WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Yeah! I want to be THAT guy!! The hero. The star. The one who saves the day. Come on, folks. You KNOW you’ve wanted that at some point in your life. The chance to be the one who makes that crucial difference, altering the course of events, defeating the bad guys, and winning the day to the adulation of all. Of course, to actually BE that is another thing altogether, especially when the circumstances arise without any warning at all. For two initially estranged yet still somewhat begrudgingly connected best friends and screenwriters Sean (Sean Kenealy) and Eric (Eric Silvera), the time has come to mend fences and write the ultimate action film that will get them on the map. However, even as ideas flow and things begin to come together, events take a rather audacious and wildly adventurous turn. The only question–is it to their benefit or their untimely end?
Next, my Mind:
Unapologetically irreverent in its comedic wit, playfully purposeful in its over-the-top action sequences, and perfectly constructed to deliver the intended farcical attack on one of filmdom’s most commonly tackled genres, this 79-minute indie feature film from the writer/director/actor duo of Kenealy and Silvera most definitely entertains on a multitude of levels while pointing its biting yet hilariously presented sarcastic finger at the big-budget action/comedy mold while totally breaking it to pieces thanks to successfully pulling it off with only the two of them carrying the entire narrative. Add to this a smartly conceived and creative utilization of animation, toys, and other tools of the filmmaking trade to provide us as the viewer lessons in “”How to make a no budget movie feel like “The Rock” and “How to edit a two-person action movie” while aiming to turn “$30K into a summer blockbuster-esque flick”, to quote the artists directly.
What we do get is quite the experience in all this, taken to the extremes we’d expect a parody of action flicks to display, replete with everything from wonderfully riotous one-liners, banter between the characters, course language, blatantly crude humor, verbose, enthusiastically “menacing” villians/arch nemeses, and totally insane moments of violence. But, the magic here is that beyond that, there are equally unflinching satirical stabs at other facets of the filmmaking process, including age and its limitations, interpersonal relationships and the baggage that needs to be overcome to work together, weak plot points and the holes so often found in them, and trying to create something fresh and unique, all while addressing that fantasy of simply being the hero. Throw in that each of the men involved are polar opposites of each other in many respects and it’s a recipe from utter hilarity, particularly when the mess they’re in is, unintentionally, of their own making.
The film’s pace and grander execution allow for full character development and supplies the necessary background to establish why the pair is attempting to do what they’re doing, hence a wholly character-driven effort, which is a hallmark of indie cinema and certainly in itself is a poke at the mega-budget, often imagery-focused Hollywood projects the film goes after. Admittedly for this critic, the amount of truly off-color humor and associated language was well bey0nd my personal preferences, and caused a small amount of distraction in enjoying the film to the fullest extent. Ultimately, though, it’s not enough to say it was an actual detriment given the goals Kenealy and Silvera were aiming for and the literal digs at, perhaps, the absolute absurdity of said content that so many an action film tend to overwhelmingly lean on, often TO, in my opinion, their disadvantage, as it seems gratuitous and unnecessary more times than not.
Visually, the film is genius in that everything the camera is embracing really does center on no one else other than the two protagonists, with only glimpses, hints of, and briefly witnessed images of any other personas and subsequent explosions of mayhem involved. It really lends a refreshing air to the whole affair, proving that you can muster a full-blown feature length project, much less an action film, in this manner triumphantly while still maintaining the audiences attention for the entire runtime. Given the “normal” presentation of this style of genre film, it is no easy task to employ such a technique with enough engagement to foster continued interest from those watching, but it is done with fun-infused flare and offers a assuredly impactful and likewise one hundred percent beautifully orchestrated finale that so magnificently fits into the scheme and ambition the film has.
Unquestionably evident and so splendidly apropos is the “buddy action/comedy” chemistry found with the film’s two primary leads Kenealy and Silvera and their respective roles as Sean and Eric, two out of sorts screenwriters who have a less than amicable reunion after many a year to see if by some miracle they can enact a coup de gras on their personal differences and past mistakes and work towards concocting THE action film to end all actions films. While the path to inspiration is at times definitively LESS than inspirational, with the two men’s constant bickering and jabs at each other’s habits and attitudes, a result is reached–which subsequently puts them on the radar of some shadowy people who don’t exactly agree with their ideas–or actually DO and want to know how it will all end for decidedly less than productive (and DESTRUCTIVE) goals of their own. Soon, it becomes a mystery whether Sean and Eric will end up possessing the fortitude to become real life heroes, or fold completely under the pressure they never wanted or could see coming.
It’s a barrel of laughs to watch the two stumble, fumble, and brashly find their inner “Commando” throughout the narrative while, as mentioned above, playing into all sorts of funny instances of personal reflection, inner doubts, exaggerated bravado, and real bravery, with both Kenealy and Silvera so obviously having the time 0f their lives and granting us fully entertaining performances that so deftly emphasize every dimension and characteristic conveyed in action films to their jocular best. The additional appearances made here are plentiful still, from Justin Martin, Grace Morales, Victor Silvera, Joe Ishikura, Matthew Worth, Daniel Chelemer, Johnny Sanford, Ryan Till, Jonathan Warren, and Alyson Nawrocki. In total, “In Action” stands as a skillfully cultivated, delightfully exuberant effort that very much illustrates why the indie film community remains as one of the most unheralded gems in the cinema realms and why it is so deeply needed as an escape from the “same ole, same ole” that much of Hollywood has fallen into. So–are YOU ready to be the hero?
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
