Countdown (2016)
Starring:
Nic Nemeth, Glenn Jacobs, Katharine Isabelle, Josh Blacker, Alexander Kalugin, Michael Kospa, Alan O’Silva, Catherine Lough Haggquist, Andrea Stefancikova
Synopsis:
When a madman kidnaps a young boy and rigs him with explosives, Ray defies his captain and takes matters into his own hands. Now he must beat the clock and save the innocent child.
Review:
Before moving into the review I have to state that I am a big supporter of “B Movie” action films and more specifically have found the majority of WWE Studio films enjoyable. Are they great….no. However, they have found their niche in the movie industry. Countdown was not on of these films, I don’t even know where to start with this movie but I will try.
The film starts promising enough, Ray being played by WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler and Detective Kendricks enter what looks to be cargo yard to perform a undercover operation and this is where the movie comes apart. As soon as we are introduced to Rays sergeant, WWE Superstar Kane, the movie starts to unravel before our eyes. Ray is suspended due to his performance in the field which allows us to be introduced to the female lead, OPA officer Julia Baker, played by Katharine Isabelle. Her performance was so awful in the first scene I wouldn’t have blamed anyone for turning off the TV. Through out the movie she is puffin on and inhaler….Maybe due to asthma or maybe due to an addiction but you don’t know why cause it actually plays no part in the film and is never touched apon.
The next 15 mins of the films dives into what is supposed to be the main plot of the movie, a madman who has been sending Ray demands for 2 mil in cash for the last year has finally upped his game and kidnaps a kid……What the fuck, what police department doesn’t investigate ransom demands for an entire year? However, lets suspend disbelief for the moment and believe this is possible. The rest of those 15 mins show ray running around a WWE event (Im guessing due to financial restraints, on the plus side you get to see the back of The Rock in one scene for about two seconds) chasing the madman because this is where the ransom dropped happened. The chase ends with villain being killed leaving a little kid somewhere in town strapped with explosives and its now a race against the clock to save the child.
The rest of the film plays out as expected and shows Ray running around town, causing trouble to get information on the whereabouts of the boy while being chased by the man they arrested at the beginning of the film during the undercover operations for some reason.
This was a horrible film, it was just filled with horrible acting, plot holes and in all honesty no plot direction. Ray and Julia spend time asking around town in order to locate this child, only there was no actually evidence that they should be questioning all these individuals other than they are all Russian. We had to be given a new villain cause they killed the one that cause all of the issue within the first 20 mins. And while Dorph Ziggler was passible as an actor, Kane was just horrible and needs to put his mask back on.
As for the writers of this film, Richard Wenk (16 blocks, The Magnificent 7) and Michael Finch (The November Man, Hitman: Agent 47) this was a horrible script for two men that have given us solid films in the past. My suggestion…..Pass on this movie, let my suffering be enough.
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