Standoff is hardly a great movie but it is refreshingly simple one featuring two veteran actors who didn’t appear to be phoning in their performances. The writing isn’t the best as it seems the filmmakers were going for some sort of modern western with its dialogue which at times stood out.
Standoff
(2016)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Suspense, Thriller
Lionsgate | R – 86 min. – $24.99 | April 12, 2016
Date Published: 05/11/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE – 3.0/5 |
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Sometimes the simplest plots make for a better movie. Although it’s not entirely unpredictable and some of the actions by its characters are perplexing, even idiotic, yet for all of its faults, Standoff is a breezy and entertaining little flick.
The plot is thankfully basic: When 12-Year-Old Isabella (ELLA BALLENTINE) witnesses multiple murders by a contract killer (LAURENCE FISHBURNE), and snaps pictures of his face, she barely escapes for her life, running to farmhouse occupied by Carter (THOMAS JANE), a man whose life is in shambles with a wife who left him following the death of their son. It’s now a, wait for it, standoff, as the killer after he and Carter exchange gunfire, injuring the other. Carter and Isabella holed up upstairs, the killer down, the two exchange banter attempting to one-up one another. Standoff was written and directed by Adam Alleca marking his feature debut and while the dialogue could’ve been better, or at the very least more consistent as the film seem to veer into modern-day Western territory, the plot was simple enough and thankfully didn’t go overboard and had some lame, tack-on, twist. There was also just enough background on our hero and the girl to make us care about their situation and enough mystery to keep us guessing about the assassin.
The acting by the core cast of Thomas Jane, Laurence Fishburne and, to a lesser extent, the young Ella Ballentine, was quite good and both the veteran actors could’ve easily phoned in their performances and instead they gave it their all with a limited plot. It might’ve made for a more interesting movie, though, if the roles were reversed. On the downside, however, the actions of these characters were, well, idiotic; there was a point in the film where, at the very least, the girl could’ve gotten away but the opportunity wasn’t seized. Heck, the amount of time they had, both (even in his condition) could’ve escaped and hid somewhere on the vast property. But they needed to keep the suspense, and plot, going so…
In the end, Standoff isn’t anything incredible but it is a breezy watch clocking in at around 80-minutes. It’s probably worth renting VOD and the like. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.0/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. The features, though, are light with only A Fight to the Death: The Making of Standoff (7:03; HD) featurette included. Previews — American Heist, The Forger, Vice, Tracers |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Lionsgate releases Standoff onto Blu-ray presented with a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec) and a 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio. The majority of the film, save for the opening scenes, take place in doors and colors are generally toned down though there are moments of pop such as Isabelle’s red dress and skin tones do look natural. There were no major flaws or noticeable artifacts or aliasing, so it does at least look clean and detail was by and large sharp. |
AUDIO – 3.0/5 |
| The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track meanwhile is a bit limited. The bulk of the movie is mostly dialogue tended to be decent but there were times levels were a tad too low. The bulk of the audio comes through the center channel with limited usage of the front and rears for the non-descript/generic score. It’s nothing bad but pretty low key. |
OVERALL – 2.75/5 |
| Overall, Standoff is hardly a great movie but it is refreshingly simple one featuring two veteran actors who didn’t appear to be phoning in their performances. The writing isn’t the best as it seems the filmmakers were going for some sort of modern western with its dialogue which at times stood out. Otherwise, this is probably worth a rental. The Blu-ray released through Lionsgate offers good video, so-so audio and a forgettable featurette. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.