Director Jean-Marc Minéo returns to the action genre in Last Resort from Saban Films. Michel (Jon Foo) is a former special forces soldier on the verge of losing his spouse Kim (Julaluck Ismalone), due to his neglect. Michel spends his day watching cartoons and getting lost in his thoughts. One day Kim and the couple's daughter Anna (Angelina Ismalone) venture to the bank when a group of terrorists led by Cooper (Clayton Norcross) holds the place up.
The actions of Cooper and his accomplices force Michel to become a one-man army and employ his military skills. In full-on action cliché mode, Michel neutralizes the gang of thieves. He will soon discover, however, that the lives of millions hang in the balance when a lethal toxin is stolen from the bank vault. Since Die Hard struck gold at the box office, movie studios have hoped to recreate that magic. You know the formula, right?
A group of bad guys has taken over a particular building or vehicle, usually holding several hostages in an enclosed space. However, unbeknownst to the villains, one or more good guys are hiding amid all this chaos. The Hero's family member is probably a hostage, and another will be executed when negotiating with the villains through an Air-Vent Passageway. He (or they) must engineer their overthrow.
Even though Last Resort does not use all the tropes of the genre, it is not a very enjoyable experience either. It is without a doubt that Jean-Marc Minéo's script is one of the most mundane scripts in cinema history and that the action scenes in the film are overdone and overused. There was no investment in the characters on my part, and that is never a positive sign. Before I hit play, I knew little about anyone in the cast. However, it didn't take long to guess that they were only here, so they didn't get fined.
As for the rest of the film, there needs to be more interest on display. The movie is shot unbalanced, with grain and dull colors throughout. While Jon Foo may not be as ineffective an actor as some other B movie stars, I grew up watching late VIA-night TV. But I can now see why his lead role in the Rush Hour TV series didn't succeed, as he gave a passionless performance.
Skip this one and rewatch Die Hard.
Final Grade : D-
LAST RESORT opens In Theaters Tomorrow, Friday, 1/6. The film then hits VOD Tuesday, 1/10