BRAVEN

BRAVEN MODERN DECLAN

Film Review by FIORE

There’s a knock on Jason Momoa.  I don’t know why.  Maybe it’s because he lost an axe fight to Sylvester Stallone in BULLET TO THE HEAD.  Maybe it’s because he is playing Aquaman, and nobody takes Aquaman serious as a superhero.  Maybe it’s because his interview skills aren’t polished.  Maybe it’s a combination of all these things.  I like Momoa.  I think he is establishing himself well as an action hero.  He can play antagonist and protagonist well, he has a comfortable niche in his TV series FRONTIERE, and he’s probably the only actor who could pull off the role of Aquaman with credibility.  He is currently in a new action thriller, BRAVEN.  I enjoyed this film.  It fits well into the action genre, and is sure to satisfy anyone looking for a simple tale, with plenty of skirmishes.

Momoa is Joe Braven, a well-liked family man in a small logging town.  He becomes ensnared with drug dealers when they attempt to utilize one of his log truck drivers as a mule.  The conflict places Braven and his family, directly in the path of the drug lord and his henchmen.  The twist to this template plot is Braven’s father, who is struggling with dementia.  Braven’s father is played by Stephen Lang, who, as always, commands a strong screen presence.  This is the second pairing of Lang and Momoa.  The two were combatants in the remake of CONAN THE BARBARIAN.  Also starring with Momoa and Lang are Garret Billahunt, Jull Wagner and Brendan Fletcher.

Directed by Lin Oeding, and written by Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, BRAVEN takes place in the great white north and the cinematography by Brian Mendoza captures the snow, ice and cold well.  I watched the film with an extra blanket.  Joe Braven is a modern day version of Momoa’s character DeClan Harp on FRONTIERE, so the action sequences feature a lot of axe and hatchet wielding.

While BRAVEN offers nothing extraordinary in the action genre, it does provide solid, proven standard operating procedures for an adrenaline infused ninety minutes.  Braven’s utilization of a bear trap in the film’s final reel stretches credulity a bit far, but it’s still fun, despite some poor matting.

This time of year is generally filled with politically correct films attempting to capture the eyes of Academy members.  It’s nice to have an action film to enjoy and provide relief from all the agendas.