By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
"HELLFIRE" IGNITES WITH ACTION AND A FORMIDABLE HERO
Hellfire," from director
Isaac Florentine ("Hounds of War") and screenwriter
"Richard Lowry" ("Savage Creatures"), is a good old-fashioned, popcorn-pleasing vengeance thriller.
While the cast is solid across the board, I really liked
Stephen Lang ("Don't Breathe," "Avatar: Fire and Ash," and "Gettysburg 1863") as a nameless grifter with a mysterious past.
Don't be fooled by his haggard, disheveled appearance. This former Vietnam veteran is a force to be reckoned with.
He rolls into Rondo, Texas, a dusty small town where the locals are jumpy for good reason. They're all terrified of Jeremiah (a funny Harvey Keitel, "The Letter") and his bullying son Clyde (Michael Sirow, "The Patient"). The duo runs a drug-trafficking operation through the town's brewery and keeps the residents under strict, violent control. Even Sheriff Wiley (a terrific Dolph Lundgren, "Wanted Man") bows to them.
When the sheriff notices "Nameless Man," hanging out at the old saloon run by Owen (Chris Mullinax, "Mafia Wars") and his daughter Lena (Scottie Thompson, "No Place Like Rome"), he tells him to leave.
"Nameless man," who Lena affectionately calls Nomada--because he's a nomad--stopped taking order from people years ago. Besides, all he wants is a hot meal and night's stay. He offers to earn his keep by doing repairs around the saloon. Sheriff Wiley doesn't care.
Nomada is soon targeted by Clyde and his henchmen. Within minutes, Nomada sends them packing, but his actions ignite a full-blown war in town, drawing in Jeremiah's really tough guy Zeke (Johnny Yong Bosch, "Death Battle"), a martial arts expert itching to showcase his special set of skills.
But Nomada of course, is no stranger to conflict. With reinforcements and weapons carefully arranged, he braces for the inevitable confrontation.
The climactic, bloody showdown is chaotic, brutal, and worth the wait. It puts Nomada through the wringer.
"Hellfire" is a lean, mean B-movie and Lang's commanding presence carries the film. By the time the smoke clears, he has earned his place, and a new name, Hero.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Check Out This Trailer For
"HELLFIRE"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
