Blunt Force Trauma (2015) Reviews

• Mesmerizing and visceral

  rbeckring2015-09-22

  A slice of the lives of two vagabond gunfighters, the stories that brought them together, and their inevitable spiral as each chooses the degree of violence that must rule their existence. The haunting soundtrack (mostly Kid Dakota, veteran of minimalist-core label Chairkickers Union) punctuated a perfect Foley which provides the crunch of beer cans and a rattling rolling lead pipe in place of the jangling cowboy spurs and whistling wind of earlier gunfighter films. When the story slowed, it never felt stilted or awkward, and the ride was totally worth every minute of building tension. Yes, there is a parallel to Fight Club, but Blunt Force Trauma has none of that film's self-consciousness or absurdity and it's hard to believe that there isn't an underground dueling circuit after watching.

• The draw of modern high noon standoff

  quincytheodore2016-03-03

  Pistol duel in wild west is always enigmatically and brutally interesting, "Blunt Force Trauma" transitions that rugged charm to the modern era with Kevlar and Colt. This is one simple theme used in pretty exciting way, also delivered by adequately dependable leads, yet the pacing isn't as rapid as the flying bullets. John (Ryan Kwanten) is a participant in underground pistol duel, he rises up in ranks fast in order to challenge the legendary Zorringer (Mickey Rourke). Along the way he meets up with Colt (Freida Pinto), a woman trying to avenge his brother against a man allegedly cheated in the duel. The set-up is good, the unique game-like quality gives an roguish appeal to the character and South American setting. Ryan Kwanten is a capable lead, he looks psychically impressive and certainly brings the rowdy cowboy persona. Freida Pinto as his counterpart is a good match, they have a nice chemistry and quite believable as two person taking a hazardous trip together. The romance angle works out fine as well, not undermining the serious tone or become too cheesy. The rest of the cast, sadly, are not given too much screen time, including Mickey Rourke, and it makes the scale seems too small. Dialogues can be rough around the edges, it tries to be poetically engaging but only succeeds half of the time. Some of the lines are too awkwardly put together, not to mention the momentum halts in the midway point. Its gunslinging parts are intriguing, mostly because it's simple and effective in grabbing people's attention. This could've been done more stylish by introducing outlandish characters, but the movie feels a bit restrained to capitalize on its premise. The act of two persons in duel is primal and basic, a nifty way to engage viewers and the leads cater to such effort, however the pace is unable to reach the full velocity.

• Very poetic

  Fennris2015-12-04

  For a movie with gun violence as the core activity, this is a very quiet, reflective piece. It is well scripted, well directed and well acted with no filler (no witty banter, ridiculous stunts, little humor, no f/x, etc). They do a good job of -not- glorifying the fights and maintaining suspense; at no point do I want to be in the main character's shoes. Along with Freida Pinto's character, I'm rooting for him to survive and work through his hopefully fleeting passion/obsession, not win the fights. Most of the time the positions he puts himself in just look like pointless death traps that I would rather not see him walk into (contrasted with a Jason Statham or Bond movie where it's fun to see how the protagonist manages to spectacularly untangle bad situations). The final fight is perfect - two accomplished warriors meet with nowhere to go and nothing to do but everything to prove. Kwanten did an outstanding job - his character was nothing like I've seen him do before but I doubt Eastwood in his prime could have done better. And Rourke was his character; it may not have been a creative leap for him but it served the story well which is all that matters. The weaknesses of the movie are also it's strengths: it has a very small # of relevant cast members and a very simple (but nearly perfect) story and script. So if it's not exactly your type of movie there's not going to be much in it for you.

• Oh my what a joy this could have been

  A_Different_Drummer2015-09-26

  The concept was wonderful. A strange combination of Hard Times and Quick and the Dead, with a touch of Mad Max ... hard to mess up. But mess up they did. There are two schools of film criticism. The "auteur" school insists that, before taking pen to paper, you understand everything about the director and writer, to better appreciate what was intended. The second school does not care what was intended, just what shows up on screen. Using the yardstick from the second school, I see a film that almost goes out of its way to detract from its own power, to minimize its own kick, to alienate the audience at every opportunity. The dialog is wretched. The direction so bad as to be perverse and peevish. Ironically Ryan Kwantan and the stunning Freida Pinto are well cast, and in the proper circumstances could have delivered the goods. But like sacrificial pawns in a chess game, their efforts are hampered at every turn. The sound director in particular should be ashamed. The director chose for unknown reasons to have the characters speak softly all the time, possibly to generate "realism." All this generates is a headache, especially since the soundman allowed every possible noise to block out what the characters were actually saying. This reviewer almost never looks at a film and wonders aloud how much better it would have been if the Hollywood machine had gotten hold of it...? This one is the exception to the rule.

• A well done piece, centred around a modern gunfighting 'circuit'. It partly explores how our perceptions of dying reflect how we are actually living.

  loeksnokes2016-01-25

  Very tight and minimalist plot that builds directly to the climax of the movie. It was well thought out. There are five or six scenes in the movie centred around gunfighting, which are interesting for various reasons that usually have nothing to do with the 'sport' being depicted, and which I thought were very well done. As pointed out by another reviewer, one never feels any desire to be standing in a circle, so that was also well done. The film does not glorify the violence, or, leave you with the thought, for instance, that Kwantan's character is going to get out of any particular fight unscathed. As often happens in brutal sport films (e.g., Raging Bull, where this is done brilliantly), the violence is often a means for the characters to test, refine, explore, and purify themselves; cutting out all excess. However, in BFT it is presented in such a way that you know there is a basic lethality and lack of control to the sport: it could only appeal, for instance, if one considers spending life in a wheelchair an acceptable outcome of the testing. Ultimately, the movie is a character piece, and not, in its core, an action film. As such I admit I was not too interested in Freida Pinto's character during the first half, but by the ending she had essentially become the most interesting character, and one trapped in a surprising bind. Ryan Kwantan's character becomes more interesting as one discern's his chief features, but after a while, one hopes for some further development, and this simply does not come, at least, not directly in the shot scenes. Ultimately, the fixed nature Kwantan's essential character is a central point of the movie, and the consequences of that, indeed, are very well drawn.