REVIEW: The Infernal Machine (2022) - Starring Guy Pearce, Alice Eve, Jeremy Davies and Alex Pettyfer

Review by Jon Donnis

The last time I saw Guy Pearce he was making a cameo in the last ever episode of Australian soap Neighbours, well he is back in a feature film called The Infernal Machine, sadly this is not some sci-fi film about erm.. an erm.. Infernal Machine, no that is the name of a book written by a reclusive author Bruce Cogburn, (played by Guy Pearce).

Cogburn has been living alone for years after a book he released inspired Dwight Tufford (Alex Pettyfer) to kill 13 people in a school shooting, he did so using a rifle while positioned on a clock tower, we learn of the tragic events through a news report. Cogburn hasn't written a book since the tragic events.

Despite living in the middle of nowhere, with no phone and no television, Cogburn starts receiving letters from someone called William DuKent, DuKent is seemingly a crazed fan, and he starts sending more and more letters and parcels, and keeps managing to find Cogburn's location.

Cogburn seeks help from Officer Laura Higgins (Alice Eve), and she joins in on trying to find out about this DuKent chap, after things start to get weirder and weirder.

Throw in flashbacks to Cogburn's younger days as a professor, and him giving lectures and talking to his student Elijah Barett (Jeremy Davies), and we soon learn the impact that his book being the influence for a school shooting had on him.

Now of course this is a thriller, so we need some twists and turns, as well as Cognurn going from quiet recluse slightly annoyed by some fan mail, to a paranoid man ready to shoot anyone in the head if they get too close to his house and we have a rather interesting film.

The Good

A strong plot point leads to an interesting film, Guy Pearce is an excellent actor, and he is onscreen for most of the film and he does carry it. When the twists and turns do come, they aren't too obvious, and are delivered well.

The Bad

At about 1 hour 47 minutes before credits, the film feels a little long and drags in parts, I also found certain bits confusing, and I feel like certain elements were not explained well enough, although a second viewing might help that.

Overall

If the film was cut by 17 minutes to get it to a nice 90-minute total, and perhaps a better explanation of some of the main twists, then this film would have been better, as it is though, I did enjoy it, and found Guy Pearce to once again carry a film on his back to a higher level than it would have been without him.

I score The Infernal Machine a fair 7/10

Out now on Amazon Prime - https://amzn.to/3LRNBuH

REVIEW: The Spy Who Never Dies (2022) - Starring Paul O’Brien

Review By Jon Donnis

We are back once again, and this time we have an action/rom-com/spy/thriller for you. The Spy Who Never Dies is directed by Corey Pearson and stars Paul O'Brien in the lead role as Brad an international spy who falls in love with a veterinarian, while the world around him is falling apart..

Clearly this film is a bit of a spoof on James Bond, and from pretty much the first moment, you will realise that it does not take itself at all too seriously. 

The film starts with Brad meeting with his boss, he is sick of the spy life, he is starting to feel like he is no more than just a run of the mill assassin, so he wants out, he wants to lead a normal life, with no guns, no bad guys, no saving the world. 

He is convinced to take a break instead of just quitting, but before you know it, he is called to assassinate a bad guy who happens to love dogs. Upon doing the deed, he tries to walk away but sees a dog that needs help, so he grabs the dog and takes it to a vet. While at the vet he meets a woman he instantly falls in love with, despite the dog poop on her face. Veronica (played by Georgia Walters) seems like a normal girl, everything Brad is looking for, he drops the dog off, and agrees to return later to pick it up. When he does, he takes some flowers, a bee in the flowers stings her, and she goes into anaphylactic shock, he uses his spy phone to make an EpiPen, but she has a heart defect which means when her heart beats too fast it stops, and she can die. He manages to save her with his spy phone. But as you can see, when you are a world class international spy, these things can happen when you just want to be normal.

Throw in some Russians with stolen hypersonic missiles, a female spy who wants to steal the "big load", (yes there are quite a few "big load" jokes) who also hates Brad, and wants to destroy the world, and you have a pretty standard Spy film storyline, but wrapped in comedy and romance.

Despite being a satire of spy films, the film itself works well within the genre. It has everything you would expect, fight scenes, chases, action sequences, dumb Russians and sexy women.

The film deliberately throws every cliche you can think of at you, and manages to walk the fine line between satire/comedy and just poor parody.

Now the budget isn't huge, so this is firmly in the "low budget" film genre, but they do well here with what they have, and I was pleasantly surprised, as I did scan through the film a few days back and I wasn't too impressed, but when I sat down to watch it, I soon forgot about the low budget and just enjoyed a nice satirical spy film. Paul O'Brien does a good job as the lead, and Georgia Walters is impressive as the love interest.

The Good

A fun film that I enjoyed, nice set pieces, good action, and a decent if cliched story.

The Bad

Despite running only about 90 minutes, I feel like a few scenes could have been cut without affecting the film, and some of the comedy scenes in general tightened up. If this film ran for 80 minutes or even 75 minutes, I think it would play better.

Overall

A simple, comedy spy film with a bit of romance thrown in, what more could you want?

I score The Spy Who Never Dies a solid 8/10

Coming to the UK on Digital Soon in 2022

Currently streaming in Australia on Stan Australia

REVIEW: Orphan: First Kill (2022) - Starring Isabelle Fuhrman and Julia Stiles

Review By Jon Donnis

Have you ever started watching a film and then instantly thought you had seen it before? Well, I felt that way about Orphan First Kill, so I quickly got on google and realised this is a prequel of a 2009 film, with the same actress in the lead role

If you have never seen Orphan (2009), it is basically a film about a 9-year-old girl adopted by a family, but the girl is really a 33-year-old psychopath who suffers with a disease which has stunted her growth and left her looking like a child.

Orphan: First Kill is a prequel which covers the years before the first film.

The film starts in Estonia in 2007, Leena Klammer (played by Isabelle Fuhrman) is a psychiatric patient at the Saarne Institute. Although she looks like a child, she is in fact a 31-year woman. One day she seduces a guard, steals his key and then kills him. She hides in the car of a therapist who was visiting the institute and escapes. She then breaks into the therapist's house and kills her. Leena discovers that she has a strong resemblance to a missing girl from the United States called Esther Albright.

Posing as the missing child, a police officer approaches her and she tells him that her parents are in America.

We switch to Connecticut and Esthers parents, Tricia Albright (Julia Stiles) and Allen Albright (Rossif Sutherland) are informed by Inspector Donnan ( Hiro Kanagawa) that Esther has been found. Tricia goes to the American Embassy in Moscow and is reunited with the supposed long-lost Esther.

Esther is brought to America and reunited with the whole family. And of course, this is where the fun starts.

I won't say any more as it would ruin the film, but it is worth noting that although so far, the film starts pretty similarly to the original, it does diverge, and there are twists and turns in there that you might not expect.

Since Isabelle Fuhrman is 1 meter 60 centimetres in real life, they do use a body double for certain scenes, for example shots taken from behind, from running and so on, and all the close-up shots are of Isabelle Fuhrman. This can look a bit silly at times, as it is really obvious that it is a different person, but I suppose it had to be done.

The film doesn't feel as warped as the original, and is a bit campier, although it remains serious throughout.

The one big difference between this film and the original is that you might find yourself cheering on the Leena/Esther character more than you did in the original, in which she was 100% the bad guy.

The Good

An interesting idea to make a prequel 13 years after the original and use the same actress to play an even younger version of herself, but it does work. More of a thriller than a horror, which helps it stand alone as a film.

The Bad

A bit too similar to the first film, and the shots of the body double are laughable at times.

Overall

Surprisingly good, I didn't think I would enjoy it after the first ten minutes, but I got into it, and the ending is also fun. The twist is unexpected and adds a whole new element to the film.

I score Orphan: First Kill a fair 7/10

In Cinemas, On Digital and Streaming on Paramount+ on August 19 - https://amzn.to/3AyEJpK

Signature presents Orphan: First Kill on Digital 31st October. DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD alongside Orphan & Orphan: First Kill Blu-ray box-set 14th November - Pre-Order at https://amzn.to/3r2CF3I

REVIEW: Fall (2022) - Starring Virginia Gardner and Grace Caroline Currey

Review by Jon Donnis

Sometimes films are made which are totally predictable, almost from the very start to the very end, you the viewer can call out in advance pretty much everything that will happen. Fall is one of those films. But that doesn't always mean the film is bad, we as humans like patterns, we see them everywhere, we like to be able to predict things, as it makes us feel better about ourselves, throw in a story that will set your anxiety levels to the very top, and you can sometimes end up with a pretty decent outcome.

The film starts with Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner) climbing a mountain, along with Dan (Mason Gooding), everything is going well until Dan falls to his death. As you can imagine this is not an ideal situation.

Before you know it, Becky and Hunter have decided to honour Dan by climbing a 2000 foot, abandoned radio tower in the middle of nowhere, to not only conquer their fears and push their limits, but also so they can release Dan's ashes from the top.

Of course, the abandoned radio tower is covered in rust, and as they climb it quickly becomes clear that the ladder is barely being held into place by the rusty screws.

As I said you already know everything that is going to happen, don't you?

Despite knowing what is going to happen, you will still find yourself shouting at the screen, calling people stupid, yet also sitting on the edge of your seat while you wait for the worst to happen.

And that is where this film is very clever, and very well filmed.

Granted it takes a good 20 minutes before they start the climb, and let's be realistic, that is what you want to see. Of course, there is a storyline in there, revelations about the characters personal lives, that is all expected, but it really isn't that important.

Also worth noting is a ridiculous subplot that is used as an excuse to have Virginia Gardner with a heaving bosom, a smart director knows exactly what he was doing there.

PS. There is a little twist at the end, but don't tell anyone.

The Good

For what is a very limited plot point, the film does a really good job of creating tension, and dragging out the peril. You will shout at the screen, you will call people stupid, you will come up with a hundred smarter decisions the girls could have made, and that is all the fun of watching the film.

Beautifully shot, and even the couple of dodgy CGI moments are forgivable in the grand scheme of things.

The Bad

When a film has a limited plot point, everything needs to be kept tight, and I think at over 95 minutes excluding the credits, the film is a little long, they could easily have shaved off 20 minutes without affecting the enjoyment of the film.

Overall

Completely predictable film which I thought was a lot of fun. Just because you know what is going to happen, doesn't in any way detract from what is a nice little film that actually has a really satisfying ending.

I score Fall a solid 8/10

Signature Entertainment presents Fall on Digital Platforms 14th November and Blu-ray & DVD 28th November

REVIEW: Stowaway (2022) Starring Ruby Rose and Frank Grillo

Review by Jon Donnis

I cannot remember the last time i saw a Ruby Rose film, however I seem to see Frank Grillo in films almost weekly. With that said, this is very much a Ruby Rose film.

Ruby Rose plays Bella Denton, her father has died and left her a beautiful yacht, despite her fear of water and being unable to swim, when she sees the fancy boat which includes a master bedroom, bar, and a jacuzzie, she quickly learns to appreciate this amazing gift her father has left for her.

After being shown around the boat, she is told she can't stay on it until the paperwork has been completed, so she heads off to a bar. She "pulls" Michael (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and invites him back to the yacht for a night of passion once the area is quiet. When waking up she realises the boat is no longer at the port and that a group of three men have taken over the boat with the aim of breaking into the safe. Michael decides to jump and swim for it to get help, Bella due to not being able to swim, stays on board.

At this point you would expect a nice little thriller as Bella uses some imaginative skills to take out the bad guys, unfortunately instead of that we just get long pieces of dialog as the bad guys try to break into the safe. Some boat cops do turn up after getting a call from Bella, but they quickly give up after a look around the boat.

We have Frank Grillo who is barely in the movie, as is Patrick Schwarzenegger, which is a shame, as both come across as likeable characters when they are on screen.

I think the main problem with the film is that Ruby Rose is never quite made to look kick ass and in her first proper fight with a bad guy, she is easily overpowered and has to be saved by a man!

The plot itself is ok, I have no problem with the storyline, I just think the film does a disservice to Ruby who is a great actress and can be a great kickass actress when given the chance.

The Good

I liked the storyline, and the ending is satisfying. 

The Bad

The film is perhaps let down by its small budget and lack of decent action scenes.

Overall

This is an average film, and is perfectly watchable on a Saturday night, but perhaps not the best use of Ruby Rose's talents.

I score Stowaway a fair 6/10

Out Now on Amazon Prime - https://amzn.to/3DMdfii

TRAILER - The Cancer Conflict

 

The Cancer Conflict –  a poignant and important feature documentary from acclaimed director Thomas Meadmore (The Spy Who Fell to Earth, The Night Caller), released to coincide with World Cancer Research Day on 24 September 2022.

‘Tricky yet involving…  both remain compelling figures, eliciting natural sympathy and concern as they eye the enemy within…

Meadmore bides ever-more-valuable time, monitoring his subjects’ ebbs and flows, allowing them to make their own choices and us to form our own opinions, before finally ensuring the facts of these poignant case studies speak for themselves’ - The Guardian

This tender and compelling feature tells the important and personal stories of Grant and Surinder as they take fundamentally different approaches to their cancer treatment, exploring the complicated world of approved and alternative treatment methods. Poignant and pertinent, this feature examines the turmoil of making decisions that will change their lives – and the lives of those around them – forever. 

The Cancer Conflict out now on digital platforms - https://amzn.to/3f4OUtZ

REVIEW: Terror on the Prairie (2022) - Starring Gina Carano, Nick Searcy and Donald Cerrone

Review by Jon Donnis

I have to admit that I am a little late getting round to seeing Terror on the Prairie, as it has been out for a few months. I am a big fan of Gina Carano, and the way she was treated by Disney was pretty damn disgraceful, well now she is making films under the Daily Wire film studio, and Terror on the Prairie is the latest film to feature her in the lead. And also interesting to note that the far left Wikipedia has refused to cover this film at all.

The story starts with a group of outlaws, , Long Hair (Tyler Fischer), The Kid (Gabriel Kane Day-Lewis), and Gold Tooth (Heath Freeman) chasing and beating down on a man. The leader of the group , Captain Miller (Nick Searcy) reads from the bible as they deliver their punishment to the man, he finally joins in and scalps the man.

We then cross to Jeb (Donald Cerrone) and Hattie McAllister (Gina Carano), they are struggling to survive and leading a tough life, Hattie wants to return to St. Louis, Jeb decides to go into town to get supplies as well as look for work, leaving Hattie and her, her son Will (Rhys Becker) and their baby Beth behind.

Not long after Jeb leaves, the same outlaws we saw earlier turn up to the property, Hattie offers water and food to them, but while outside she notices scalps hanging from one of the horse, she realises quickly these are bad men, so once back in the house and while the men are praying before eating, she pulls a shotgun out and orders them to leave.

At first they do, but before you know it they are back with Hattie and her children stuck inside the house.

What follows is a film about a woman trying her best to protect herself and her kids from evil outlaws.

Gina Carano puts in a strong performance here and is a strong female lead that we keep hearing there is not enough of. Despite her history as a MMA fighter, the filmmakers do not go down the route of her kicking ass with her bare hands, as it would seem a bit ridiculous for a woman in this time period who is basically a home maker and mother, to have some crazy fighting skills, instead she tries her best with various guns, which does come across more believable, although there is part of me that would have liked to have see her use some of her skills to take down the baddies.

Despite Donald Cerrone being billed pretty prominently in the film, he is only in it at the very start and then towards the very end, it seems a shame he wasn't given more to do, since there are many people who would have watched this film to see him.

The ending is satisfying if a bit predictable.

The Good

A strong female lead, a simple story, easy to follow and the good guys coming out on top.

The Bad

Some periods without much happening could have been edited out, 1 hour 40 minutes without the credits, felt a little long, I feel like this should have been an 80 minute film.

Overall

The Daily Wire have had some great films recently, I think this film does miss the mark in a few areas, but overall is a watchable and enjoyable film. Another one to add to Gina's ever growing filmography.

I score Terror on the Prairie a fair 7/10

Out now on Amazon Prime - https://amzn.to/3DzoNoU

REVIEW: The Man from Toronto (2022) - Stars Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson

Review by Jon Donnis

Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson are back in the latest big Netflix action comedy. 

Kevin Hart plays Teddy, a grifter trying to make it big with various online tutorial business ideas. Failure after failure leads Teddy to try to sell his idea of non-contact boxing to local gym owner Marty (Martin Roach), Marty of course rejects the idea, as well as pointing out some fliers that Teddy made for him had no address or phone number on them for his gym.

Teddy feeling down wants to do something for his wife Lori, (Jasmine Mathews), so he decides to send her on a spa day, and book a secluded cabin for them both, so they can "make babies". Unfortunately, the printer is low on toner, and while going to the cabin to prepare things, he can't read the address, and goes to the wrong place. He goes inside and finds two men who are awaiting the arrival of someone called The Man from Toronto, they believe that Teddy is this man, a brutal assassin who is a master of the art of interrogation. Since no one gets to see the face of The Man from Toronto, they just assume Teddy is him and encourage him to interrogate a man they have as a captive.

Teddy realises he is in a bad place, with bad people, he soon realises his best chance to survive is to play along, and by pure luck he manages to extract the information the bad guys want out of the prisoner all without touching him. Before you know it, the FBI raid the place, kill the bad guys and capture Teddy. Once he explains everything to Agents Lawrence (Kate Drummond) and Davis (Ronnie Rowe) they convince him to assume the identity of The Man from Toronto due to the short time they have to complete an operation to catch exiled Venezuelan Colonel Marin (Alejandro De Hoyos) in Washington, DC before he follows through with a plan to assassinate the President of Venezuela at the new Venezuelan embassy.

Before you know it, after a few car chases and fight scenes, Teddy finds himself on a plane to Puerto Rico with the real The Man from Toronto (Woody Harrelson) who in turn kills everyone on the plane except Teddy and then crash lands.

What follows is something of a buddy film with Teddy and Toronto teaming up, with Teddy trying to stay alive and keep Toronto happy, as well as Toronto needing to use Teddy as his replacement. Of course, they end up liking each other and you have all the ingredients for a pretty decent comedy.

I was really surprised with this film, it is really well made, and just works as a comedy action thriller. There is even a lengthy fight scene in a gym, which is really well edited and filmed in a different way to the rest of the film. And I found myself rewatching the entire fight scene because I was so impressed.

The interactions between Hart and Harrelson are very believable, and both characters are completely likeable. Hart is his usual funny self throughout and Harrelson grows from the dead eyed assassin, into someone with a heart

Plenty of laughs, excellent action scenes, of which there is a good mixture. Likeable characters, as well as a small role for Kaley Cuoco as Anne, a friend of Teddy's wife Lori, who also ends up with a connection to Toronto.

The Good

Excellent fight scenes, some laugh out loud moments, and a great script. And despite the 1 hour 50-minute run time, the film never dragged and had me enthralled throughout.

The Bad

I would have liked to have seen more interaction between the Woody Harrelson and Kaley Cuoco characters, I think they could have done much more there.

Overall

I really enjoyed this film, and is one I will definitely watch again.

I score The Man from Toronto a really strong 8/10

Out now on Netflix.

Also the soundtrack is really cool in this film, and you can get it at https://amzn.to/3OSDBSI

REVIEW: I Came By (2022) - Starring George MacKay, Hugh Bonneville and Percelle Ascott

Review by Jon Donnis

Babak Anvari brings his latest film direct to Netflix, I Came By follows a young graffiti artist who discovers a shocking secret that would put him and the ones closest to him in danger.

George MacKay plays Toby, a "Yoof" type that likes to graffiti; however, he likes to graffiti within the homes of the rich and powerful, and paints the words "I Came By" and somewhat threatening gesture I guess to prove how easy it is to break in.

Toby usually does these jobs with his partner in crime Jay (played by Percelle Ascott), when Jay finds out his girlfriend is pregnant, he decides that he needs to retire from his extra-curricular activities, and as such, Toby decides to do the next job on his own.

Jay had previously picked out former Judge Hector Blake (Hugh Bonneville) as a target, so Toby breaks into the Judge's house so he can graffiti. Once inside Toby finds the basement, and sees a light under a hidden door, he investigates further, and well if I tell you, well I give away a major plot point, but if you have seen Don't Breathe, then you can probably guess. Ah screw it, it is what I would describe as a beaten up, decrepit man, probably a sex slave of some kind.

Toby tries to tell Jay what he saw, but in a movie cliche I absolutely hate, instead of just telling him straight away, there has to be this ridiculous verbal joust, with Jay saying he is not interested and he has retired from the game etc, and Toby being unable to speak normal English and just say "I saw ....."

Eventually Toby calls the police, they turn up at Judge Blake's house, they have a look around, and Blake throws the Superintendents name at them to show how well connected he is. They soon leave.

Toby returns to the house to try and rescue to the man, but Blake comes home, and just as toby goes to attack him, he slips on some blood, and well that is the end of him.

The rest of the film sees Jay and Toby's mom try to find out what happened to Jay, and the police investigating the Judge.

Throw in some generic twists and turns, and you have a pretty standard and straight forward thriller.

Hugh Bonneville saves the film, and uses his experience to really nail his part as the duplitious and evil former Judge with all the right connections.

The main problem with the film is that for the first 40 odd minutes, we are following the Toby character, and then suddenly we jump to his mother and the Jay character, of which we have no emotional connection whatsoever. Don't get me wrong, Toby was a thoroughly dislikeable character, but at least there was some investment as to what he was doing.

What this leaves you with is only one character that you are interested in, that being Judge Blake.

The Good

Hugh Bonneville is excellent as always, and you will hate him for all the right reasons.

The Bad

Very paint by numbers type, algorythm created Netflix thriller that will leave you a bit empty by the end.

Overall

If there is nothing else on, then check this out on Netflix, it is not a bad film by any means, it is just not particularly good either.

It is positively average.

I score I Came By a safe 5/10

Out Now on Netflix.

https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81477746

REVIEW: Wire Room (2022) - Starring Bruce Willis and Kevin Dillon

Review by Jon Donnis

Lionsgate is back with a new release featuring Bruce Willis in one of the final films of his career. Willis stars as Home Security Agent Shane Mueller, who is in charge of the Wire Room, a high tech command centre that surveils dangerous criminals, watches them through hidden cameras, and listens in on conversations.

Now although Bruce Willis is the big name attached to the film, if you have been reading my reviews long enough, you know that often these films are actually vehicles for other actors, and this one is no different. Kevin Dillon is the real star of this film, he plays Justin Rosa, a new recruit to the Wire Room, he is tasked by Mueller to monitor an arms-smuggling cartel member called Eddie Flynn, played by Oliver Trevena. Despite being from London, Trevena has a pretty convincing Irish accent, and I would suggest the Eddie Flynn character has to be based in part on Conor McGregor. 

Rosa is told that he needs to keep Flynn alive at all costs, but of course being stuck in a Wire Room 50 miles away from the location, that is not as easy as it seems.

While on a toilet break, all hell breaks loose at Flynn's home, when a SWAT style hit squad team appears and starts killing people and taking hostages. When Rosa returns from his loo break, he sees that everything is kicking off, and left with no other option he contacts Flynn directly and starts to warn him from which direction those targeting him are coming from.

Rosa and Mueller find themselves both the targets of corrupt officials and agents who want to destroy evidence and terminate both of them.

The funny thing about this film is that when I first started watching, I was immediately reminded of another film starring Kevin Dillon called Hot Seat, which I reviewed pretty recently. Like that film, Dillon finds himself confined to pretty much one area the entire film, and having to use computers and communication to survive. That film had Mel Gibson in the Bruce Willis semi cameo role.

Regardless of that Kevin Dillon is a likeable actor, and he does play his role as the Federal Agent unsure of whom to trust, and with Oliver Trevena the other side of a phone, there is a surprisingly good dynamic between the two, especially when you consider that most of this film would have had actors filming completely separately and at different times.

As always when a film has a low budget, it is pointless comparing it to one that has a huge one.

Most of the action scenes revolve around the Flynn character, and they are all filmed well and look convincing. 

The ending had a semi little twist, nothing mind blowing, and the big twist that I was expecting never happened at all, so for me the ending was a little flat.

The Good

An interesting plot, and considering the budget I thought they made a decent little film. And what little we do see of Willis is appreciated.

The Bad

The ending felt a little flat, and I would have preferred something a bit more explosive.

Overall

A relatively small cast, and a decent little action thriller. As we approach the end of the career of one of the all-time greats in Bruce Willis, any little appearance should be appreciated.

I score Wire Room a generous 7/10

Out now on digital - https://amzn.to/3L0LHrb

Pre-order on Blu-ray / DVD - https://amzn.to/3QxAO19

REVIEW: The Princess (2022) - Starring Joey King, Dominic Cooper, Olga Kurylenko and Ed Stoppard

Review by Jon Donnis

For a moment I thought we had a 2022 remake of The Princess Bride, but alas we must wait longer for that. Instead we have a classic story, a Princess (Joey King) is to be married off, and of course she is not interested.

Set in medieval times in a realm run by a King (Ed Stoppard) and Queen (Alex Reid), it becomes apparent that they have no male heir to the throne. Just two daughters. The film starts with one of those daughters chained up in a bed at the top of the tower. The King had planned for her to wed Julius (Dominic Cooper) the evil son of a diplomat, but after she left him at the altar Julius and his whip wielding henchwoman Moira (Olga Kurylenko) take the castle by force, and ultimately force the Princess to marry him, so he can have an undeniable claim to the throne.

The Princess quickly escapes her bonds, and starts to fight her way through the castle, floor by floor. She clearly knows Kung Fu which we are told she learnt as a child from Linh, the neice of one of The King's advisors. How lucky for her.

The film is a story as old as time, but without your classic "man comes to save the day", instead this is all about kick ass women, especially the Princess and Linh.

The film is quite lighthearted but also pretty violent, so not for kids. There are plenty of fun moments, and some pretty decent fight scenes. It may lack the intelligence of The Princess Bride, but does share some of the humour of the cult classic, without ever quite going as full on parody as that film.

The Good

Excellent fight scenes, a likeable Princess and an equally dislikeable Julius. Also special mention has to go out to the awesome Olga Kurylenko as henchwoman Moira. Perhaps my favourite character in the whole film.

The Bad

The plot is paper thin, and I would have liked to have seen them go full comedy as opposed to just the odd funny moment here and there.

Overall

An enjoyable film, perfect early evening watching.

Out now on Hulu