Film Review - Homefront (2013)

Available on DVD and Blu Ray - “Homefront” – (2013) – Jason Statham plays a former DEA Agent looking to settle down with his young daughter in Louisiana but quickly finds himself running afoul of the locals and marked for death by a past enemy.   Although there’s more story than I bargained for in this Action/Thriller vehicle featuring the English martial artist, the first 20 minutes of the film consists of an atrociously mangled prologue and subsequent story setup that’s so trite it’ll make your head spin.  Considered at one time to be a vehicle for action vet Sylvester Stallone (he wrote the screenplay), I can understand why he passed.

James Franco (This Is The End) is clearly miscast as the fearsome (at least the filmmakers hope you believe he's fearsome) meth drug lord with a penchant for violence- the showdown between his backwoods enforcer and our hero that is seemingly promised in the film’s trailers is disappointingly anticlimactic.  How very strange to see Winona Ryder (Edward Scissorhands) in a film of this nature and in an utterly disposable role.

Potential viewers can expect shootouts, fistfights, explosions and a car-chase, though it all feels so run-of-the-mill and obligatory.  Overall, it’s a very middle of the road and forgettable offering in Statham’s ever-growing action movie filmography.

5.5 out of 10

Director: Gary Fleder
Cast: Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, Clancy Brown, Frank Grillo,Omar Benson Miller, Rachelle Lafevre, Chuck Zito, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Izabela Vidovic
Run-Time: 100 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief sexuality.