Verdict
Summary
Homefront is one of Jason Statham’s best movies as it has heart, tension and plenty of action. Highly recommended.
Plot: A former DEA agent moves his family to a quiet town, where he soon tangles with a local meth druglord.
Review: It feels like we’ve been talking about this movie for months (we have) but I finally got to attend the Canadian Premiere tonight and I’m happy to report that Homefront has indeed been worth the wait.
It’s one of the most intense movies I’ve seen this year with plenty of hard-R violence and excellent performances all round. The biggest revelation was James Franco as the antagonist Gator Bodine, a completely insane meth dealer who Statham gets on the wrong side of. He’s pretty damn terrifying and isn’t afraid to use a baseball bat as a method of communication.
Statham is as badass as always but as demonstrated in Redemption/Hummingbird, the man can also act and has some nice scenes with his daughter which, dare I say it are genuinely moving.
Kate Bosworth gives a career-best performance as a junkie mother who essentially starts the conflict after Statham’s daughter (played by Izabela Vidovic) beats up her son… in self-defence. Vidovic does the rare thing of being a child actor who isn’t irritating and has a great on-screen rapport with Statham.
The action in this movie is my favourite kind; no cities being destroyed, just Statham beating the living crap out of the bad guys, which he always does so well. The action is nicely shot with no CGI or shaky cam and I found myself on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
In terms of script, Sylvester Stallone has written one of his better movies and despite originally being written as a vehicle for him, Statham really made the role his own.
The choice of songs in the movie were fantastic and the score built up the tension nicely as well; although there wasn’t a theme tune, it didn’t need one.
Homefront was beautifully shot and very well paced; I actually thought it could have been a little longer as it ended a bit too quickly, but the resolution was thoroughly satisfying.
Overall, the film was incredibly intense with plenty of action and a great pace; Statham rocks as we all know but it was James Franco who really stole the show. One of Statham’s best movies.
