Produced by Dave Bautista,
Wayne Marc Godfrey, Marc Goldberg,
Robert Jones, Jonathan Meisner
Screenplay by David T. Lynch,
Keith Lynch, Jonathan Frank
Directed by Scott Mann
Starring Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan,
Ray Stevenson, Julian Cheung,
Alexandra Dinu, Trevor Poole
Ex-military man Michael Knox (Bautista) visits his “niece”, Danni (actually his late best friend’s daughter), in England in the hopes of taking her to a football (soccer) match. Her mother tells Michael she’s grounded, but Knox works his charm to get mom to relent.
But, wouldn’t ya know it?
A group of Russian revolutionaries/terrorists have taken over the stadium’s security and are planning to detonate a huge amount of C4 unless their demands are met.
Namely, that the brother of the group’s leader – a beloved/despised revolutionary, mistakenly presumed dead – be delivered to them before the game hits the 90 minute mark.
Fun throwback to the early nineties era of “Die Hard on a ______” films is almost instantly forgettable but a hoot while it lasts.
Bautista is largely to thank for the film’s success. After seeing him in the first Guardians of The Galaxy, I was already a fan, but was even more impressed by his work in the sequel and his memorable small roles in Spectre and Blade Runner 2049.
He brings a great deal of sadness (he blames himself for his friend’s death in combat) and warmth to the role, and despite his imposing frame and stare, he also brings a welcome dollop of vulnerability as well.
Though anyone facing Martyn Ford’s Vlad would be hard-pressed NOT to appear vulnerable; Ford is 6’8”, 320 lbs. and has shoulders that look like they could crack I-beams. Their fight is exciting, as is the fight in an elevator between Bautista and another of the goons. I have a soft for fights in elevators, and this is a good one, though still behind Maximum Risk and the terrific (if extremely brief) gunfight in Die Hard With a Vengeance.
The action overall is well-done, the film is fast-paced, the supporting players well-drawn. Special mention should be made to Lara Peake as Danni. She makes a very believable, defiant and likable teen and has great chemistry with Bautista. Amit Shah is aces as Knox’s reluctant accomplice and comic relief, Stevenson a scenery-devouring delight as the main villain, and Brosnan his usual solid self in his maybe ten minutes onscreen (though perhaps he should refrain from Russian accents in the future).
It was also nice to see British character actor Ralph Brown (Aaron, aka “85”, in Alien 3) on hand as a policeman. He’s quite good and has the film’s funniest moment.
As enjoyable as the film is, you’ve got to meet it halfway at times. It’s definitely of the “Bad-guy-misses-good-guy-with-100-bullets/Good-guy-kills-bad-guy-with-one-shot” school, and the film becomes a bit TOO ludicrous at times.
And while the film is a more-than-solid action film, I do wish certain scenes and choices had a bit more panache.
But this is nitpicking. Final Score is a thoroughly entertaining actioner with yet another hugely appealing turn by Bautista.
Final Score arrives in theaters and on VOD and Digital HD on September 14, 2018.
