Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 3.9/5 stars
That old saying about first impressions being the most lasting? Well, it certainly holds true with . In all aspects, "Falcon Rising" is the very definition of a B picture - low budget, predictable plot, second tier actors, with the exception of a popular leading star, yet a generic star at the very best. It's a straightforward vengeance tale with no other ambition than to entertain, and entertain it does in copious amounts along with indulging us with a tough-as-nails leading action hero to root for till the very end.
That said, it has something. And that something is evident in its opening minutes, when the Director astutely pans on the close-up of a hand dropping bullets into shot glasses, and then pouring whiskey over them. Then the camera shows the man with the hand drinking that high-caliber cocktail, after which he spits the bullets out, loads a couple into a revolver, and plays some Russian roulette. The audience is also given glimpses of our hero, John Falcon Chapman's PTSD- induced flashbacks that he suffers from the carnage witnessed in military combat. Shortly afterward, finding himself in the middle of a convenience store robbery, he invites a robber to shoot him. Demands it, in fact. "You either shoot me, or stop wastin' my time," he says, and then proceeds to beat the guy silly. Clearly a tormented soul here. That friends, is an opening, especially when this particular tormented soul is played with the charisma and conviction that star Michael Jai White brings to the role. In fact, it's reminiscent of the wild-eyed conviction Mel Gibson brought to a similar opening situation in the first "Lethal Weapon" movie. Crazed charisma, grabs the attention every time.
Thus grabbed, one is willing to follow White's character, a muscled wedge of a man with a bad case of post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in Iraq, to the slums of Sao Paulo, Brazil, where his social worker sister (Laila Ali, Muhammad Ali's daughter) has been beaten and left for dead by unsavory characters. Falcon flies to Rio, calling in help from an old war buddy (Neal McDonough) who works there in the U.S. consulate. Director, Barbarash thrusts us into the chaotic and colorful atmosphere of the sprawling favela (slums) in Sau Palo, where Falcon begins his own investigation into his sister's attack, asking uncomfortable questions in the favela, and uncovering a corrupt in the city's seedy underbelly that includes a world of drugs, the sex trade, corrupt cops, and organized crime syndicates battling for control. "Falcon Rising" is a welcome throwback to 1980s action films, with strong men at the center going up alone against an unambiguously evil foe - a Japanese Yakuza outfit in this case. In colorful Brazilian surroundings, White's character, a deadly martial artist, brings acres of pain to legions of unsavory characters.
Nothing new here, but well-directed by Ernie Barbarash, and White's electrifying performance coupled with some crackling one-liners makes it all seem somehow fresh. "Falcon Rising" is an entertaining film with a thrilling physical performance from its star, Michael Jai White.
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