Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2022 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.
THE RETALIATORS – Directed by Samuel Gonzalez Jr. & Bridget Smith
Following the vicious murder of his daughter, a pastor dives into the seedy
underworld of biker gangs, drug trafficking and the man inflicting justice on
the worst of them.
I
wonder how much of my response to this film was colored by the fact that I’ve
recently been rewatching the original seasons of Showtime’s Dexter. It shared a
lot of the same vibes. First, with just how ridiculous the world in which both
properties take place. In Dexter, Miami is a medium sized city, just lousy with
serial killers. In this film, we see a depiction of an underground drug world populated
entirely by groove metal band members and their merch girls… I’m not exaggerating,
multiple members of the band, Five Finger Death Punch play prominent roles.
To
be clear, I’m almost always completely okay with these types of absurdities, I
mean, I’m all the way up to season 5 of Dexter already. But I’d appreciate it
if the filmmakers could have a little fun with it. This film had all of the
physical elements of a romp of a good time. But it was constantly weighed down
by an overwhelming air of self-importance. I could really never pin down
exactly what the filmmakers were going for.
DOWN WITH THE KING – Directed by Diego Ongaro
Rapper,
Mercury Maxwell (Freddie Gibbs) is holed up in a cabin in a small farming community
attempting to write his next album. Increasingly becoming disillusioned with
the music industry, he connects with the community as he contemplates his next
move.
The
worst thing I can say about this film is that it could have used about a fifteen-minute
trim for pacing. But honestly, that may have more to do with the fact that I
watched it at a festival than with the film itself.
Freddie
Gibbs is perfect in this role. I don’t know if that will translate into future
work for him, but this story was the perfect setup for a very believable
performance on his part. The other great parts went to Bob Tarasuk’s Bob and Jamie
Neumann’s Michaele.
The
film delves into plenty of intriguing and captivating subject matter. At times,
it is heavily commenting on how the capitalization and commodification of the
creative process is ultimately harmful to those who work in it. But to the film’s
credit, it stays focused on the far more personal angles of the story. It never
feels preachy, just an organic and naturally flowing progression.
The
rural setting of this film lends way to some beautifully candid moments as
well. A lot of what was captured was Mercury’s interactions with the nature of
his surroundings. This may have ultimately worked against the film’s pacing. I
can imagine it being difficult to decide what moments to leave on the cutting
room floor. But again, my issues with the film’s length may have only been a function
of the setting in which I saw it.
I
hope this film gets the release it deserves. Hip-Hop heads will like it just as
much as the cinefiles.
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