Hounds of War

I was actually looking forward to watching this. Frank Grillo movies are decent for the most part and after seeing Isaac Florentine was the director I figured it would be on the lower budget side but with good/solid action sequences. I've always enjoyed Florentine/Adkins collaborations. Unfortunately this one fell short. The action just felt choppy and off the mark. It had its moments but all the hand-to-hand, well, wasn't good. Replace Frank with Scott Adkins and it most likely would have been better. It's entertaining enough but it's one I don't think I'd sit down and watch again. It's to bad, I really wanted to like it.

I think I'm being generous with this rating. Hounds Of War the latest film from prominent DTV director Issac Florentine and the second Grillo film of the year so far following Lights Out, is derivative, poorly paced and worst of all boring.

Robert Patrick can play roles like this in his sleep at this point. Same could be said for Rhona Mitra. Mitra and Grillo are supposed to play an ex couple here but without this movie telling you that you likely wouldn't know, since they have virtually no chemistry at all in their scenes together. Grillo even though he's the lead barely has any screen time or lines of dialogue for some odd reason. The action scenes feel drawn out and like pure visual noise to draw out the runtime and make up for the fact that this movie barely has a story.

Grillo has another movie, Long Gone Heroes also releasing this week. Hopefully it's better than this.

Grillo always make the B grade action movies looks better.. Yeah it's a cliche story but enough to you chill n relax in 90min..a little bit harsh if lower than 4/10... The careography of the action, the locations of the movie.. the camera.

Hounds of War" is a gritty action film that focuses on mercenaries involved in a conflict in a fictional country. The story delves into themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the moral complexities of war. It showcases intense action sequences and character-driven narratives, exploring the personal motivations of those who fight for profit rather than patriotism. The film is noted for its realistic portrayal of combat and the psychological impact of warfare on the characters.

First let me say that I'm a fan of Grillo - he always holds his own and never needs cast direction, thus why even newb/terrible directors seek him out as he makes them look good. However, that also means he'll keep doing B movies, and I feel he deserves better than that, as he's been in a few of my top B films.

Yesterday I saw him in Long Gone Heroes and I was really disappointed in that movie. It was very slow and the long 2 hour runtime dragged on and felt much longer in a cliched storyline that was rather dull and boring. I rated that movie a generous 4/10.

Today I saw Hounds of War, and I enjoyed it much more. Sure it's not a perfect film, and there certainly were many plot and technical issues, bad editing, and the directing had some flaws, BUT the storyline kept me engaged (and sort of unique and not riddled with the typical cliches), and had excellent pacing and non stop action and suspense. The 95 min runtime flew by almost too fast. Even the action scenes (although not perfect) were much better than yesterday's movie. Plus the set/location shoots were beautiful, and I've never seen Malta as beautifully as it was shown in this movie. So from an eye-candy perspective, this movie was amazing, not to mention the beautiful and lovely Rhona Mitra was very easy on the eyes. Plus the soundtrack theme song at the end (Vladtoseeu - Nosence, you're welcome) was amazing, and I've already added it to my playlist.

So this movie had lot's going for it, and undeserving of all the current 1-3/10's from the wannabe critics. Go see Long Gone Heroes, that once certainly deserves those low scores. This is a very well done B movie and deserving of the 7/10 from me.

Despite the stale beginning and above average combat/action, the film has a unique storyline. There are some parts of the film that have some ups and downs, but mostly ups since Frank Grillo performed beautifully in some scenes during the film, whereas there are some characters that really need atleast a storyline for us to get a grasp of their presence.

I would have preferred the dialogues to be a little more enticing and fresh, but unfortunately some aren't that fresh. The overall pacing of the film is quite uneven, with some scenes dragging on while others feel rushed. This inconsistency can make it difficult for viewers to stay fully engaged throughout the entire movie.

However, the action sequences do provide some much-needed excitement and help to keep the momentum going. However, there are some scenes that are really entertaining and the action sequences are thrilling. All in all, the film is an enjoyable experience..