DOWN AND DANGEROUS Review

Release Date: February 14, 2014 (Limited and VOD)
Director: Zak Forsman
MPAA Rating: NR
Film Pulse Score: 4/10

Zak Forsman’s film Down and Dangerous takes a look at the life of a drug smuggler whose world gets turned upside down when one of his business partners gets killed, he becomes the target of a cartel and the DEA, and his ex-lover comes back into his life.  Needless to say, it’s a rough couple of weeks for the protagonist, but the film also proves to be a rough hour and a half for the viewer.

Although the film features some intriguing elements, the plot feels entirely too convoluted and the story ends up being dull and confusing.  The characters are bland and stilted, which further exacerbates the situation making the film feel like a chore to get through.

For an indie action flick funded through Kickstarter, visually, Down and Dangerous looks quite good.  The blue-grey hues that dominate the pallet might be a standard for action thrillers, but there’s a reason they’re so often used- it looks good.  Certain aspects of the film almost look too good however, too clean for the type of film this is setting out to be.  Paulie Rojas, who plays Olivia, the main character’s love interest, constantly looks like a Photoshopped picture of Audrey Hepburn, which wouldn’t necessarily be that bad if her acting wasn’t so cringe-worthy.

John T. Woods handles the lead as Paul Boxer, a cunning and imaginative drug smuggler who never lets anyone in too close.  Of course, when he does, be it his friendship with his dealer buddy who gets capped or when he rekindles his relationship with Olivia, it all goes sideways.  Woods is fine in the role, but the poorly written script makes his performance suffer.

Although it has a slew of glaring flaws and is an overall arduous endeavor to sit through, Down and Dangerous contains a few nuggets of promise.  Forsman’s directing is solid and if this does in fact stick to the true story it’s based on, the main character’s life was pretty insane.  There are a number of interesting twists, and although it didn’t necessarily work on all levels, the plot was complex and challenging.

Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good, and although it was a solid effort, Down and Dangerous doesn’t elevate itself from the hundreds of other generic actioners to grace the Video on Demand listings.  It’s a film that demands the viewer’s attention but does little to actually make them want to give it.