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Surprisingly incoherent and boring

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I was on the fence about seeing this film, but I'm glad I did. First of all I have to say i completely disagree with the negative reviews for this movie. After all, the reason we go see movies is to escape reality and come out with a different perspective on life (or we should anyway) than try to figure out if the plot or premise of a film is believable or not. Star Wars or Star Trek don't have a believable premise either but we love to watch'em. This movie, although completely different than a Sci-Fi film, is well worth watching from a psychological point of view alone. People make films. And just like people, all films have flaws even the high budget theatrical releases. I watched this film before I even knew it was a strictly video release and the director was popping his cherry for the first time. But considering either of these, I have to give credit where credit is due and say this movie was really good. It was more positive than negative that's for sure.

Okay, there is a spoiler alert, but there is not much to spoil. It's just some guy trying to protect some little girl in an attic with a black guy downstairs. But that black guy is the Matrix guy so it's kind of cool. Not much to spoil, but it is about the suspense. You want to know what the guy is gonna do. He tries to be a good guy, but whether he makes it or not, I'll leave that to you to decide. This movie is aight. Not great. But hey, it's Netflix so what do you expect?They must have spent like 5 dollars making this film, because this whole movie takes place in some dude's house. It's not bad. I think it's an okay movie. But it's not great.

Just beyond the opening scenes, Standoff quickly rises above its cheapness as an enjoyable and gripping suspense thriller. Then we're treated to an old breed of filmmaking that hasn't been this well-done since the likes of Misery! I love both headlining actors dearly but they've unfairly fallen off the radar in recent years. I still buy into their efforts on occasion despite bitter reviews, though, because budget does not always make for a great movie. In this case, it hits the spot.So an ex-military man turned mafia hit-man hunts the sole witness of a multiple murder - a young girl with a camera - to a lonely farmhouse inhabited by a grieving alcoholic. Literally this is the premise and the scene is set for a siege and an edgy war of wits as one tries to convince the other to let him have the girl and walk away.Sometimes that's all you need; no winding plot twists to keep people guessing. Sometimes it's just about the suspense and the viscera, but Standoff benefits from a great script and the skills of the director who also wrote it.It has an old-school feel to it, and when we get down to it, even the look of the film harks back to a day of shamelessly simple effectiveness.Fishburne is on top form as the villain, bringing the ghetto mentality of former villainous roles from the likes of King of New York and Assault on Precinct 13. He's sharper than ever, bursting with character and both smouldering and cold-blooded.Thomas Jane also throws in his strongest performance in a long time and his man on the edge versus the man on a deadline is both genius acting and writing at once. They don't make characters like this anymore. Back in the '70s or '80s the role could have belonged to Lee Marvin, James Coburn or Roy Scheider.I'm surprised and saddened that Standoff isn't getting recognition. It deserves a round of applause!

As a fan of Thomas Jane and Lawrence Fishburne, I wanted to like this movie. However, what seemed to be pitched as a battle of wits turned into an hour and half screaming match between the two actors. The movie is basically Jane attempting to keep a little girl from being killed by Fishburne with his last shotgun shell. The two of them spend the whole movie yelling insults and cursing at each other, with very little happening in between. The script tries to add some story by telling giving Jane's character a tragic backstory, but it really doesn't do much to keep the plot moving. The best part of the movie is the little girl. Ella Ballentine has some definite talent, and finding out what happens to her is the only reason to finish watching the movie. This young actor adds a weariness and "old soul" quality to her character that makes her seem wiser beyond her years. While pitched as a battle of wits, this is more of a pissing contest between two stubborn men. If that's your thing, then go for it.