I never thought I would say this much less open a review with it but this film whose screenplay is written by Sylvester Stallone is way too complicated. When I go to a film starring Jason Statham as an undercover cop being hunted by a drug dealer (James Franco)...I don't want to think. Don't get me wrong...I highly respect both of these actors and they are both obviously very smart men but the film goes off in too many directions about how Gator, the drug dealer needs to get this and Phil, the undercover cop needs to do this. All I want is to see Statham kick some serious butt. My wish doesn't go completely unfulfilled but there's simply not enough to justify sitting through a two hour film that features 90 minutes of boring, pointless dialogue and a 20 minute final scene with a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion.
I'll try my best to explain the plot without giving any of the contrived plot twists away. Here it goes---Statham plays Phil Broker, an undercover cop who moves to a small town. When his daughter beats up a fellow student, the student's mother, Cassie (Kate Bosworth) will not have any of it. She hires her brother, Gator (Franco)...a local drug dealer to simply scare him. However, when Phil makes things right with Cassie and she becomes sympathetic to him...Gator finds out that through ways that are way too complex to go into detail about, Phil can help his drug business. Gator is no nonsense and all business so naturally he becomes determined to catch Phil no matter how much Cassie tries to persuade him otherwise.
Homefront is not a terrible film by any stretch of the imagination. After giving a career high in Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers...Franco once again proves just how versatile of an actor he is. He plays the deep fried southern villain with such realism and terror that I was afraid he was actually going to come out of the screen and shoot me. As well...Statham, an actor I have found incredibly charming and fun ever since Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels makes Phil an incredibly sympathetic and nice character even when he's throwing dudes through windows. Statham is not a typical action star a la Jean Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagal and I mean that in the best way possible. He's a really good actor who just so happens to be able to kick butt.
The problem I had with the film is that Sylvester Stallone and director Gary Fleder (Runaway Jury, Don't Say A Word) fill the screen with too many attempts at explanation as to why characters are doing what they're doing. These end up falling flat not only because they don't matter at all in a film like this but also because the explanations make absolutely no sense. They end up feeling too forced into the script to make a logical film and end up making the film significantly more illogical in the process. Also....the film is way too long. If Fleder and Stallone just cut out 20 minutes of the film then I would have been a happier man. Although I liked Phil's relationship with his daughter...there are a few too many scenes showing the audience just how much Phil cares for his daughter, for example. Another example would be Sheryl (Winona Ryder), Gator's plaything and assistant who adds nothing to the story and actually makes Gator a little less threatening when introduced. I generally like Ryder as an actress but it was not only an unnecessary character but a terrible performance.
Homefront is my least favorite type of film to write a review on. I neither hated it or loved it. I had a very middle of the road reaction and that bores me. I can only say that I hope Franco and Statham continue being the very talented actors they are but in better films.
(2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief sexuality)
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