Director: Keoni Waxman
Cast: Steve Austin, Gary Daniels, Eric Roberts, Gil Bellows
Country: United States
Rating: R
Run Time: 98 min
'Stone Cold Action' is a series in which I watch and review some of the action films of professional wrestler and direct to video action star, Steve Austin, for the first time. It's a part of an effort to expose myself to action stars that I previously skipped over or wrote off long ago. Therefore, I pre-selected four Steve Austin films at random (i.e. the four that came in the four pack that I purchased) and have chosen to watch and review them for my educational growth and for your entertainment.
Before heading into Hunt to Kill, the first film in my Steve Austin journey, I noticed that the film had a lot going for it based upon its director and supporting cast, regardless of Steve Austin's obvious head lining. For starters, the film is directed by Keoni Waxman, a very notable, although far from commendable, DTV director who has directed many Steven Seagal films over the last ten years (from The Keeper to End of a Gun), as well as a few one-offs here and there. Second, two of Austin's Expendables co-stars appear in the film, veteran actor Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, The Dark Knight) and DTV action star Gary Daniels (Rage, Riot). Roberts is one thing, as the guy is willing to take a check for just about any action film, but Daniels is a part of a cult fandom of his own. Daniels is the kind of action star who leads action films, and here he is relegated to supporting player? That's like watching Seagal in 1996's Executive Decision. Although Kurt Russell may be the lead in that film, you can't help but soak in every second that Seagal gets.
Therefore, Hunt to Kill piqued my interest before I even delved into its Stone Cold Steve Austin-ness. However, and to my surprise, the film is pretty solid not only because of its supporting cast, but because of its engaging plot (at least for the first half), genuine tension, and, dare I say, charisma and bad ass chops of its lead actor. Austin is far from an energetic or unique action star, but he is surprisingly watchable and enjoyable in how subtle and kind his performance is. He's strapped with the perfect kind of role too, that of a loving father who knows about survival but wants nothing but to protect his daughter. While Waxman's direction is far from great, and the third act of the film drags, Hunt to Kill is one of the better DTV films of the 2010s, representing an increase in quality low budget action productions that the likes of Isaac Florentine, Roel Reine, and John Hyams kicked off in the mid to late aughts.
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| Austin nay-sayers be damned. How can you not like this guy? |
Hunt to Kill treats viewers to a nice prologue that plays like a mini-movie in and of itself before it even gets into the hunting and killing. Jim (Steve Austin) is a border patrol agent whom is about to retire. On one of his last days, he and his partner Lee (Eric Roberts in a nice cameo), inspect a drug filled camper. When they let their guard down, some gun men emerge from the ground and murder Lee, while Jim shoots them back and escapes with serious wounds. Fast forward years later, and now Jim is living in the mountains of Montana with his daughter, Kim, who resents him.
Elsewhere, a group of bank robbers steal a large sum of money. However, when one of their own betrays them and runs off with the money to, where else, the mountains of Montana, the group heads there in search of him. You can see where this is going? When the thieves confront the local sheriff for the whereabouts of their man, things quickly become complicated as Jim and Kim stumble upon the thieves' murderous work of the sheriff. The thieves capture Kim and than force Jim to lead them into the woods in order to find their man and their money.
While it takes awhile to explain the plot of Hunt to Kill, as the film itself even takes about thirty minutes to settle into a groove, its thankfully simplistic and inherently tense for DTV standards. Although there isn't a lot of action, there's some genuine tension between Austin and his captors, and this drives the narrative forward. Watching Austin play along with their game, while having to sit by and watch his daughter's life be at risk, makes for a truly engaging action plot. You know that Austin is eventually going to one-up his captors and that it's going to be so satisfying once he kills them. That's essentially the name of the game with Hunt to Kill, a film that plays it affectively simple and relies more so on tension than shootouts, stabbings, and explosions. It's a smart decision from a budgetary stand point as well.
That being said, the affective nature of the first two acts eventually dies off once the thieves think they've killed Austin and send him sliding off of a cliff. The last forty minutes of the film consist of Austin gearing up and going after the remaining thieves in order to save his daughter and enact his revenge on the men for really messing with his family. Unfortunately, it's dragged out beyond belief and becomes quite dull to watch after awhile. Although you'd hope that the built up part of the film would deliver on all of the juicy action and excitement that you've been patient for, it's a bit of a let down, at least from an editing stand point. The scene in which Austin carves up some weapons and puts on face paint runs way too long, including his stalking of one of the wounded thieves in the woods. Even his final show down against the main baddie of the film runs for too long and is nearly devoid of stakes or tension. Scenes like these enforce my opinion that if the film had been cut twenty minutes shorter, it would have been far more successful. I'm sure that a one hour and eighteen minute film seems too short to distributors and such, but come on, if it work it works.
It's very obvious that Hunt to Kill's story beats and plot points are taken from numerous other action films, although at no point would I ever say that it blatantly rips them off, but more so adapts and ingests their creative influences. Austin's secretive knowledge that the thieves' hostage is his daughter is very reminiscent to one of the best story beats in Die Hard in which the terrorists don't know that they have the hero's wife in their hands. While it's a bummer this element doesn't last long, it adds oodles of tension early on. Comparisons can also be drawn to Commando, as Austin is forced to carry out a villainous group's desires or else his daughter be killed.
The lush forest setting and hunter/tracker aspects also harkens to First Blood, as both films set their character driven action and tension amidst the trees and greens with some sweet crossbow action to boot. While on the topic of the woods, it's a nice change of pace for a DTV film to be set somewhere else other than dreary Eastern Europe or the bland streets of Los Angeles. It goes miles for a DTV fan like myself to be able to look at something other than bland and gray buildings. The wooded setting also proves the production's commitment to its premise, as at no point did I ever think that the actors were standing in front of a green screen. It's very possible that there is a shot or two of CG, but otherwise, it's clear that the actors are out there, in the woods, getting soaking wet and exhausted for our entertainment. Sure, Hunt to Kill is no masterpiece, but I've got nothing but respect for actors who have to go through that. Although, it's no The Revenant, so I guess I should temper my compliments.
Austin proves himself a good actor here, conveying vulnerability as a man outnumbered, badassery as a former border patrol agent with deadly skills, and sweetness as a father who cares about his daughter. One of the defining aspects of the film is the believable relationship between Austin and his daughter, played by the talented Marie Avgeropoulos. Both she and he do a great job at conveying the challenges of a father and daughter at odds, but who ultimately love one another at the end of the day. The only weakness that I could find in Austin's performance came during his one-liners, which are also quite horrendously written. Lines like, "When I hunt, I hunt to kill," will make even the easiest of action fans groan.
Although there isn't much action in the film, what is there is quite good, although at least from Waxman standards it's dynamite in contrast to the likes of his work with Seagal. The action mostly comes in the form of quick and short bursts of action, such as the shootout at the beginning of the film or a small skirmish between Austin and his captors here and there. Thankfully, Waxman understands what actors he is working with, and delivers with an epic smack down between Austin and Daniels towards the end. It's far and away the best part of the entire film, as the two action stars go head to head in a solid fight in which Daniels beats the crap out of Austin until Austin defeats him through sheer determination and some handy broken logs.
If I had to decry one element of the film as the most offensive, it would definitely be the score, which is deafeningly bad and absolutely pointless. It's so redundant, bland, and forgetful, that it essentially noises up scenes that probably would have worked just fine without music. A far more subdued and minimal score along the lines of The Proposition or No Country for Old Men would have been more affective, but we're talking DTV here, and that rarely ever happens.
Although I jumped into Austin's filmography randomly with Hunt to Kill, I don't think that I could have picked a more perfect jumping off point, as the film showcases just about all of the range that I think this action star possesses. Austin shows both his soft side and kicks ass at the same time while Waxman directs some affective tension from a decent script. The first half of the film is stronger than the second, as the build up and inherent tension in the first half is stronger than the sluggish work in the second. All in all, you still get the pay off that you expected, but it's not nearly as affective as it could have been, as the film's minimal material is dragged out too long in order to fulfill a feature run time over ninety minutes. At the end of the day, the wooded setting and inherent tension set it apart enough from the rest of the DTV pack, whilst also delivering a shameless showdown between Austin and Daniels that makes for one of DTV cinema's most memorable fights. Good stuff, recommended.
While it takes awhile to explain the plot of Hunt to Kill, as the film itself even takes about thirty minutes to settle into a groove, its thankfully simplistic and inherently tense for DTV standards. Although there isn't a lot of action, there's some genuine tension between Austin and his captors, and this drives the narrative forward. Watching Austin play along with their game, while having to sit by and watch his daughter's life be at risk, makes for a truly engaging action plot. You know that Austin is eventually going to one-up his captors and that it's going to be so satisfying once he kills them. That's essentially the name of the game with Hunt to Kill, a film that plays it affectively simple and relies more so on tension than shootouts, stabbings, and explosions. It's a smart decision from a budgetary stand point as well.
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| "That's right guys. I'm in this movie." |
That being said, the affective nature of the first two acts eventually dies off once the thieves think they've killed Austin and send him sliding off of a cliff. The last forty minutes of the film consist of Austin gearing up and going after the remaining thieves in order to save his daughter and enact his revenge on the men for really messing with his family. Unfortunately, it's dragged out beyond belief and becomes quite dull to watch after awhile. Although you'd hope that the built up part of the film would deliver on all of the juicy action and excitement that you've been patient for, it's a bit of a let down, at least from an editing stand point. The scene in which Austin carves up some weapons and puts on face paint runs way too long, including his stalking of one of the wounded thieves in the woods. Even his final show down against the main baddie of the film runs for too long and is nearly devoid of stakes or tension. Scenes like these enforce my opinion that if the film had been cut twenty minutes shorter, it would have been far more successful. I'm sure that a one hour and eighteen minute film seems too short to distributors and such, but come on, if it work it works.
It's very obvious that Hunt to Kill's story beats and plot points are taken from numerous other action films, although at no point would I ever say that it blatantly rips them off, but more so adapts and ingests their creative influences. Austin's secretive knowledge that the thieves' hostage is his daughter is very reminiscent to one of the best story beats in Die Hard in which the terrorists don't know that they have the hero's wife in their hands. While it's a bummer this element doesn't last long, it adds oodles of tension early on. Comparisons can also be drawn to Commando, as Austin is forced to carry out a villainous group's desires or else his daughter be killed.
The lush forest setting and hunter/tracker aspects also harkens to First Blood, as both films set their character driven action and tension amidst the trees and greens with some sweet crossbow action to boot. While on the topic of the woods, it's a nice change of pace for a DTV film to be set somewhere else other than dreary Eastern Europe or the bland streets of Los Angeles. It goes miles for a DTV fan like myself to be able to look at something other than bland and gray buildings. The wooded setting also proves the production's commitment to its premise, as at no point did I ever think that the actors were standing in front of a green screen. It's very possible that there is a shot or two of CG, but otherwise, it's clear that the actors are out there, in the woods, getting soaking wet and exhausted for our entertainment. Sure, Hunt to Kill is no masterpiece, but I've got nothing but respect for actors who have to go through that. Although, it's no The Revenant, so I guess I should temper my compliments.
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| Austin surrenders to his captors in one of many 'green' scenes. |
Austin proves himself a good actor here, conveying vulnerability as a man outnumbered, badassery as a former border patrol agent with deadly skills, and sweetness as a father who cares about his daughter. One of the defining aspects of the film is the believable relationship between Austin and his daughter, played by the talented Marie Avgeropoulos. Both she and he do a great job at conveying the challenges of a father and daughter at odds, but who ultimately love one another at the end of the day. The only weakness that I could find in Austin's performance came during his one-liners, which are also quite horrendously written. Lines like, "When I hunt, I hunt to kill," will make even the easiest of action fans groan.
Although there isn't much action in the film, what is there is quite good, although at least from Waxman standards it's dynamite in contrast to the likes of his work with Seagal. The action mostly comes in the form of quick and short bursts of action, such as the shootout at the beginning of the film or a small skirmish between Austin and his captors here and there. Thankfully, Waxman understands what actors he is working with, and delivers with an epic smack down between Austin and Daniels towards the end. It's far and away the best part of the entire film, as the two action stars go head to head in a solid fight in which Daniels beats the crap out of Austin until Austin defeats him through sheer determination and some handy broken logs.
If I had to decry one element of the film as the most offensive, it would definitely be the score, which is deafeningly bad and absolutely pointless. It's so redundant, bland, and forgetful, that it essentially noises up scenes that probably would have worked just fine without music. A far more subdued and minimal score along the lines of The Proposition or No Country for Old Men would have been more affective, but we're talking DTV here, and that rarely ever happens.
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| Austin versus Daniels, need I say more? |
Although I jumped into Austin's filmography randomly with Hunt to Kill, I don't think that I could have picked a more perfect jumping off point, as the film showcases just about all of the range that I think this action star possesses. Austin shows both his soft side and kicks ass at the same time while Waxman directs some affective tension from a decent script. The first half of the film is stronger than the second, as the build up and inherent tension in the first half is stronger than the sluggish work in the second. All in all, you still get the pay off that you expected, but it's not nearly as affective as it could have been, as the film's minimal material is dragged out too long in order to fulfill a feature run time over ninety minutes. At the end of the day, the wooded setting and inherent tension set it apart enough from the rest of the DTV pack, whilst also delivering a shameless showdown between Austin and Daniels that makes for one of DTV cinema's most memorable fights. Good stuff, recommended.
Rating: 6.5/10 - A tension filled first half, a sluggish second half, and a memorable fight between Austin and Daniels. That's Hunt to Kill in a nut shell.
