Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe is a bit of a disappointment mainly because when it was first announced that Campbell would get his own Sam Axe film, I was quite excited and while the final product was alright, it didn’t quite mesh as well as I’d hoped. That said I’m sure die-hard Campbell fans will eat this up.
Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe (2011)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Action, Comedy
Fox | NR – 89 min. – $24.99 | July 26, 2011
MOVIE INFO:
Directed by: Jeffrey Donovan
Writer(s): Matt Nix (teleplay), Matt Nix & Greg Hart (screenplay)
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Kiele Sanchez, RonReaco Lee, Pedro Pascal, Ilza Rosario
DISC INFO:
Features: Commentary, Deleted Scenes
Number of Discs: 1
Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Codec: AVC
Region(s): A
THE MOVIE – 3.25/5
Plot: On his final mission as a Navy SEAL, Commander Sam Axe (BRUCE CAMPBELL) is sent deep into the jungles of South America, where a deadly terrorist organization threatens innocent lives, But, when Sam uncovers a far-reaching and diabolical plot, he must fight to stay alive long enough to stop it — at any cost.
I would call myself a back seat fan of USA Network’s television series, “Burn Notice”. I’ve liked the show for its “A-Team”-like storylines with a band of ex-specialists taking on cases and helping the underdog to stop a variety of villains. Those plotlines were intermixed with season long story arcs mainly concerning Michael Weston.
Now, his right-hand man and best friend Sam Axe gets his own little movie, Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe and when I first heard that this TV movie was in development, I was excited to check it out because Bruce Campbell is a big reason the series has been as successful as it has been. Although the story itself was decent enough and there was a fine mixture of action and sly comedy for Campbell to chew on and spit out is good, the movie as a whole didn’t really strike a chord either way. Technically speaking, series star Jeffrey Donovan, taking over the director’s chair, keeps up the pace well enough but at the same time, it’s a fairly mundane and average movie.
In terms of the acting, Campbell of course is in his element as the character, going on 4 years now, is pretty much on auto-pilot. The others, though, also manage to keep up between Kiele Sanchez (A Perfect Getaway, “The Glades”), RonReaco Lee (Madea Goes to Jail) and Ilza Rosario (debut), who offer up solid performances even when their characters aren’t entirely well developed saved perhaps for Rosario’s character who gets the most back story.
Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe was directed (and produced) by Jeffrey Donovan – who provides the right ambience between comedy and action, although the pacing was off – and written by series’ creator Matt Nix along with Greg Hart. Its passable entertainment for sure and probably diehard fans of “Burn Notice” and of Campbell might get more out of it than most.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5
Not a whole lot here in regards to features. First up we have an enjoyable and informative Audio Commentary with executive producer/director Jeffrey Donovan, executive producer/actor Bruce Campbell, and “Burn Notice” creator and Fall of Sam Axe co-writer/executive producer Matt Nix. The Fall of Jeffrey Donovan (11:26; HD) is a spoof featurette chronicling the insanity of Donovan as a director from the mouths of those working with him on location; two Deleted Scenes (1:20) which did nothing to enhance or help the story; “Burn Notice” at Comic Con 2010 (26:02; HD) is the panel discussion featuring creator Matt Nix, writer Alfredo Barrios, actors Tim Matheson and Bruce Campbell and moderated by actor Chris Vance (Mason Gilroy). Missing from the discussion though are Jeffrey Donovan and Gabrielle Anwar.
VIDEO – 3.75/5
The 1080p, 1.78 aspect ratio video transfer looks, for the most part, fairly good albeit nothing remarkable. It’s a consistent looking movie with no signs of dust or scratches and the detail level is also pretty good. I’d say it’s probably comparable to the “Burn Notice” season two transfer which itself was unremarkable but suitable for the viewing audience. Colors-wise, it’s an even flow and doesn’t seem to have the oversaturated flair which the series has in its Miami settings, though there are still warm hues to showcase its South American locale.
AUDIO – 3.5/5
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track isn’t special but gets the job done. Dialogue levels are crisp and clear throughout while the action sequences are OK but don’t offer the same amount of depth compared with other similarly budgeted action movies. That said, when we do get explosions or a chase sequence, it comes across adequately and should please most home viewers.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe is a bit of a disappointment mainly because when it was first announced that Campbell would get his own Sam Axe film, I was quite excited and while the final product was alright, it didn’t quite mesh as well as I’d hoped. That said I’m sure die-hard Campbell fans will eat this up. Also, I can think of worse ways to spend 90-minutes. The Blu-ray is OK with acceptable video and audio transfers, a fun audio commentary and decent Comic Con panel, otherwise it’s fairly light in features.
Brian Oliver, The Movieman
Published: 08/14/2011
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2.