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Cast: Mickey Rourke, Ryan Kwanten, Freida Pinto
Two duelists wearing Kevlar vests stand in opposing circles; face each other, draw, and shoot. The one left standing in the circle wins. John (Ryan Kwanten), a talented young shooter seeks the ultimate duel with the champion, Zorringer (Mickey Rourke), while Colt (Freida Pinto) seeks revenge for the death of her brother.
"Blunt Force Trauma" tells the story of John and Colt, two lovers who compete in underground gun duels for money. But it is more than that, John is trying to find his way and himself and he looks to compete against the champion gunslinger, Zorringer. Colt is following another path, one of revenge.
This film has to have one of the silliest ideas for a movie ever. How can people wearing Kevlar vests who stand in opposite circles shooting at one another never die? I mean someone is bound to be a bad shot at some point and put a bullet between someone's eyes right? Well that never happens. But someone does get shot in the leg once. You would think a film with the synopsis above would be a real stinker but some how it manages to avoid being a total dud. One reason for that is the back stories and the character development. Writer/Director, Ken Sanzel takes an over the top idea and actually makes a pretty engaging film out of it. I look forward to seeing what he does next.
The only complaint I could have about the film is that it drags a bit around the halfway point but even then the two main characters keep things interested enough so it never becomes boring. Speaking of the characters, the cast does a fantastic job bringing them to life. Ryan Kwanten and Freida Pinto are both great as John and Colt, they do a great job carrying the film and their chemistry together is amazing. The film's other main character, Zorringer is played by the always fantastic Mickey Rourke. The problem is even though he is a main character that helps drive the two others and the story he is only in the film for about 10 minutes and that is at the very end. This is one of several films Rourke has been in lately where he has cameo roles. Kwanten and Pinto do a fantastic job carrying the film but it certainly would have been better if Rourke was in it more.
In the end I liked "Blunt Force Trauma" more than I expected but that was because they took the silly dueling idea and fit it in a realistic story about finding yourself and revenge. Fans of Rourke are sure to be disappointed but it you watch the film for what it is I think you will find it to be a nice slice of entertainment like I did. Available in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray Oct. 5, you can order the DVD HERE and the Blu-ray HERE.
"Blunt Force Trauma" is an action/drama that rises above some of its flaws and in the end it turns out to be a pretty enjoyable film that is worth checking out.
Released by Alchemy
*** 1/4 Out Of *****