For over 12 years, Jason Statham has been making his bread and butter from the action genre, and it seems he has reached a point where he can make a departure from the usual dumb action fare, and try his hand at something a bit more serious. He has shown it already with Hummingbird, and now he's at it again with Homefront, which lets him have the best of both worlds, mixing in some heavy drama with the hand to hand combat and shoot outs he seems most at home in.
Written by Sylvester Stallone (based on Chuck Logan's novel of the same name), the film sees Statham play retired DEA agent Phil Broker, who has moved, with his daughter Maddy (Izabela Vidovic), to a quiet town in Louisiana to get away from it all. When Maddy confronts a local bully in the school playground, events escalate until Broker finds himself and his daughter in danger from the bully's uncle, local meth kingpin Gator (James Franco).
Kicking off with a breathtaking action sequence, Homefront slows things down to reflect Broker's new, non violent attitude. There is a feel of classic 80's action movies from this and director Gary Fleder does well with the action scenes. The fight choreography is especially impressive, the hand to hand combat shot through with a rawness that makes you feel every punch. The movie takes it's time with the set up, very little action happening in the first two acts. Once all the players are in place, the story moves forward at a quick pace. Tension is built perfectly, events escalating between Broker and the bully's mother (an unrecognisable Kate Bosworth) from petty squabbling to Gator being brought into teach him a lesson. These early scenes are Homefront at it's best, showcasing the impressive cast assembled. Once Statham and Franco share the screen, the movie kicks into high gear, setting the stage for an impressive siege, complete with bodies getting shredded by bullets and flipping cars. The story does trade in some well worn cliches, but they never outstay their welcome, and there is enough going on here to make you overlook anything overly cheesy.
Statham really shows there is more to him than cracking faces, though he does do that VERY well, capturing the conflict within Broker, between staying and fighting the bad men to protecting his daughter. It's refreshing to see an action hero who doesn't resort to fighting back at the first sign of trouble, though you do get the sense that that guy is always bubbling under the surface. James Franco is equally impressive as a red neck drug baron. If the last thing you saw him in was This Is The End, or even as Hugh Hefner in Lovelace, you'll be in for quite a surprise. He exudes menace from his very first scene, playing a soft spoken villain just a hair trigger away from exploding. He plays off Statham extremely well, goading him at every turn in their scenes together. Bosworth plays Gator's drug addled sister a little too well, all sunken eyes and screeching voice. Winona Ryder and the always great Clancy Brown round out the supporting, with only Rachelle Lefevre as Statham's love interest being wasted. Though it's understandable that this would be dropped once the action kicks in.
I am actually surprised I enjoyed Homefront as much as I did. Much more that the usual action fare, it possess a compelling story at it's core, helped immensely by an impressive cast.
Written by Sylvester Stallone (based on Chuck Logan's novel of the same name), the film sees Statham play retired DEA agent Phil Broker, who has moved, with his daughter Maddy (Izabela Vidovic), to a quiet town in Louisiana to get away from it all. When Maddy confronts a local bully in the school playground, events escalate until Broker finds himself and his daughter in danger from the bully's uncle, local meth kingpin Gator (James Franco).
Kicking off with a breathtaking action sequence, Homefront slows things down to reflect Broker's new, non violent attitude. There is a feel of classic 80's action movies from this and director Gary Fleder does well with the action scenes. The fight choreography is especially impressive, the hand to hand combat shot through with a rawness that makes you feel every punch. The movie takes it's time with the set up, very little action happening in the first two acts. Once all the players are in place, the story moves forward at a quick pace. Tension is built perfectly, events escalating between Broker and the bully's mother (an unrecognisable Kate Bosworth) from petty squabbling to Gator being brought into teach him a lesson. These early scenes are Homefront at it's best, showcasing the impressive cast assembled. Once Statham and Franco share the screen, the movie kicks into high gear, setting the stage for an impressive siege, complete with bodies getting shredded by bullets and flipping cars. The story does trade in some well worn cliches, but they never outstay their welcome, and there is enough going on here to make you overlook anything overly cheesy.
Statham really shows there is more to him than cracking faces, though he does do that VERY well, capturing the conflict within Broker, between staying and fighting the bad men to protecting his daughter. It's refreshing to see an action hero who doesn't resort to fighting back at the first sign of trouble, though you do get the sense that that guy is always bubbling under the surface. James Franco is equally impressive as a red neck drug baron. If the last thing you saw him in was This Is The End, or even as Hugh Hefner in Lovelace, you'll be in for quite a surprise. He exudes menace from his very first scene, playing a soft spoken villain just a hair trigger away from exploding. He plays off Statham extremely well, goading him at every turn in their scenes together. Bosworth plays Gator's drug addled sister a little too well, all sunken eyes and screeching voice. Winona Ryder and the always great Clancy Brown round out the supporting, with only Rachelle Lefevre as Statham's love interest being wasted. Though it's understandable that this would be dropped once the action kicks in.
I am actually surprised I enjoyed Homefront as much as I did. Much more that the usual action fare, it possess a compelling story at it's core, helped immensely by an impressive cast.
