WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Have you ever realized how some professions just aren’t what they’re cut out to be? This might not be more evident than when it comes to anything involving a life of crime–or being a lackey for a crime boss who reaps all the rewards while you, peon, get left out to dry unless needed for further, nefarious deeds. For “leg breaker” Muddy Akins (Curtis Lanciani), this is pretty much the summary of his existence. Despite actually having a heart, he chooses to do one last job via collecting from a debtor, Jacques (Jacques Fountain), which ends up going decidedly south in a hurry. Realizing he’s lost his drive, fervor, and enthusiasm, Muddy calls it quits.
However, when his now-former boss, Tank Mancini (Jay Grove) comes calling unexpectedly after a period of time, Muddy finds himself getting drawn (or coerced, perhaps?) back into “the life”, thanks to the offer, an acute reminder of his boss’ ego-driven status via Tank’s arm candy (Kaitlyn Stevens), and a begrudging awareness he needs the score. Tasked once again to collect an outstanding debt, this time from a local shop owner, Linda (Tajoura Davis), Muddy seems to execute everything according to plan. But, what happens when your second chance to try and be someone doesn’t end up showing you to be the person you want to be again. And as the situation gets more complicated, Muddy has to face the music and what direction he desires to go.
Next, my Mind:
New Hampshire-based writer/director Rob Azevedo’s 11-minute ode to criminal enforcers is an interesting little romp, given one of the more unique factors involved is the primary character actually trying to have a heart and conscious while still performing his sworn duties for a far less than scrupulous boss. Even in its short runtime, the film has the violence and harsh language elements one would expect from a narrative of this general theme, mostly the latter, of which this reviewer never prefers overt amounts of. Filmed in a very real-world looking tone and style, it lends itself to the mood of the tale and its sense of the dilemma the lead character faces. It’s really the film’s second act that makes it stand out a bit.
Lanciani is a pleasure to watch as Muddy, giving what should be a completely unsavory character a sense of honor and almost nobility as he traverses the restless seas of criminality and what it’s cost him. Additionally, his newfound worries once his boss recruits him again after a time away is emoted well enough to be believable. Grove is fine as an over-the-top caricature of a typical crime boss, fueled by greed, extremely self-assured, and knowledgeable at how to use people for his aims. Davis is very smart as Linda, the absolute foil to Muddy’s plans, effectively and with a little fun throwing a wrench into his priorities. Fountain and Stevens adequately play their supporting roles here as well, bringing the needed aspects intended for their characters.
Completed with a solid soundtrack of old style blues tunes, “Defacto, Inc” is another decent example of independent short film fun, and as mentioned prior, it’s thanks to a particularly good second act twist that ends up saving the film from the danger of obscurity within a genre that has been done so often over time.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
