0
0
I actually got a chance to see the new modern day western Day of Reckoning a few months ago as I had the awesome opportunity to interview three of its stars in Zach Roerig, Cara Jade Myers and Hollywood genre icon Billy Zane. Action superstar Scott Adkins is also in the film and those expecting this to be all about him will surely be disappointed as he is more of a supporting player this time around with limited screen time. No worries though as he delivers a nasty, anti-authoritative performance as the film’s main antagonist but here he does more of his thing towards the last third of the film.
Just like Adkins’ involvement, those expecting a non-stop barrage of bullets, beatdowns and carnage will most likely be left wanting more as well but I’m here to tell you that this film offers more than what is on its surface. Day of Reckoning is essentially a crime thriller with a western tinge to it but underneath when you peel back the layers, this is also a deeply layered character study that asks the question of whether or not good really does exist. There is ample amounts of blood and bullets to be had but you’ll have to wait a little to get that stuff as this is more of a slow burn thriller that escalates with its claustrophobic appeal of the proceedings.
The story centers on Sheriff John Dorsey (Zach Roering, best known for The Vampire Diaries) who is currently in charge of a small-town sheriff’s department in a thankless midwestern dusty town where every day is a battle against boredom. It doesn’t help the fact that Doresy’s wife is having an affair with his deputy who is also trying to take his job in the next election but when old school U.S. Marshal Butch Hayden (Billy Zane) storms into town having been on the hunt for a ruthless and cold bank robber named Kyle Musk (Adkins) things spiral out of control pretty quickly. You see, Hayden has tracked down Rusk to a farm which is situated on the outskirts of Dorsey’s town which currently sees Rusk’s outlaw wife, Emily (Cara Jade Myers of Killers of the Flower Moon) currently residing in the plot gets way more complicated especially when Dorsey and Hayden become trapped in the house with Rusk and his cronies on the way.
A lot of people have billed this film as essentially a knock on Adkins’ earlier action effort Close Range and while there are similarities to be had, the only main one is that there is a standoff on a ranch between good guys and bad guys. While that film was an 80-minute excuse for extreme stunt and action design, Day of Reckoning goes the other route by developing the characters and making us care a bit for them.
The movie does ignite at the beginning as a standard bank robbery that eventually turns into a Mexican standoff turned standoff like you would see in an old western flick, but director and writer change things up and for a good part of the middle, the audience watches as alliances shift and not everyone is who they seem. On the surface, Dorsey is a standard by the numbers and the book of the law fellow who takes the blame for not taking action in key situations. This has probably led to the infidelity in his marriage but there is a dark, deeper secret to Dorsey as to why he is more lamb than lion at this point in his life. When he and Hayden confiscate Emily and hold her hostage as a bargaining chip to capture Rusk when he does come, Dorsey discovers that there is way more to Emily than meets the eye and she might not be the villain but a victim after all in this twisted game she has been forced to live with.
Marshal Hayden in plain sight is like Nick Nolte’s Texas Ranger Jack Benteen in Extreme Prejudice as he is a cowboy age, throwback U.S. Marshal who will do whatever it takes to get his man and that has led him down a dark and dingy road where he might just be worse now than the crooks that he is chasing. There is also in Hayden’s personal life that is affecting the decisions that he’s making which culminates in a fiery finale where few will walk away from.
What viewers can expect for two thirds of the movie are deep and lengthy conversations between characters and it is really the chats between Dorsey and Emily that are the real highlights here as they sort of bond, but you don’t know if Emily is sincere or if she is just trying to play Dorsey to escape when her estranged husband arrives. It’s like a word association cat and mouse game where you’re not quite sure where it is going but I found myself drawn to these scenes even though this was turning out to be less of an action movie and more of a drama.
As Kyle Rusk, Scott Adkins takes a back seat as a supporting player, but he is every bit as important to the overall outcome of the film and Adkins gets to chew up the scenery as he plays Rusk with a sociopathic vibe that is equal parts cool but menacing at the same time. He’s a killer but only when he has to be and he proves that at one point when he simply leaves a couple on the side of the road after stealing their motorcycle when his breaks down. Most movies would have had Rusk slaughter the innocents but here it’s refreshing as he is a bad man but not the worse kind.
In terms of action set pieces, there is an impressive opening city street shootout culminating in a motorcycle car chase and we have a few bloody firefights peppered in throughout. the climax is the real showstopper though as Rusk and his brigade of killers finally show up to the house and all sorts of chaos and mayhem ensue and the bullets start to fly with gusto. It is also here where we find out that Dorsey is just another kind of killer as he finally shows the real him and what he did in the past. Zane has an awesome walk on water moment as Hayden doesn’t care if he lives or dies and simply walks across the room, shotgun slung over his shoulder as bullets rip around him. There’s enough onscreen killing and bloody endings to satisfy action fans and Adkins and Zane do have a brief altercation that includes a little of Adkins’ physical wizardry and some John Woo style moments.
Overall, Day of Reckoning handles the tropes it honors well and serves up some moral answers to boot as we learn that everyone has skeletons in their closet. The action may be few and far between which may turn some hardcore action fans off but if you stick with it there is enough carnage to satisfy, and you just might get involved with the characters and what they are dealing with. I actually thought this was a nice change of pace and was sort of captivated so my apologies if I like an action/thriller that tries something a little different. Of course, this is more of a low-budget affair so don’t expect over the top action antics but what is shown is brutal and real, stripped down and resonates the appropriate adrenaline rush.
The cast, including the main four are great in their roles and they offer more than what you would think with maybe Adkins going against his usual heroic endeavors for this film. There is some twists and turns and you’re never really sure who is going to make it till the end which definitely highlights the positives and pushes it over the barrier of the negative aspects. Basically, what I am saying is, come for the Adkins and Action but stay for everything else that it delivers. The foundation built here is something that is a little different for the genre.
VERDICT: 3.5 Out of 5 Stars
Day of Reckoning is a moderna day homage to the tried-and-true western trope that delves a little deeper and delivers something a little more different than just bullets and bravado.
Day of Reckoning hits Digital and On Demand today!
.
Check out my exclusive interview with Day of reckoning stars Zach Roering, Cara Jade Myers and Billy Zane on The Action Fix Podcast!
