Trivia:
The screenplay is an old project of the same Sylvester Stallone, written many years before, never realized, and then abandoned to the age of the actor, but brought back into fashion thanks to Jason Statham. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
After the death of his wife, Phil Broker (Jason Statham) and his young
daughter Maddy (Izabela Vidovic) to a small Louisiana town. What starts
out as what was supposed to be a new beginning quickly changes. After
an altercation with a local hick family, the wife Cassie (Kate
Bosworth), enlists her brother Gator (James Franco) to put a scare into
him. But what starts out as a few minor threats quickly begins to
escalate and become more personal, and Broker is willing to do whatever
it takes to protect his daughter and his homefront.
Jason Statham has been known for his past non-stop action films. While
entreating and fun, most of them lack a lot of substance. Homefront is
a change of pace. Instead of playing the normal character he usually
does, Statham is family man this time around. He's trying to provide a
better life for his daughter by trying to avoid conflict, but conflict
seems to follow him amongst the townspeople. At the film's core it's
about a man trying to do his best, but like many people, he has his
limit. What sets it apart from Statham's other films is that there's
more to the story than him running around beating the hell out of
everyone. There is also more substance to his character. But it
certainly wouldn't be a Jason Statham movie without some good fight
sequences. While we are treated to minor ones throughout the movie, the
biggest one of all, of course, is in the final act of the movie. The
film does a good job of balancing the story with action which should be
please most audiences However, one of it's weaknesses is that it has
more villains than necessary, and it ultimately leaves the viewer
wondering who the real villain is. It also suffers from some weak
character development with some pretty important characters including
Kate Bosworth's character who essentially is the one who sets things in
motion, she pops up every once in a while and randomly shows up at the
end. Rachelle Lefevre who stars as Maddy's school psychologist isn't
given much to work with either. She's introduced and it's evident
there's chemistry between her and Statham's character and that's really
it. And while she's present through a good chunk of the movie as
Franco's girlfriend, Winona Ryder has a character that should have been
given a bit more history, as she's an integral part when it comes to
the "other" villains.
Jason Statham gives a very credible performance. As noted, we typically
see him as the all- around tough guy with nothing much else to show.
Here, we see him as a father caring for his daughter, plus that, and he
balances both really well. The moments between him and newcomer Izabela
Vidovic are nice to watch as their chemistry as father and daughter
really works. Vidovic also gives a very good performance as Maddy, she
portrays a tough young girl well, but plays the emotional moments when
discussing her deceased mother very well. James Franco stars as one of
the major villains in the movie. After his villain-ish performance in
Spring Breakers, Franco takes on a more legitimate villain role. The
thing about Franco as the villain here is that we never know what his
next move will be, he does a excellent job of keeping the audience on
their toes. The rest of the cast (at least what we see of them) do a
decent job, though nothing spectacular or memorable.
For a film of a new nature for Jason Statham, Homefront does a
well-done job, as does Statham and Franco. The story is one that can
appeal to both genders. It's not all action, but offers plenty of
thrills and dramatic elements to keep the story going until the big
fight scenes occur. Despite some of the weak character development, and
the over-abundance of villains, Homefront is an above average film that
is easily Statham's best.
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