The film introduces Nick (Cam Gigandet), who is driving a car wildly on a busy road. We soon discover that Nick is suffering from a bullet wound to his arm and soon faints and crashes his vehicle, which also gains the attention of a local police officer driving past. From this, the film goes back to reveal how Nick got to this moment.
We learn that Nick’s life is complicated as his only daughter is in hospital with a medical condition that currently has no good outcomes. The bills for his daughter while in hospital are only getting out of control, putting Nick further in debt. Nick is also aware that his daughter could be part of more extensive treatment, but again, he can’t afford it. Nick is forced to conduct the ultimate heist in cryptocurrency with no other choice. He assembles a crew comprising his ex-girlfriend and her new lover Jack (Randy Couture). While the heist is successful, Nick is soon betrayed by his fellow crew, shot, and left for dead. Now, with Nick desperate to save his daughter’s life, he’s forced with no choice but to hunt down each crew member and get the ultimate revenge using his wits and bullets.
Blowback is best described as an action film. You will be quite disappointed if you hope to see various kicks and punches thrown among the film’s leads. Blowback is a revenge tale, and the aspect of action relies heavily on bullets and gunfire. Upon my first watch, it’s highly obvious that Blowback has been influenced by other films, including Payback which was released in 1999 and featured Mel Gibson. Not only does this film practically deliver the same premise and concept, but the leading hero also carries the surname of Gibson (coincidence! I think not).
As a story, Blowback is extremely predictable and dull and follows the pacing many movie lovers have seen already. Watching our leading hero take down bad guys one by one, working his way to the top, is nothing new. The final showdown sounds promising, but sadly the film ends on a brief note instead of delivering anything that feels rewarding compared to the rest of the film. For the most part, performances feel mono-toned and bland, like the plot. The film also suffers a few moments of continuity errors, which are highly noticeable. One example is when a police officer walks into a building, and his handcuffs are in a different area in the next frame. The film’s musical score is also overbearing, unfitting and distracting.
Overall, Blowback is an obvious carbon copy of many films that most movie lovers have already seen, such as Payback from 1999 and offers a revenge tale with no new ingredients. The film’s story is obvious and predictable; I found everything on-screen uninteresting and dull. This film builds towards a promising showdown but ends too quickly instead of giving viewers a decent dose of something that could have felt fresh or more entertaining. Along with an unfitting and distracting soundtrack, continuity errors can also be found here. I wish I could say something more positive here, but I truly struggled with this release, and I couldn’t wait for the credits to appear on the screen.
1.2/10
30th August 2022
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
PODCASTS ARE AVAILABLE!
0 Comments