The Aggression Scale

Sometime it happens that opposites happen when watching a movie. To take the whole cake the movie was based on a usual happening i.e. robbery and movie restoration. This is an old topic and cannot be mingled with a movie that can only be described a mediocre. This movie surprises from the start reason being its plot unfolding and sitting inside the action. Good movie to watch, to start with, but as the latter parts unfolds and climax is near, the film becomes a laughing stock, as you can even before the end a clear prediction can be made what is going to happen. The climax just flushes the movie. It made me laugh when the villain gets dead with a mode of death that really makes the movie understandable. The male teenager plays its part very nicely, but towards the end it seems that Jason is in the making, and this film may well be a breeding ground for or retrospectively a Friday thirteen younger years movie. Overall nice experience and some nice and laughable scenes.

Many people have been describing THE AGGRESSION SCALE as HOME ALONE for adults, and while it does feature some home invasion-style nastiness, for the most part I would say they miss the mark. Despite the prevalence of the household setting for much of the action, THE AGGRESSION SCALE has more in common with the likes of the recent MOTHER'S DAY remake, featuring a gang of remorseless criminals and some unwilling victims who decide to fight back rather than take what's coming to them.

It's a surprisingly decent little production, well staged with maximum suspense wrung from the simple premise. The likes of Ray Wise, Derek Mears and in particular Dana Ashbrook make for some unpleasant bad guys, the sort you'll love to hate, while Ryan Hartwig's maladjusted young lead is atypical and intriguing, a true antihero who the scriptwriter doesn't bother trying to make sympathetic. The film is more effective because of that, refusing to give the viewer an outright protagonist to cheer on, instead enmeshing them in violent subterfuge as the titular scale goes through the roof.

There are occasional missteps, like the ridiculous detour into a car park in which none of the characters act as they really should, but it all comes together for a deliciously nasty climax that doesn't disappoint, given the set-up that comes before it. THE AGGRESSION SCALE has an edgy, modern feel to it that lifts it above other recent home invasion flicks to make it one memorable B-movie outing. It's this kind of fresh, inventive, lower budgeted fare that gives the big blockbusters a run for their money these days.

Four heavily armed hit men and two unusual teenagers go to war over $500,000 of stolen cash.

The film is advertised as "Home Alone" with more death. And, yes, I can certainly see that. Granted, it is not funny (unless you spend your 85 minutes making fun of the lead character's stupidity and terrible outfits). And it is not Christmas. But, the basic concept is there.

The real selling point for me was the reunion of Dana Ashbrook and Ray Wise ("Twin Peaks"). If you have not seen Ashbrook in a while, you may not recognize him (twenty years later and he is no Bobby Briggs). I can only imagine what it must have been like being on set for the scenes they share.

The plot in general is a bit convoluted. Just a bit. You might wonder how the first half is in any way connected to the second. They run together, the film just has a few false starts before it gets going. But, it is relatively short, which I think is a strength -- rather than drag on, the creators knew how to keep the pace going.

This is low budget. This has mostly b actors. That said, I was really on the edge of my seat for many parts of the movie. It was well paced and had some interesting action scenes. Definitely worthy of a watch if you can't find any a-list movie out there. Surprisingly decent!

To say that I thought the plot was predictable would be an understatement. But to say I didn't enjoy watching the movie would be a lie. It has some graphic scenes mind you (and while you might have seen better special effects, this still can be called gruesome at times), so it is not for the squeamish.

There's not a lot of plot involved in the story, but I still will not say anything about that. You shouldn't care too much about it anyway and let the underdog story carry you through it. You'll understand my summary line too (especially if you have seen a movie I'm obviously referring, though this is of course a somewhat adult version of that). All in all a decent thriller movie, that can be entertaining