© FAKESHEMP.NET
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • MEDIA
    • Videos >
      • Photos
  • GLG
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • WTF was that?
  • Good Movie Monday
  • About

WILD CARD

15/4/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
2015 / Director. Simon West.
Review by Glenn Cochrane.

WILD CARD snuck up without much fanfare and performed atrociously at the box office. The press release emphasised the fact that the film was a pet-project for Jason Statham, who had been trying to develop it for several years. At one point Brian dePalma was attached to direct before Simon West took over. Set in the seedy world behind the neon lights of Las Vegas, the film tells the story of Nick Wild, a gambling addict who works as a "handy man" to fund his addiction. His past is shrouded with mystery but it's not long before his skills suggest a government/black ops background. He takes any work that comes along and when he accepts a job from a young millionaire things finally start to turn in his favour. That is until an ex-lover comes to him, beaten & raped, and desperate for revenge. Suddenly Nick finds himself dragged into the murky criminal underworld where every turn is a violent one. WILD CARD is a strange beast. It is more or less a one-man show with a heap of big name players coming and going in small cameo roles. Stanley Tucci, Jason Alexander, Sofia Vergara, Hope Davis, Anne Heche and Cedric the Entertainer all come and go within the blink of an eye and Statham is left to carry the film single-handedly. The only other consistent character is the young self-made millionaire, played by Michael Angarano, who serves as an unexpected guiding light. Statham handles the film as though it were a walk in the park and it is clearly a vanity project... but he gets away with it because his screen presence is so strong and fans love what he does. He pulls no punches with every fight sequence being ultra-violent, highly stylised and carefully choreographed. Bones break in slow motion, skulls crack and blood flies as Nick counteracts every obstruction with blunt force. Simon West is the director behind CON-AIR, TOMBRAIDER and THE EXPENDABLES 2 (amongst others) and has an obvious talent with action. With WILD CARD he has toned down the SFX and driven the film in a modest and practical direction. He exploits the Vegas nightlife nicely and was able to throw some very big locations into the mix, giving the production a much bigger feel than its modest budget deserved. I got a kick out of it. It is a fallible film, without question, but it's also a fun one and I really dug it. 



Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    OUR WRITERS
    GLENN COCHRANE
    ALYSSA DE LEO
    ALEX MAYNARD
    CHRIS THOMPSON
    SAMANTHA HOWSON​
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010
    April 2010

    RSS Feed

© 2018 FakeShemp.Net    All rights reserved.  FakeShemp.Net Illustrations by MJ Barros. 
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • MEDIA
    • Videos >
      • Photos
  • GLG
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • WTF was that?
  • Good Movie Monday
  • About