Punto de mira

Sitting down to watch the 2022 thriller "Hot Seat" from writers Leon Langford and Collin Watts, I must admit that I wasn't really harboring much of any high expectations for the movie. Sure, I thought that there could be some worth to the movie, as it had Mel Gibson and Kevin Dillon on the cast list, but the synopsis just wasn't sounding all that interesting. But alas, I opted to watch the movie and see what director James Cullen Bressack had to offer with "Hot Seat".

Sure, the movie was watchable, although it wasn't by any means an outstanding thriller. The storyline was adequate enough, though it offers nothing really that haven't been done or seen before, and thus the movie is suitable only for a single viewing. And the storyline was a tad too predictable and generic for my liking.

The acting performances in "Hot Seat" were adequate. I mean, Kevin Dillon did an okay job in the leading role, though I had expected it to be Mel Gibson in the lead, as he is a more established actor and have bigger movie titles to his name. The movie also had Eddie Steeples and Shannen Doherty on the cast list, though in minor support roles only. It was a shame really that Eddie Steeples wasn't given more time on the screen.

If you are an avid fan of the thriller genre, then you might get a bigger kick out of "Hot Seat" than I did.

My rating of "Hot Seat" lands on a five out of ten stars.

IN A NUTSHELL: The low-budget cyber-thriller is directed and produced by James Cullen Bressack. The movie is based on a story by Leon Langford and Collin Watts.

THINGS I LIKED: Mel Gibson's involvement in this movie is why most people will be intrigued. He's always a pleasant addition, and he certainly elevates the stature of this movie. I've been a fan for years. He even has some funny lines in the movie to add some comic relief.

Other cast members include Kevin Dillon, Michael Welch, Sam Asghari, and Eddie Steeples. I really enjoyed seeing Shannen Doherty too, especially since she has been going through cancer treatments. I thought she did a good, believable job, and I wish her health and happiness.

I've always liked single-location movies.

Fun fact #1: They shot the movie in only 7 days.

Fun fact #2: Kevin Dillon admits he's terrible with computers and that they had an IT expert on set who was available to answer questions.

It's hard to think watching a man typing on a computer frantically would actually be interesting or cause enough tension and suspense, but it works well at times.

Sleight of hand is mentioned early in the story and then demonstrated in several ways in the plot. The plot features a mystery of who the bad guy is.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Unfortunately, the movie doesn't fully utilize the talented Mel Gibson. Like Bruce Willis and Liam Neeson, I worry that more and more of these movie stars who were hot in the 80's, and '90s are now just cashing their name in for small roles in mediocre movies.

There are quite a few bad acting moments. Most of that can be contributed to a cliched script.

The granny voice sounded like a cartoon voice.

A lot of details are wrong or missing.

People's reactions to events seem off. For example, if you were on a morning jog and saw a bomb go off near your neighborhood, would you just shrug and keep going? Would you still go to work if it were your day off and your daughter's birthday? There didn't seem to be urgency for him to actually be in the office.

Very little character development.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Profanity, including F-bombs Some bloody violence Weapons of various kinds Explosions People die.

THEMES: Family Workplace honesty Computer hacking skills Co-workers

YouTube channel.

The acting is so bad The dialogue is terrible The hacking and computer terms are wrong

Even the story is very shallow

It could be executed way better Total waste of time.

Interesting plot of the film, it is tense. The acting is quite cold and theatrical, but ok, it's not that bad, unlike the others, Mel G. Did it superbly as always. The story is tense and interesting in parts, the recording and sound are nothing special, let's say it's a passing grade. Some characters (secondary characters) are quite generic, so it's not fun at all. The action is actually interesting and does not go too fast or too slow, it just goes as it should. My overall impression is that I am actually negatively surprised because when Mel Gibson is in the movie, I expect much more from the movie. All in all this is just a mediocre time killer.

Why Mel Gibson took part in this film at all is beyond me. The movie has a lot of flaws and is bad. I laughed several times when I shouldn't have, and when I should have, I didn't. That says a lot. It's a shame because the movie could have been much, much better, it has potential considering the plot.