JONATHAN HENSLEIGH

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBB. 

USA/Germany, 2004.  Lions Gate Films, Marvel Enterprises, Valhalla Motion Pictures, VIP 2 Medienfonds, VIP 3 Medienfonds, Artisan Entertainment, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Marvel Entertainment, St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commission.  Screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Michael France.  Cinematography by Conrad W. Hall.  Produced by Avi Arad, Gale Anne Hurd.  Music by Carlo Siliotto.  Production Design by Michael Z. Hanan.  Costume Design by Lisa Tomczeszyn.  Film Editing by Jeff Gullo, Steven Kemper.  

Extremely entertaining action film that is also a very satisfying revenge story (ahem, not that I believe in revenge, but let’s face it, in movies it’s fun).  Thomas Jane is appropriately Neanderthal as a super-trained, living and breathing Delta Force GI Joe figurine whose family is taken out by a crime lord (John Travolta) in revenge for his son dying in an FBI undercover drug sting operation that Jane headed. With nothing good to live for and no reason to see the beauty in the mean, mean world, Jane soups up his arsenal and goes after the bad guys, picking off Travolta’s henchmen one by one (or twenty at a time, depending on the scene) until getting to the heart of his vengeful desire. Great pacing and some pretty gruelling action scenes (young children should not see this) highlight a very exciting experience, plus the clever plot twist of having the good guy getting the bad guy by forcing his sins upon him and making him destroy himself. Based on the comic book series of the same name.