hulakan

The fun starts in the opening scene. The Highwayman hero, brandishing a flintlock pistol, stands in the road as a coach approaches. As the coach comes into view, the highwayman fires his pistol into the air (a warning shot, no doubt) then he points the pistol at the coach and demands, "Your money or your life!" He has already spent his load! 18th century flintlocks were not repeating firearms. What kind of highwayman threatens a victim with an empty gun? THIS kind of nonsensically written, low-budget, poorly acted highwayman is the kind of hero that almost entertains in this shoddy piece of almost funny escapism.

The film makers try hard but just do not achieve Ed Wood standards of humor. The sets are a bit too tidy, and the actors lack that sense of devotion to the material despite the odds that could have made this a true gem, like say, Beretta's Island. Rather, it just muddles along, content with its own mediocrity, failing to rise to the genuine entertainment of a truly bad movie.

Cheap thrills if you will, but this film is not too bad a way to spend 86 minutes if you you just want to sit back and enjoy an indi thriller. The first good omen was the opening sound track: decent dramatic instrumental score as opposed to so much indi inclination to cringe-worthy singer/song-writer slop. The acting is adequate; no Gary Oldman or Tilda Swinton, in fact nobody you've likely ever seen or heard of before but the performers are competent. Some low budget indis I will quit after 10 or 15 minutes because the actors are bottom tier, but not in this case. The plot is simple but not stupid. The action moves along, predictably, yes, but entertainingly nonetheless. This is not high art, nor is it total schlock. It's a perfectly comfortable way to spend an entertaining, if not enlightening, hour and a bit.

Goofus blasts off into space blithely assuming that nothing could possibly go wrong. Gallant ensures that his missions have back up systems and contingency plans.