Army of One Review – Solid Action Revenge Thriller

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Category: Indies, Docs, Foreign Film

Published on Thursday, 17 December 2020 10:02

Written by Janet Walker

Army of One, from Uncork'd Entertainment, presents a solid revenge thriller as a female Army Ranger escapes an ambush that kills her husband and she sets out to exact justice on a band of backcountry gun runners.

The film begins with two detectives rolling up to a suspected gang house, a gun shot draws them inside, instead of waiting for backup. Shadowy figures emerge from the closet killing the first detective and injuring the second.

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Fast forward we see Dillion, the surviving detective, played by Matt Passmore and his wife, Brenner, played by Ellen Hollman, on a weekend getaway to nowhere, the two are camping and hiking in the back woods of Alabama.

An erratic driver, played by Gary Kasper, rolls up beside the jeep and after a series of crude sexual comments leaves the two. In the middle of nowhere, they stop at what is essentially a last stop before exiting civilization café.

Here we meet the players, Mama, played by Geraldine Singer, Butch, the crude driver and her enforcer, and his crew. With lunch over Dillion and Brenner head out to deeper parts of the woods. The weekend of R & R seems on track.

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Nature seems to be invigorating for them and caught in a sudden rainstorm, the two dart under a roof, of what appears to be an abandoned cabin. Waiting out the storm, and finding ways to pass the time, the two discover a hidden room with an arsenal of military grade automatic weapons, ammunition, and drugs.

Concerned now for their safety, they turn to leave and before they can flee, the Southern Cartel, led by Butch, immediately captures, and tortures them. Working them over, the two are beaten, shot, and left for dead. The backwoods militia, with Mama as the leader own the hills, and run guns, drugs, and hold women hostage for sex slaves.

Believing both are dead, they get on with their business. Attending church on Sunday, selling weapons to alliances, marketing moonshine, and kidnapping runaways for slaves.

This is when we find out Brenner is the first female Army Ranger. What follows is all out war as she begins to exact revenge upon the hill country cartel who killed her husband. One by one Mama's soldiers are being picked off. With limited weapons, she makes use of what she has available, setting traps, using their own weapons against them.

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As the story continues, we understand Mama and her militia have nearly everyone on payroll. Buying strategic informants which keep the information flowing, Mama has been able to be one step ahead, a checkmate move, to every attempt by law enforcement to shut her down. Her IT guy, a houseman, groomed to be her cultural attaché, provides all the information on Brenner.

With an unexpected ending, Army of One delivers a solid female action thriller. Hollman is a modernized John Rambo, willing to walk away but the militia drew first blood.

The film is believable and moves the idea of Americanized cartel's, not simply gangs, into mainstream. Solid ensemble performances, a cohesive, seamless delivery and storyline.

Army of One, an authentic revenge thriller, delivers.

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Army of One will be released on iTunes, Vudu, Xbox, Googleplay, Amazon, DirecTV, Dish Network, Fandango Now, iNDEMAND, and DVD December 15, 2020 from Uncork'd Entertainment.

Year: 2020.

Language: English.

Director: Stephen Durham.

Writers: Mary Ann Barnes, David Dittlinger, Stephen Durham.

Producers: Stephen Durham, Ellen Hollman, Hemdee Kiwanuka.

Executive Producers: Niko Foster, Gayle Blanks, Ramon Vincent.

Composer: Dominik Hauser.

Cinematographer: Jon Schweigart.

Editor: Joe Grayem.

Cast: Ellen Hollman, Kendra Carelli, Matt Passmore, Stephen Dunlevy, Gary Kasper, Geraldine Singer.