Upon walking into Best Buy a few days ago I noticed there was apparently a third MARINE movie from WWE. I haven't watched wrestlin' for quite some time and I had no idea who the hell was on the front cover. When I turned the blu-ray box over I could have died...Scott Wiper was director. This might not mean anything to most people, but Wiper wrote, directed, and stared in what I consider to be a criminally underrated movie from 2000 called A BETTER WAY TO DIE. His output basically ceased until 2007 when he directed WWE superstar Steve Austin in THE CONDEMNED.
And then he disappeared again. While I don't know if this is due to underwhelming box office returns or not, Wiper is a man who needs to be behind the camera more.
THE MARINE 3 stars Mike "The Miz" Mizanin as, you guessed it, a Marine. He's on a two week leave and decides to visit come home and visit his sisters. When a terrorist(Neal McDonough) kidnaps his younger sister, Uber-Marine springs into action to save the day.
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| What Neal NcDonough really thinks about THE LAST EXORCISM. |
If you can get past how generic this series of films are, HOMEFRONT is a damn good film. Actually it is way better than it should be. The cast and crew seemingly forgot they were doing the third film in a direct to video series, and made something that is on par with the original. Given they didn't have to aim high, but the film delivers more in the acting department than what it should. Neal McDonough can do no wrong, and surprisingly "The Miz" is pretty damned good. What I didn't understand is not utilizing the always reliable Darren Shahlavi, but I'll take what I can get.
Most importantly the action delivers. The boat raid is the highlight with a team of FBI agents getting mowed down by McDonough's militia. The Miz also gets to show his on screen fighting skills by going one on one with Shalavi. More action would have been appreciated, but instead of loading up the film with mediocre fights and gun play Wiper and co-writer Declan O'Brien go for quality over quantity.
While HOMEFRONT isn't Wiper's best, it is a good flick. The story keeps you interested, mostly in part to the great cast. When the action does kick in, it is top notch, especially for a film with such a low budget. Entertain is the name of the game and THE MARINE 3 does just that.
