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Memorable, crazy movie

Did you people see the same film I saw?

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I've been trying for years to decide the solitary element the separates Quentin Tarantino from his vast amount of imitators. Since 1992 when he burst out with Reservoir Dogs and turned the basic narrative structure on its head with Pulp Fiction, every two-bit, wannabe filmmaker has been trying to duplicate the formula. They seem to have the notes right, but not the music.Director Keith Parmer is no different. His new film Swelter is a puny modern day western propped up against the influence of Tarantino's Django Unchained and Robert Rodriquez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico, yet it can't approach either of those films because it comes off more as a showcase of violence in slow-motion than developing any kind of character. Worse, his narrative has no purpose. Characters and motivations are muddy and unfocused and often a character is introduced and dispatched without any kind of explanation.If the style comes from Tarantino and Rodriquez, then Parmer borrows the story heavily from Ocean's Eleven (not the new one). His story begins with a flashback structure that features three sweaty guys who spent 10 years in prison for robbing a Vegas casino of several million dollars dressed in masks that look like – you guessed it – The Rat Pack. They're caught. One of their partners is wounded and disappears, and the rest of the movie is focused on a violent bloodbath as the three ex-cons now converge in a small Nevada backwater to find their missing partner-in-crime and uncover what happened to the missing money.Now, as any reasonable moviegoers might assess, that's not much to build a movie on. You need characters and histories and motivations for this to work. Plus, you need dialogue that consists of more than tough talk, sexual innuendo, pseudo-philosophical nonsense and half-assed boilerplate patter that only functions to move the plot along. The fact that one of the robbers is played by Jean Claude Van Damme should be an indication that some neato fisticuffs are on the way. Nope! He just looks mean and shoots people.Swelter is a good looking movie, but its all frosting and no cake. The camera whips around and the actors walk and shoot in slow motion. The opening heist is so filled with close-ups and jump cuts that we hardly get any sense of risk or danger. The rest of the movie is a long, slow haul to the inevitable showdown.Parmer is so satisfied with his style that he forgets to involve us in what is going on. Many of the action scenes look cool but the simplest element of motivation is thrown to the wind. For example, early in the film a bunch of guys break out of a prison chapel by blowing a hole in the wall followed by a shoot-out with the cops. One of the cops was apparently in on the prison break and is suddenly dispatched. It's a cold-blooded moment that is never explained. What follows is a series of scenes of carnage and blood employed by and with characters that we never get to know. They're all pawns in a stylish exercise. You wonder where their motivation comes from, and you're also baffled about why, after the murders of two dozen local cops, the FBI and the SWAT Team aren't converging on this town.If there is a positive in this movie, it comes from two performances that should occupy a more focused story. One is by English actor Lennie James as the robber who disappeared. He has some quiet moments that are effective, especially in his connection with a beaten-down local doctor played by Alfred Molina whose whole physical structure seems motivated by whatever he's experienced in life. These two guys seem to have genuine charm and you can feel the pain of a long and difficult life. A little more exploration of their lives and the movie might have amounted to much more. We lean forward to hear what they have to say. Unfortunately it's drowned out by gun fire and explosions that don't mean a darned thing.

I really enjoyed this film. I think it is an interesting, fresh, new take on the Western/Action genre. Of course, it seems like the presence of such a big name like Jean-Claude Van Damme in the cast may lead into thinking of SWELTER as a pure action/martial arts film. Well, it is not. It is more of a modern drama with a Western vibe. JCVD plays an interesting role in this film and he brilliantly mixes in with the rest of the cast giving his contribution to the story. Yes, the aim of writer/director Keith Parmer seems to be the story: the film is slow-paced with strong moments of rapid action because it needs time for the characters and the several sub-plots to unfold. SWELTER is a film you have to sit down and pay attention to. It's not just explosions and fights (although there are some very cool ones in it). It's a film full of details where everything you see is meant to be seen and every dialog makes sense in the big picture once you get to the end of the story. It's like putting the pieces of a mosaic together and finally figure out what really happened and how everything is connected.It may not be a film for everybody but it is definitely a good watch for those who love films like "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" or "A History of Violence". The cast is great but a special mention goes to Alfred Molina, Grant Bowler and Academy-Award-nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno who deliver amazing performances.Totally recommended.

After almost 10 years, a couple of criminal friends are released from prison and they travel to a small town in the desert in search of their money from a casino heist. The story begins with their release, but soon the viewer is treated with some shaky and vague flashbacks of the actual heist, probably shot while the camera man was either drunk or high as a kite (probably both). The action is bad, you hope it'll get better but the sad part is that you've just witnessed the highlight of the movie. It all goes downhill from here. The character development is very poor and illogical most of the times. For commercial reasons, we have Jean-Claude van Damme. I was always a big fan of his early work. His recent films have been decent but this has to be his worst movie in probably 10 years. Not that it's his fault, his character is unbelievable and unconvincing: he has absolutely nothing to work with. He's supposed to be the criminal mind of the bunch but all he does is flirt with the local bar lady and gets killed (very easily) by some local punk with a knife. This happens before the 'grand finale' but having seen how that turned out, he can be glad he didn't stick around for the credits. There isn't a single believable character in this dull story. It doesn't seem to bother the town at all that they've been invaded by a dangerous crew. Life just goes on, right ? How clueless the filmmakers really are is perfectly constructed during the final scene. The gimmick of the movie shows that the bag of money was hidden on top of the empty water tower. The bag looks brand new, how is that possible after laying there for almost 10 years in 40 degrees of burning sun ?? Sad that Jean-Claude Van Damme (it was great to see him in Expendables 2)has once again reduced himself to cheap movies that no one really wants to see. His role is not a cameo, but it's not that big either, and totally forgettable.

Swelter is a great film all the way around. It's very action packed, has some humor, great dialog and awesome acting in it. This film is a modern-day crime thriller and a classic western high plains story all rolled into one. It has an awesome cast including Jean Claude Van Damme, Grant Bowler, Lennie James, Alfred Molina, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Josh Henderson, Daniele Favilli, Freya Tingley, Courtney Hope and other cast, which is very impressive and makes this film SO strong. The film is directed and written by Award Winning Director, Keith Parmer, and the storyline and films' outcome speaks to his impressive talent. Keith is also the Director and Writer of the feature film 'Mob Rules', which was acquired by Lionsgate. This is a film for everyone and should definitely be a 'must-see.' It's totally entertaining!