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The Specs
- Rated: R
- Director: William Kaufman
- Run Time: 91 minutes
- Studio: Anchor Bay
- Release Date: August 21st, 2012
The Story
A tale of two assassins, a mafia hitman named Ray Carver ends up switching sides of a Russian mob war. Reaction is swift, kick starting the war, and putting in another assassin, Aleksey Andreev, hot on his trail.
The Cast
Cuba Gooding Jr as Ray Carver. Actor best known for films like BOYZ N DA HOOD, JERRY MAGUIRE, A FEW GOOD MEN, MEN OF HONOR, and many more, and whose most recent theatrical work was RED TAILS, and soon to appear in the upcoming MACHETE KILLS movie.
Dolph Lundgren as Aleksey Andreev. Best known for UNIVERSAL SOLDIER, ROCKY IV, RED SCORPION, and THE EXPENDABLES and the subsequent sequel.
Claudia Bassols as Janice Knowles. Spanish born actress (born in Barcelona), appeared recently on TV in the short lived TV series ROB, but has worked in TV for many years on various daytime novellas and soap operas.
Billy Murray as Leo Crosby. No relation to the comedian, this Brit is best known as Johnny in the TV series EASTENDERS, and he’s also the voice of Captain Price in the MODERN WARFARE video game series.
The Dissection
On paper, this mix of elements seems odd. Cuba Gooding Jr versus Dolph Lundgren doing battle with each other under the backdrop of a mob war. Luckily, it works thanks in part to the direction of director Kaufman, who previously teamed with Gooding in the movie THE HIT LIST, which successfully showed Gooding in the role of an unstoppable bad guy. It’s a bit toned down in this movie, but is still effective.
Carver (Cuba Gooding Jr) lining up the shot.
This is a movie that people will associate with action films of the 80s and 90s, and the basis itself plays out like the Stallone film ASSASSINS. The movie is aware of what kind of movie it is, but not to the point of ripping on itself or calling it out in the middle of it. It’s very focused on this duel between these two assassins for hire, as well as the chaos that happens around them. It’s a simple premise, but one that does have some interesting points and moments in it.
Acting wise, it’s about what you expect. Cub delivers a good performance, and does seem to be trying to solidify a place as an action movie star after a career in drama. Dolph’s character in the movie is interesting in how he is as unprofessional you expect a professional killer to be, but he’s still playing the same badass role he plays in these type of moves. The supporting cast, meanwhile, is not bad at all and helps to give the movie some substance on the outside while Dolph and Cuba seem to trade quips with each other.
"The Wolf" Aleksey Andreev(Dolph Lundgren)
The movie doesn’t go all out on the action, instead seeking to put them out at the right moments. While admirable, it does leave some scenes that halt the movie at times to have some kind of exposition line. Still, the action scenes are a big draw in the film, and help to move past those moments and make you wish for the action to start again when the scene ends. The movie looks good, as well, with some camera work that lends itself to the fight scenes and adds some nice presentation to the carnage onscreen.
In summary, the film is not the most polished or the most grandiose, but it gets the job done well.
The Extras
Barely any. A behind the scenes video makes up the special features, and audio comes in English with subtitles in English and Spanish.
The Verdict
ONE IN THE CHAMBER is a good action film that feels like a throwback to the old genre of films rather than the current crop. It probably won’t be considered in the same league as better known films like the recent THE RAID: REDEMPTION in the eyes of some people, but it’s a good action film on it’s own that is worth at least seeing it once.
Recommended [3/5]
Rent ONE IN THE CHAMBER at Redbox
http://www.redbox.com/movies/one-in-the-chamber
View ONE IN THE CHAMBER on Amazon Instant
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090HU2C0/ref=atv_feed_catalog?tag=imdb-amazonvideo-20