Swelter

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source: Swelter

This is not your typical western or action movie. There is a lot going on and a lot of layers to the plot. I liked Lenny James' performance a lot, and Alfred Molina is great as always. I also really enjoyed JCVD in this more understated role. It's definitely worth watching and seeing him in this character! I liked the cast of characters a lot and that there seems to be a diverse group of actors in the movie. I wished that JCVD and Alfred Molina were in more of the movie. They were the most interesting characters in my opinion. Additionally, the cinematography was very nice as well.

Spotting this movie at my local video store, I thought, "Well, if it has Jean-Claude Van Damme in the cast, there must be at least a decent amount of action in it." Imagine my surprise upon watching the movie when I saw that Van Damme doesn't have a great deal of screen time. Not only that, he doesn't do any martial arts in the movie. In fact, the movie really can't be called an action movie at all - there's very little stuff like gunplay and man to man fights in the finished product. Still, despite the movie's false advertising, I was willing to accept the movie being more of a drama, as long as it was well done. Unfortunately, "Swelter" is not a well done movie. The biggest problem is that it is incredibly SLOW. For example, it takes more than an HOUR of the total running time before the central protagonist finds himself in trouble. And the movie isn't terribly interesting up to that point or beyond that point. There are additional problems as well. The movie obviously had a limited budget. While the finished product doesn't look extremely cheap and tacky, there are signs of restraint, like the constant shooting of actors close to the camera (there are few "wide" shots in the movie.) Also, the script is not only slow, there are a number of unanswered questions like how someone with amnesia could be elected sheriff, or how the hero got away with the money with a bullet in his head all those years ago. While this is far from the worst movie I've ever seen, in the end it will likely be a letdown to anyone who watches it, whether they are expecting an action movie or a hard-boiled drama.