" remake), will also likely prove too intense for a good chunk of its family-oriented audience. Each time the grizzly emits a menacing growl, it sounds as if she has been dubbed by Godzilla.
Also contributing to the sonic overload is the brash, persistent score (credited to David Reilly and Paul J. Zaza), which is, in a word, overbearing.
GRIZZLY FALLS
Providence Entertainment
Providence Entertainment and Behaviour Worldwide and Norstar Filmed Entertainment
in association with Le Sabre present
a Peter Simpson and Allan Scott production
Director:Stewart Raffill
Producers:Peter R. Simpson and Allan Scott
Screenwriter:Richard Beattie
Story:Stuart Margolin
Executive producers:Mark Damon, Raylan Jensen, Georges Campana
Director of photography:Thom Best
Production designer:Tom Carnegie
Editor:Nick Rotundo
Costume designer:Minda Johansen
Music: David Reilly and Paul J. Zaza
Color/stereo
Cast:
Tyrone Bankston:Bryan Brown
Joshua:Tom Jackson
Genet:Oliver Tobias
Young Harry:Daniel Clark
Old Harry:Richard Harris
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
While it obviously has Imax-sized aspirations, this live-action Canada-U.K. co-production actually plays more like TV's "Grizzly Adams" or "Gentle Ben", minus any trace of charm or logic.
Richard Harris, looking fairly grizzly himself, serves as Harry Bankston, the picture's omnipresent narrator, as he recounts to his wide-eyed grandchildren the story of his unforgettable trip to Grizzly Falls so many years ago.
Flash back to 1913, when recently widowed adventurer Tyrone Bankston (Bryan Brown) makes an effort to atone for his long absences by taking Young Harry (Daniel Clark) on a bear-hunting expedition into the Canadian Wild West.
When the elder Bankston's plans to capture rather than kill his intended prey with a heavy-duty tranquilizing dart go terribly awry, the highly agitated mama bear, upon finding her cubs locked up, takes Harry hostage by dragging him from the campsite.
Unharmed but not wanting to do anything to further upset the animal, Harry and the grizzly end up forming a close bond as they traverse the mighty Rockies, teaching each other about trust and sharing tips for food foraging.
Meanwhile, as the boy and bear go over the mountains, Tyrone and his hunting party, which includes the obligatory noble Indian tracker (Tom Jackson), desperately try to pick up their scent.
Alternately stilted and silly, the seriously intentioned parable, scripted by Richard Beattie ("Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil") and directed by Stewart Raffill (the most recent "Swiss Family Robinson" remake), will also likely prove too intense for a good chunk of its family-oriented audience. Each time the grizzly emits a menacing growl, it sounds as if she has been dubbed by Godzilla.
Also contributing to the sonic overload is the brash, persistent score (credited to David Reilly and Paul J. Zaza), which is, in a word, overbearing.
GRIZZLY FALLS
Providence Entertainment
Providence Entertainment and Behaviour Worldwide and Norstar Filmed Entertainment
in association with Le Sabre present
a Peter Simpson and Allan Scott production
Director:Stewart Raffill
Producers:Peter R. Simpson and Allan Scott
Screenwriter:Richard Beattie
Story:Stuart Margolin
Executive producers:Mark Damon, Raylan Jensen, Georges Campana
Director of photography:Thom Best
Production designer:Tom Carnegie
Editor:Nick Rotundo
Costume designer:Minda Johansen
Music: David Reilly and Paul J. Zaza
Color/stereo
Cast:
Tyrone Bankston:Bryan Brown
Joshua:Tom Jackson
Genet:Oliver Tobias
Young Harry:Daniel Clark
Old Harry:Richard Harris
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 1/27/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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