DVD Movie Review - Homefront

By now, if you're going to see or rent or buy a Statham movie, then you already know what to expect.  The film most likely will not be Oscar bait.  Simple dialogue will run throughout, action will be prevalent, and someone, somewhere, at some point, will be getting kicked in the face. These are Statham trademarks, and as such, from here on out, P&P will use a new Statham system to rate each of his movies.  One Statham being the worst (think Parker) to five Stathams being the best (think The Transporter).  Just keep in mind that a five Statham rating doesn't necessarily mean the film is as good as a regular five star review. 

It's finally been proven: Jason Statham can smile.  What you don't know is right after this 

screenshot, he punches that cake right in the face.

STORY:

Phil Broker (Jason Statham) a former DEA agent moves to a small town to get away from crappy city life.  But silly rednecks just won't let the man rest, especially if he happened to punch one of their redneck buddies in the face.  After a school incident with Broker's daughter, a local meth dealer named Morgan 'Gator' Bodine (James Franco) gets involved in his life.  What Gator doesn't know is Broker is a tough daddy, and tough daddies don't take crap from anyone.  Headless stuffed bunnies, jean jackets, meth whores, and fatherhood ensues.

"As soon as I get my chance, I'm sneaking into that house and sniffing each and every 

chair until I pass out from hyperventilation."

THOUGHTS:

This is a Jason Statham movie.  There will be no overly dramatic dialogue consisting of hurt feelings or upset lover quarrels.  Fists to the face will drown out any hopes of character study or development.  And at some point, even though the protagonist may be outnumbered or outgunned, it really won't matter, because he will always get his man in the end.  If you're alright with all those Statham facts, then you'll have no problem with this movie.

"Do you know what we're gonna do with 200 pounds of white powder?"

"Bake some cakes?"

"Not just some--all of them.  We're baking every cake there is."

Homefront is reminiscent of Safe: a little girl needs protecting—in this case his daughter—and protect her, he will, no matter what the cost.  (Don't think you've already seen this plot.  You might have seen versions of it, but when you really get down to it, everything today is somewhat recycled anyway.  And there may be clichés lingering about, but there are also a few surprises.)  In Homefront, Statham is trying to be a small town dad that wears simple trucker hats and spends all his free time fixing a simple country house.  All he wants is to be left alone.  But when you're an ex-DEA agent, sometimes your past catches up with you.

Statham delivers the best acting he can, while also remaining a likable character and loving father.  His scenes with his daughter are ideal for the plot and the ass-beatings he dishes out are fast and brutal.  He might even be the perfect dad.  Wait…what do you mean by perfect?  Well, if anyone gets in his kid's face, they'll likely find their head going through some type of glass and then eventually bouncing off the ground.  Wouldn't you want a dad that kept going even after he's been drowned and beat several times with a tire-iron?  Sure you would.  And that's exactly who Statham plays in this story. 

"Are you enjoying your ride, Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, Daddy."

"Good.  Cause it's time you really learned how to survive, so when we get back, we're gonna 

cook 'em and eat 'em.  Just like my grandpappy did in the old west."

"But...that doesn't make sense, you have a British accent."

"Enough talking for today.  Let's go make some burgers."  

The film introduces Izabela Vidovic as Maddy Broker, Statham's tough, but caring daughter.  She has a young Chloe Grace Moretz vibe and can act better than almost anyone in the movie.  Her scenes with Stratham are touching and she's not too much of a slouch when it comes to fighting either.  James Franco plays—surprise—a lunatic, yet somewhat gullible, meth dealer.  Even if there are a couple of times you want to laugh at his facial expressions, Franco still slips easily into a greasy-redneck-peeping-Tom that rips heads off of dolls.  Winona Ryder seems to have moved up in life, portraying a meth whore that likes sex up against dirty old cars.  If there's one person that delivers flat, clichéd dialogue that only moves the plot forward, it'll be her.  Kate Bosworth stops by to also play a strung out meth whore, and Clancy Brown portrays a town sheriff that really isn't needed at all.  But none of that matters, because you came for the brutality.

The fight scenes are spaced out perfectly throughout Homefront.  There's not as much action as the Transporter, but what is here should make any Statham fan happy.  The camera angles come in tight and the lightning fists and feet are jazzed up with ground tactics, head smashing, and joint locks.  It's like the transporter went to the local mixed martial arts gym and practiced for a while.  But it's not all fists of fury.  Gun clips are unloaded, cars get chased, and explosions usually finish whatever has been started.  Even though it's a father protecting his daughter, this is still an action movie before anything else.

"Well, Honey, I've killed just about everyone in town, so we should be safe...at least 

for a little while."

CONCLUSION:

Homefront will give you the much needed Statham fix you've been craving.  The dialogue can be laughable, the ending might sit on a pile of cliché trash, and some characters may be completely unnecessary, but it's still Statham-tastic nonetheless.  If you came for barbaric fights and testosterone contests, then you're in good hands.  You might even find a well-rounded father/daughter relationship hidden within the Stallone screenplay.  After a terrible film called Parker and the not-so-Statham Redemption, Homefront returns big Jay to where he should be: kicking ass first and asking questions later.

3.5 out of 5 Stathams (minus 1 1/2 Stathams for unnecessary characters and average amount of action)