24 horas para sobrevivir

The story's nothing to write home about, think Crank crossed with any globe-trotting spy flick, crossed with John Wick-like action set-pieces. Ethan Hawke does well as a man running low on-time, literally, as he races to find the people responsible for putting him in a state that he is as well as protecting the target he was meant to assassinate as well as her key witness. There's the mystery behind the dead family subplot, there's an older, war vet step- father figure subplot, an old-friendship gone astray yet still bound by brotherly loyalty or some something, I don't know I'm just ticking the boxes of action movie clichés right now, just hold on a bit longer. Despite all the clichés however, the story does manage to pull you in on itself, due to Hawke's sheer screen presence honestly, at least enough to see all it's glorious action sequences and thanks to its brisk pace, once things pickup and Hawke starts running on the clock, again quite literally, it's an adrenaline-fueled non-stop thrill ride.

Some of the best action sequences include: an assault on a safe house with high-caliber sniper rifles that literally send bodies flying after being hit by what would seem like mini-rockets, gushing blood over walls and flinging bodies across the room as if a ghost from paranormal activity film got a hold of them. That assault escalates into a car chase, with some really slick cinematography and a level of ballistic destruction applied to cars and whatever the two cross-firing cars manage to hit between each other, is quite amazing to behold, it's as if the director, Brian Smrz looked at the car chase from "Army of Two The Devil's Cartel" and was like:" Yeah I like that ! do that in a movie". The few hand to hand combat sequences are handled equally well with long-takes and clearly presented fight choreography that seems like a more toned down version of John Wick's fight ordeal, but still entertaining to watch, the finale action showdown plays out like a sort of mini- The Raid film.

All in all, this is a smooth hour and a half package that is great to watch on a plane or a train, with a strong lead, passably average plot, fast pace and some good set-pieces 24 Hours to Live is a short, fun, occasionally flawed, but consistently watchable and at times thrilling good time. 80s action films and figures would be proud.

Travis Conrad (Ethan Hawke) is a former mercenary agent that worked to the notorious Red Mountain agency. Now he misses his beloved wife Kate (Jenna Upton) and son Adam (Owen de Wet) that died, and lives with his father-in-law Frank (Rutger Hauer) in Florida. One night, Travis is drinking in a bar and his former partner and friend Jim Morrow (Paul Anderson) offers him two million dollars per day to assassinate the former agent Keith Zera (Tyrone Keogh), who is a whistleblower that will disclose secrets about the Red Mountain. Zera is now under the protection of the efficient Interpol agent Lin Bisset (Qing Xu). Travis accepts the assignment, uses Lin's son Christopher (Jeremy Yong) to learn the whereabouts of his mother and has one night stand with her to find where Keith Zera is in her cellphone, but does not kill Lin in the morning. However, Lin discovers what Travis did and kills him. Out of the blue, Travis is revived by the mysterious Dr. Helen (Nathalie Boltt) that has developed a revival procedure after several experiments to the boss Wetzler (Liam Cunningham). Travis discloses the whereabouts of Keith Zera and is betrayed by Wetzler, and learns that he has only 24 hours to live. Now he decides to help Lin Bisset and destroy Red Mountain seeking redemption.

"24 Hours to Live" is a flawed but full of action feature film, with Ethan Hawke performing an action hero surprisingly good, which is uncommon to his successful career. It is also a chance to see the unforgettable Dutch actor Rutger Hauer again. The story is flawed, like action movies shall be, but it is highly attractive and underrated. Further, it is filmed in locations in South Africa, China and United States of America, with many car crashes. The conclusion gives a chance to the character Travis Conrad appears in another film, but after so many years, it seems that the studios are not interested. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Um Dia Para Viver" ("One Day to Live")

I read the reviews pre-watching. In fact, the reviews are why I pushed it off.

I actually enjoyed this flick.

Yes, it was extremely predictable. This movie has been done 1000 different times, but still good!

"24 Hours To Live" is one of the better action films I've seen all year and surprisingly came out of nowhere on VOD with little fanfare. It is a must watch for any fan of the genre. It is loaded from beginning to end with plenty of solid R rated action. Shootouts, car chases and practical stuntwork with little to no CGI. Plus an explosive action packed climax that reminded me of the classic finale in "Hard Boiled". Ethan Hawke hasn't racked up a body count like this since the "Assault on Precinct 13" remake. An underrated movie that will no doubt be overlooked as a John Wick clone, but if you enjoyed those films, you'll like this. In my opinion, this will go down as a cult classic in the genre similar to the direct to DVD Universal Soldier sequels. If you consider yourself an action purist like myself, this movie is for you.

7.5/10

With an interesting plot and Ethan Hawke in the lead, it's baffling how this movie turned out so mediocre. 24 Hours To Live has some cool John Wick action scenes but they can be easily overlooked by the flawed and predictable story that left me bored halfway through.