[DVD Review]—White Elephant (2022)

On August 2nd, RLJE Films (a division of AMC Networks) released the low-budget actioner White Elephant on DVD and Blu-ray. It's one of the final films starring the now-retired Bruce Willis (the Die Hard franchise), and it's directed by Jesse V. Johnson (who co-wrote the screenplay with Erik Martinez).
The movie's plot revolves around a violent mob boss (Bruce Willis) instructing enforcer Gabriel Tancredi, a former marine, to kill the two police officers who saw an assassination attempt. Gabriel has 48 hours to finish the work with the help of Carlos, his younger partner (Vadhir Derbez). There is only one issue: Gabriel has a guilty conscience.

Let's discuss Bruce Willis, the proverbial "elephant in the room." Compared to his recent performances, he gave a respectable showing. Despite having little screen time as the mob boss, he participates in one intense action scene.

In "White Elephant," talented actor Michael Rooker does what he does best. John Malkovich is also really good. He plays a lawyer in a lengthy cameo; however, if my memory serves me correctly, Malkovich received more screen time than Bruce Willis. We've seen Olga Kurylenko's character, a PTSD-afflicted former soldier turned police officer, innumerable times in television series and other films. Despite the context, her personality is uninteresting and forgettable.

With ridiculous dialogue and plot-convenient circumstances throughout, White Elephant is as generic as generic can be. The narrative made me think of those terrible action-thriller made-for-video movies from the 1990s that you could rent for 99 cents. They were amusing for 90 minutes, but by the time the credits rolled, you'd forgotten what you'd seen, and that's exactly what happened with White Elephant. -- ★★✰✰✰