Oddly Entertaining
Summary
Showdown at the Grand is one of Dolph Lundgren’s stranger roles but I kind of like it… I think. I enjoyed Terence Howard as George and the final 30 minutes has some decent action. It’s a bit slow at times and is maybe too artsy for some tastes but it’s nice to see a movie that is a love letter to old school movies and theatres.
Plot: A proud movie theater owner, George Fuller (Terrence Howard), must defend his family business from corporate developers alongside a legendary action star, Claude Luc Hallyday (Dolph Lundgren) as art imitates life in a showdown for the ages.
Review: Showdown at the Grand looked like the type of movie critics would love, but audiences would mostly scratch their heads in bewilderment at. On IMDb it’s an average 2.5 out of 5 and Rotten Tomatoes is 100%. I’m somewhere in the middle and to be honest I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I saw the film on Shout! Factory’s YouTube channel and for some reason all the swearing was muted on it… why?
Anyway, it stars Terence Howard and Dolph Lundgren and is a (sort of) action comedy. It’s a love letter to the movies of the 70s and 80s with Dolph Lundgren poking fun at his tough guy persona as a washed up action star called Claude Luc Hallyday; he is asked to come visit a movie theatre called The Grand by its owner, George Fuller (Terence Howard). Unfortunately, George is trying to fend off evil property developers (aren’t they all?) from buying him out to make way for their shiny new buildings.
George is a dreamer stuck in a world of nostalgia who sees his theatre as his home; he‘s obsessed with Hallyday’s old pictures and plays them regularly, but they don’t bring in a lot of money. He spends his days with Lucky (John Savage) and new employee Spike (Piper Curda) who join George and Claude for the final showdown.
The real standout villain here is Burton (Jon Sklaroff) who is so utterly hateful I wanted him to get a horrific death and in that respect this film delivers. It’s such an ironic death too which I love. Amanda Righetti is also wonderfully nasty where I was practically throwing things at the screen.
The movie is quite surreal and a little slow for the first half, so I understand why many wouldn’t bother with it and it’s only the final 30 minutes when the action kicks in. Despite this, I really enjoyed Showdown as I’m the type of guy who goes to small theaters to watch obscure action or horror movies regularly. They are a dying breed and the kinds of places that should be cherished rather than the soulless multiplexes that have mostly taken over.
In terms of action we get some sword fights and Dolph does a few martial arts moves; the clips to his movies make wish they were real. There were some great film titles in there with the highlight being Iraqnaphoia which was genius.
The downbeat ending is disappointing leaving you with nothing and I wish it didn’t go the way it did, but that’s just my personal preference.
Overall, Showdown at the Grand is an odd tale that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love seeing Dolph doing something different and Terence Howard brings genuine soul to his character. It’s more drama than action but it certainly has plenty towards the end rewarding your patience. This makes me want to go to a small theatre and watch some Grindhouse movies at midnight with like-minded movie lovers and that’s who this movie is for.