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Cast: Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”), Skylan Brooks (“Empire”), Zolee Griggs (“Wu-Tang: An American Saga”), Paul Scheer (“Black Monday”), Amy Seimetz (Pet Semetary) and Glenn Howerton (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”)
In ARCHENEMY, Max Fist (Joe Manganiello) is a local drunk who claims to be a superhero from the planet Chromium. He tells anyone who will listen that he was pulled into a wormhole, falling through time and space, and dropped to earth without any of his powers. No one pays any attention to Max except a teenager named Hamster (Skylan Brooks) who can’t get enough of Max’s stories. When Hamster and his sister (Zolee Griggs) get in trouble with a vicious drug syndicate led by The Manager (Glenn Howerton), Max takes to the streets as a brutal vigilante hellbent on proving himself as the hero no one believes him to be.
'Archenemy' tells the story of Max Fist, a homeless drunk who tells people he is a superhero from the planet, Chromium. Of course no one believes except for a teenager named Hamster. Hamster lives with his sister, Indigo who works for the local drug pin. When one of the king pin's clients ends up dead and a large amount of money goes missing Indigo is accused of stealing the loot. Now with their lives on the line it is up to Max to save them from sure death.
As the film opens, we are greeted with an animated sequence that tells the story of how Max Fist made his way to earth. Get use to it because there are several times during the film in which animation is used I suspect for budget reasons and although I am not a fan of the animation it works here.
Another thing I thought could have used some work was the back stories to the characters. Besides those two things I did enjoy the film that was made up of drama and action. It reminded me of a cross between "Hancock" and "Punisher" which isn't a bad thing.
The acting was solid all around with good performances from Joe Manganiello, Skylan Brooks and Zolee Griggs as Max, Hamster and Indigo. The supporting cast all did a fine job as well.
In the end I was kept entertained by an ambitious film done on a small budget. I also enjoyed the ending which leaves it open for a sequel if they want to make another. 'Archenemy' will be on DVD and Blu-ray February 16, 2021 so if you think you like this kind of action film then check it out.
Released by RLJE Films
*** 1/2 Out Of *****