Review of Swelter

Swelter (2014)
5/10
Often Plays Like a Slow Paced Old Time Western
10 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Although this movie is a modern crime saga, it often plays like a slow-paced old time Western. It's loaded with violence, as you'd expect from a film in this genre, and has some ridiculous plot coincidences and elements, but there was enough intrigue here for me that I wanted to see how it would all play out.

Ten years before, as some of the movie is told in flashbacks, 5 cohorts in crime attempt a heist at a Las Vegas casino. Four were captured, but one escaped being wounded and apparently with $10 million. Now, two of the gang members have served their time, one has escaped, and the three are about to pull off a brazen daytime prison break for the fourth from the prison chapel, where 7 guards will be killed.

Their plan is to find out where their former cohort is and get their share of the $10 million, and they don't care how many cops or civilians they have to kill to get what they want. Of these four gang members one is Stillman, ably portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme, but don't expect his role to be the charismatic leader like in the past, as his role is fairly low key here. The other three are solid in their roles with Grant Bowler, as Cole, standing out in my mind.

They get a lead that the fifth member Pike, now named Bishop, and well played by Lennie James, is in the God forsaken desert town of Baker, Nevada. He's now the Sheriff in Baker, but they soon find out he has amnesia, and except for slices of dreams he has about the robbery, has no idea where the money is. Of course, as the gang terrorizes the town to get what they want, it will all end up in bloody violence.

I might note here that the terrific actor Alfred Molina adds much needed comic relief in the film as Doc, the only physician in Baker.

In summary, this movie, written and directed by Keith Parmer, offered just enough to keep my interest, but don't expect a fast paced crime thriller.
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