disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

PAYDIRT -- A Stripped Down Heist Flick

8/5/2020

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
(L-R) Paul Sloan as Tony, V. Bozeman as Cici, Luke Goss as Damien Brooks, Mike Hatton as Geoff Bentley and Murielle Telio as Janel in the action/crime thriller, “PAYDIRT,” an Uncork’d Entertainment release. Photo courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment.
Heist movies have a tendency to get overly convoluted, but every once in a while, a film comes along that strips the genre down to its basics. Christian Sesma’s new action flick Paydirt does just that, offering a caper without any of the frills, resulting in a movie that’s predictable but mostly amusing.

The film tells the story of a recently paroled ex-convict who teams up with his former crew to find a bag of cash that he buried before he did his time, catching himself on the path of his former employer and a retired sheriff whose career he derailed. What makes this movie stand out is that its heist isn’t something complex and multifaceted — yes there’s some planning, and there’s an obligatory reveal at the end — but Sesma is less worried about building the puzzle than showing the audience the finished picture.

Arguably the biggest problem with the film is that it can’t decide on a set tone to stick with. In some segments, it feels like it wants to be a gritty action movie, only for the next scene to be tongue-and-cheek and goofy. Had the movie went all-in on the action-comedy, it would have been much more enjoyable as a whole.

Still, at just over an hour and twenty minutes, there isn’t a whole lot of time to be wasted. The action sequences are pretty average and don’t have particularly complex choreography, but there’s enough of a firefight to keep the film moving. And the dialogue, while not especially smart, is plenty wry to crack a smile.
Picture
Val Kilmer as Sheriff Tucker in the action/crime thriller, “PAYDIRT,” an Uncork’d Entertainment release. Photo courtesy of Uncork’d Entertainment.
And like any great heist movie, the biggest strength here is the ensemble of eccentric characters that make up the crew. What makes this film particularly interesting, though, is the fact that it tries to bust some of the archetypes by changing the characters in small but effective and powerful ways.

Luke Goss’s performance in the lead role is shockingly decent, having a lot of the qualities of the traditional action hero. He looks endlessly cool, has great comedic timing, and can handle the action well. The other high-profile star in the movie is Val Kilmer, and while he isn’t terrible, it feels like almost every one of his lines was re-recorded with ADR.

The film should also be praised on a technical level for having much more style than the typical B-grade action movie. The cinematography by Stefan Colson is legitimately good, with some shots that are extremely pleasing aesthetically. Additionally, the soundtrack is pretty slick and complements the movie well.

Paydirt isn’t high entertainment, but it does its formula in a simple and satisfying way. For those looking for a mindlessly action film to occupy eighty minutes of their time, this may just scratch that itch.

Paydirt hits VOD on August 7.

Rating: 3/5
               
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About