“House of the Rising Sun” directed by Brian A. Miller, starring Dave Bautista, Amy Smart, Danny Trejo, Dominic Purcell and Craig Fairbass / Z-View
House of the Rising Sun (2011)
Director: Brian A. Miller
Screenplay: Chuck Hustmyre and Brian A. Miller; based on HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN by Chuck Hustmyre
Stars: Dave Bautista, Amy Smart, Dominic Purcell, Craig Fairbrass, Tim Fields, Jesse Pruett, Joe Ochman and Danny Trejo.
Tagline: They took his badge. He kept the gun.
The Plot…
Ray Shane is an ex-cop and ex-con. Shane did a five year stretch for corruption. Now he’s head of security for the strip club called “The House of the Rising Sun”. The strip club is actually a front for an illegal gambling club. That’s where the real money is made.
One night on Shane’s watch, the club is robbed. Things go from bad to worse when Shane discovers the safe was holding $300,000. That much cash should never have been on hand. Worse still, the club owner’s son is killed during a shootout with the masked thieves.
Both the cops and Ray’s underworld boss consider Ray the prime suspect. The cops are looking for just enough to arrest Ray. His boss needs just a bit more info to place a hit on Ray.
If Ray doesn’t find the real killers soon, it will be too late.
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
House of the Rising Sun features Dave Bautista’s first starring role in a feature film. Bautista is backed up by a decent supporting cast for a low-budget crime film: Amy Smart, Dominic Purcell, Craig Fairbrass and Danny Trejo.
The movie had potential but falls short of expectations.
The movie is based on HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN by Chuck Hustmyre. Here’s what Hustmyre said in the paperback release of his novel:
If you’ve seen the low-budget Lionsgate action movie, “House of the Rising Sun”, first let me apologize. I wish I could give you back those wasted ninety minutes of your life. The movie is a TERRIBLE adaptation of my novel. And yes, I wrote the screenplay, but director Brian A. Miller hijacked my original script and turned what could have been a decent neo-noir crime thriller into a godawful mess…
Hustmyre wrote more, but I think you get the gist.
House of the Rising Sun (2011) rates 2 of 5 stars.