WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
War stories. Tale tales. Don’t we, as human beings, just love to try and expound to certain extremes when it comes to passing time? Given the opportunity to vocally exert ourselves and tell stories to, supposedly, amaze and entertain, this can become either an easily laughed about situation–or a total annoyance to those having to listen, especially when it turns into a game of “one-up the other”. Take, for example, two hitmen named Gio (Aaron Guerrero) and Frankie (Frankie Pozos) who have found themselves having to wile away an hour before performing a mission for their boss Mr. Kinski (Mel Novak). However, what ensues is a challenge as to who can share the most disturbing account, all while leading up to an unanticipated outcome neither sees coming.
Next, my Mind:
For this critic, there is always the admiration for anyone being able to create and put out a film, as that alone is no small feat regardless of what level those behind them are at in the industry. More so, for indie filmmakers, it’s an additionally daunting task to fund and make their efforts a reality. I say this to always make it known I come into lower budget efforts with an open mind and specific expectations, preferring to be surprised rather than somehow anticipating potential disappointment. So when it comes to this 96-minute indie project from writer/director/executive producer Aaron K. Carter, writer Ronnie Jimenez, and executive producer Jacob Harlow, I sadly find my overall assessment leaning towards the latter rather than the former.
Quite the amalgamation of genres ranging from action, comedy, and horror, the narrative following two hitmen and the journey they endure while attempting to waste sixty minutes before (forgive me) executing a job begins with plenty of intentionally borderline campy, B-movie stylings, requisite gangster film profanity (which I still don’t prefer), and entertaining enough premise to engage the viewer in the events being depicted. But here, for me anyway, once it moves forward into its accompanying anthology-like format (think a similar film I reviewed, “Tales of Frankenstein“) when the two men start sharing wild tales with one another, the directions it chooses to travel, especially via the “Assacre” and “Hog Hunters” segments, become too much an exercise in overtly crude, gross-out humor, which I just don’t see the point of and certainly don’t like.
Now, the first segment, “Valkyrie’s Bunker” was perfectly fine in its gist about a supposed WWII Nazi bunker in the hills of California and the five girls who stumble upon it and find out its namesake still resides there, taking its cues from admittedly prototypical serial killer concepts, but putting it in a more overall comedic sense that you can’t take too seriously. But then comes “Assacre”, which highlights an eating contest and the seemingly innocent prank that two of the contestants choose to enact on its winner which turns into one nasty result for said newly crowned champion. Finally, in “Hog Hunters”, a totally normal African-American man finds himself at the whims of a group of complete rednecks whose passion for a certain type of woman leads them to a highly disquieting, “Deliverance”-on-steroids scenario that turns very crude, very quick, much less Farmer Zed whose proclivities are quite vile.
Again, it’s all about preference, and it was just too hard for this critic to try and stomach the style of humor being explored in those latter two segments, even in the context of what the grander narrative of the film was intending with them. Once the segments were over and we go back to the foundational story, it at least turned tolerable, but even then, certain content was still too much for me to honestly say I enjoyed it. Guerrero does a fine job as the evidently veteran hitman Gio, a focused, by-the-books killer who only wants to ensure his boss remains pleased and take care of anyone who would upend that. Upon getting his newest assignment, though, it actually puts him at odds with what “moral” code he may carry, and watching that unfold is well-played by Guerrero throughout.
Pozos brings the more witty, overly confident demeanor to his role as Frankie, a relative newcomer to the enforcer game with all the cocky bravado and overly self-assured attitudes to go with it. He constantly drives Gio nuts with his less-than-professional ways, but still seems to manage slowly winning Gio over, even though Frankie remains oblivious to potential peril that’s closer than he realizes. Listening to him share two of the stories between them is fun in itself, and Pozos is clearly having a blast performing the character, which is a credit to him, as I’ve always felt an actor SHOULD be having fun that’s plainly visible, especially in a film of this ilk.
Then there is the wholly respected presence of a true Hollywood veteran in Mel Novak as the crime boss Mr. Kinski, a no-nonsense, old-time mobster who certainly doesn’t tolerate any rebellions within the ranks. In some ways it almost seems like a mildly thankless part for him to play given his earned stature and long-standing indie film cred, but then again he makes the most of it, obviously still loves hamming it up while being serious, and is entertaining to watch. Primary supporting roles are PLENTY, performed in equally fine fashion (thanks to all the segments and additional storyline happening here), and arrive from Arash Dibazar, Vince Kelvin, Amanda Rau, Jola Cora, Stephanie Strehlow, Alexya Garcia, Brendan Mitchell, Gabriel Mercado, Luna Meow, Brian Reagan, Marcus Pearce, Joe McQueen, Michael Camp, Kevin C. Beardsley, Chris Morris, Cal Alexander, Dante DeNicola, and Aaron K. Carter.
Additional appearances are made by Veronica Ricci, Jeff Rector, Anthony Peter Robinson, Dolph Castrillo, James Hazley, Paul Anderson, Anthony Richard Pagliaro, Norman Hayes, Kwas, Anthony Della Catena, Keisuke Akizawa, and Adam Ledezma. So, in total, while the film as whole fell far short for me in several respects, it must be sincerely understood that as with any style of project, there is an audience for it. This will most definitely serve the needs of those who relish the more vulgar side of comedy as well as horror enthusiasts who likewise enjoy the twisted sides of the genre while ultimately finding its real core centered on two men caught in a situation that holds one possible outcome but deviates to another with effective resolve. Take this for what it is, and enjoy if it’s for you, avoid if it’s not, and still give kudos to indie filmmakers being true to their vision without compromise.
As always this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
