Monday, April 16, 2018

Braven Blu-ray Review

Lionsgate; Rated R; 94 minutes; Amazon


Now available to own on Blu-ray & Digital from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the action-thriller Braven. Directed by Lin Oeding, the film the stars Jason Moma (Justice League; Stargate Atlantis), Garret Dillahunt (Fear the Walking Dead), Jill Wagner (Stargate Atlantis), and Stephan Lang (Avatar). The only Special Feature on the Blu-ray is "The Braven's View."

The film centers on Joe Braven (played by Jason Momoa), a logging company owner. He travels to his family's remote hunting cabin with his father (played by Stephen Lang), who suffers from dementia. After his father had caused a fight at a bar, Joe and his wife, Stephanie (played by Jill Wagner), decides that the best step would be to place him in a nursing home. Joe had planned on telling him during their trip, but his plans changes when they discover a duffel bag full of cocaine.

With no way to report the drugs due to no cellular signals in the area, Joe and his father planned on leaving as soon as possible before the drug trafficker returns, but things don't unfold out they way they had hoped. The drug lord Kassen (played by Garret Dillahunt) and his mercenaries surround the cabin. To make matters worse, Joe's young daughter, Charlotte, had hid herself in the family car. So, now, Joe must hide the cocaine and barricade his family inside the cabin; all while, he becomes a one-man army against Kassen and the mercenaries.


Final Thoughts

Direct-to-video action films are typically not made very good and are quickly forgotten about shortly after being released. However, Braven happens to be the exception. It has received positive to mixed reviews from critics and a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film started production in late 2015, but seemed to be shelved until the Blu-ray and DVD release last week. I would say Jason Momoa's recent surge of popularity due to his involvement in last year's Justice League and the upcoming Aquaman movie helped the film out just a bit.

Braven is a throwback to the action of the films the 1980's, but with a slightly better plot than what I was expecting it to be. Jason Momoa does a decent job of playing an action hero, but the standout for the film is Garret Dillahunt as the bloodthirsty villain. The cinematography is pretty good and the scenery throughout the film is beautiful.

Overall, Braven is a surprisingly entertaining action-thriller from the very beginning to the very end.



*Note -  I received a complimentary copy from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. All opinions are my own.

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