Deadly Pursuit

I borrowed this from a friend who raved about this cool little Indy. I must say I was impressed with the pace and story. Then I later found out the director and star is only 20. Yeah it is low budget but I was able to see past the dirty finger nails and stiff acting to see this guy has talent. The film keeps you interested and it is hard to believe it clocks at almost 2 hours. If you want a good Indy crime drama then find a copy of this. I ended up buying it from my buddy and added it to my collection. I can't wait until I can see what this kid comes up with next. He is no Jarmusch or Fesenden but he is damn close and to be honest this kids first film is better than their first films. Find it! Watch it! See for yourself.

Deadly Pursuit isn't half bad, it could be compared to maybe a cool TV series Like CSI Miami and Russ Diaper plays Mike who would be like the Horatio of the film. He is a laid back ass kicking cop who might look average but his skills are anything but. Mike was called in for a domestic dispute and instead ends up in a very tricky situation that requires him to haul ass out of there or suffer the consequences.

Could Mike's cop colleagues be double crossers with the Terrorists? Can they figure out who is on the inside until it's to late? Along with directing films, Russ Diaper also a stuntman, music composer, and actor. They included a CD of the group Porno Patrol music along with the DVD that will grip ya up if you like killer funky tunes so go ahead and check that out as well.

People think of me as a little too easy on low budget films. But honestly I don't think I am. If there's something there even though it may have missed the mark a bit, I don't count that against it. I count it as part of the experience.

Russ Diaper on the other hand definitely has something here. At a whopping 1 hr. 55 mins., this film never gets boring. It's movies like this that inspire us, the filmmakers, to get out there and film. Of course this film is an obvious parody of all the popular U.S. cop dramas, and while I have never been a fan of any cops in any movies, I found myself riveted by this film. I liked and disliked Dennison throughout the film but I admired him for his inability to ever step down. I also admire the use of very cleverly placed flashbacks to give an even further back story into the main character and other people around him, making you realize further that no one is innocent. The thing I admired most about this movie were the characters. Not a single annoying one in sight. I didn't want anyone, hell, even the bad guys, to die. You kinda rooted for each character in one sense or another. That can be a good thing or a bad thing but to me it was good. Even the most despicable characters had a likable side to them making them more human.

I've viewed many of Russ Diaper's earlier short films and I liked them for what they were. Very effective, atmospheric pieces made on a next to nothing budget. It's also films like this that make a budget nearly useless as long as you have the resources at hand.

The camera work is the star of this movie, not just the actual stars. There was always something in the frame, no matter how minor it is that always struck my eye. Very good for a first time feature length film director. The uses of camera tricks were very clever, also. The use of very well placed, but still very new to the director, CGI did not take me out of the movie considering it was very brief.

Now, about the mysterious villain, forgive me it's been a while since I viewed this film, and his mysterious identity. That had to be one of the most shocking, but yet still very predictable, moments of the whole film. The buildup to the reveal alone was what drew you in.

All in all I believe this film could not have been done any better. It was a very good first time effort. I definitely cannot wait to see what Russ Diaper has up his sleeve next.

My score: 4/5