Hammer

Really enjoyed this film. Great cinematography, great acting. I thought it had great pacing, and I thought the ending was great. A great film about family relationships wrapped in a crime thriller. Mark O'Brien was fantastic.

One of the best character-driven films of 2019/2020 with subtly layered irony, haunting performances and great music. Emotional realism is at its best when easy transactions go sour and emotions erupt arriving at the point of no return. Graphic realism, which the Brits and Americans are allowed to capture so appallingly well, never makes it to our Canadian final cuts. Canadian censorship simply won't allow artists to work their magic, so their talent is tethered to a prescribed hemline mentality. Do we need hyper-graphic detail? Some viewers need it to satisfy their armchair blood lust. But in watching "Hammer" I was too busy sinking in the characters' terror, desperation, hopelessness and revenge to miss gory details. Incomparable performances.

The generic script tackles some perplexing social issues, like the allure of drugs, but with a small movie budget, "Hammer" - as story itself - acknowledges how poverty and neglect lead to chaos. Due to the modest budget, this Canadian crime thriller becomes an old-fashioned drama which has the focus on the cast performances instead of much needed action. Film is unquestionably W. Patton's show who is here in a rare lead role, but it's just too bad that it couldn't have been in a better vehicle than this. Rest of the cast is average and uncharismatic. The whole story is one-dimensional and when the whole thing finally comes to an end, it will inspire little more than shrugs from most viewers. Ultimately, "Hammer" is a short movie (81 min), but it drags its feet getting to the sort of conclusion you see coming from a mile away. And, with no proper development of any character, they aren't particularly pleasant or agreeable, causing movie to become rather frustrating and dull viewing experience.

Rating: 4-

Hammer is a really interesting film about family and how far you will go to stick by the ones you love . A father faces a personal crisis when he discovers his estranged son fleeing a botched drug deal. The two men try to undo the mess they are in but the more they try the more trouble they get in .

This is a pretty good little film. Not only is is entertaining, the acting is really good . I love watching Will Patton anyway but the standout performance is definitely from Mark O'Brian who plays the son , Chris .

It's pretty violent but not gratuitous and you can't help but get caught up in the situation they find themselves in. It's a good crime film that's all about family and loyalty.

It has a good ending too and it left me wanting more which must be a good thing .

Good acting as the other reviewer pointed out but its very slow and a pretty dismal effort due to the writing and brings nothing new to the silver screen! Pass on this one unless you have a high threshold for boredom!