by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
Does the cinematic world need any more aging stars to deliver action thrillers? This pattern can be traced right back to Liam Neeson and his shocking hit, Taken. Since then, everyone from Jennifer Garner to Denzel Washington has jumped in the driver’s seat of this reckless thrill ride. Some of these films are quality, but so many of them just feel like carbon copies. Antonio Banderas has already jumped headlong into this trend with other similar outings this year, but now it is time for him to be The Enforcer.
Does The Enforcer offer up anything interesting or different? Not really. This new thriller is just a series of contrived and derivative elements strung together to meet the expected minimum of 90 minutes. Writer W. Peter Iliff has seen plenty of crime thrillers… and it shows. The issue is that the film does not sidestep any expectations or throw a twist in on any of them. In fact, Iliff smashes together two stale narratives and hopes that they added up to more than the sum of their parts. Banderas is a career criminal out of prison. Guess what? His daughter is estranged, and he latches onto a young woman to compensate. When she goes missing, he jumps into action. This story, along with some fresh takes, would have been plenty. But throw in a mentee who is on the wrong path for Banderas. He finds love, but needs to get out of this life. This all adds up to a predictable and flat story.
But does director Richard Hughes offer up a fresh take on screen? This film feels exactly like you would expect it. The visuals are drab and flat. Where there should be suspense and tension, there are just events happening that are violent or “shocking.” These series of violent occurrences should build up suspense and intrigue, but when most of them end out of such convenient means, there is not enough weight to carry these moments. A thriller that lacks thrills is something unfortunate.
Does Banderas offer up anything to elevate this film? Banderas does his best to deliver this thriller on the level that it should be on. He succeeds in offering a performance that is compelling and intense. When he is on screen, you care. You buy into his budding connection with an unfortunate young woman. His drive to make up for his own flaws is admirable, and the audience can get behind it. Banderas toggles between fiery intensity and effortless charm. This performance is not enough to remedy the film, but at least we can enjoy those moments with him on screen.
Is his counterpart in the film fair as well? Mojean Aria does not fare so well. His performance is flat, and his dialogue is awkward. He does not have the same presence as Banderas (which is not unexpected). Every time we switch to Aria’s character, Stray, we want to be back with Banderas’ Cuda. At that rate, there should not be all this screen time for an uninteresting character and narrative — the film already has a more compelling one.
The real question is… is The Enforcer worth it? Not really. These Banderas vehicles get trapped in the logjam of forgettable action thrillers starring aging film stars. But at least we get some entertaining and enjoyable Banderas acting, which I will never say no to.
Score: 4/10
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