STAND YOUR GROUND Review: Daniel Stisen Takes The Law In His Own Hands For A Groundless Action Flick
Stand Your Ground previously released in select theaters on May 9, and will release on Digital and VOD on May 27 from Epic Pictures.
There’s no mistaking the all-important conversations that have arisen over the years involving case law centered on America’s controversial Stand Your Ground law. As articulable as concurrent points therein may be from such discussions, the title itself now serves as the basis for a commercial action adventure that nods to said jurisprudence through an escapist lens.
Daniel Stisen stars in the film which reteams him with Last Man Down director Fansu Njie. Written by Craig Walser and Sergey Shelezko, the film centers on Jack (Stisen), an ex-soldier forced to do a six year stint in prison for executing one of several men who violently invade his home, murdering his pregnant wife, Morgan (Roxi Kravitz). In a daring move toward retribution, Jack vies to manipulate the very loophole in the titular law that will allow him to exact vengeance the only way he can.
The film paces itself well enough to keep a modicum of curiosity for viewers, even for its transparent veneer with the emergence of a creepy and corrupt sheriff (Patrick Regis), and the surfacing of an inherently bigoted presence among our antagonists led by red hat-wearing white supremacist Bastion (Peter Stormare). The appearance of a confederate flag in the first half makes things even clearer as to where our bad guys stand, in large part, so as to bludgeon us in the head with the obvious, and otherwise making Morgan’s incumbent murder a harder watch than one might even anticipate.
Phillip Ray Tommy co-stars as Jack’s friend from the battlefield, Joe who ultimately joins our hero on defending the homefront, along with Beau Fowler who plays Bastion’s lead enforcer, Charles. Adding some utility support among the line up is Eric Roberts in the otherwise perfunctory role of Earl, a neighbor who lives in a Winnebago next to Jack’s home and eventually finds himself joining the fight in his own limited capacity. Actress Isobel Laidler plays Bastion’s daughter, Molly, who appears in a version of her character six years from the film’s opening moments, whose own introspection takes a turn when she starts growing curious about who her father really is, and the truth behind her fractured family.
Keeping these aspects in mind, Stand Your Ground should be the kind of film that appeals to me as an action fan. There’s a good chance it would though, that is, if the script didn’t sound so premature for most of its exposition. There’s a ton of layers that a concept like what Nije proffers here could have explored in its narrative, even as a humble direct-to-home release action flick, to cover more bases in fleshing out its story. Instead, the film keeps its approach a little too simple for its potential, leaving plenty to be desired beyond fanservice, and making everything else feel more throwaway than Nije likely intended.
The result of this extends even further to yet another paper thin protagonist in Stisen’s role of Jack, with no real depth to his character or cause except his spells with PTSD and the ensuing violence and gore that tops it. All that’s left really to look forward to is the action amid the drama which, save for the beats of AI-filler shots and special effects in between that make the film feel more soulless than it already does, do manage to deliver some fun popcorn kills. There’s plenty to endulge in watching Jack stab, shoot, and blow up the armed and hooded gunmen trying to kill him in his own home, and really, that’s all that’s worth extrapolating. Stunt coordinator Dan Styles (Avengement, Boudica) is the man behind all that good fun and he hasn’t disappointed me yet.
On its surface, you get exactly what you might expect if you’re part of the fanbase of action film fans harkerning for the olden days of Schwarzenegger and Stallone. Sadly, there isn’t much more I can say here on the plus-side to add, as the film simply fails to cohese with any sensible or meaningful thought in its revenge-driven plotting. I hate to be that guy, but needless to say, Stand Your Ground fails to cover the ground it should have. It really, really should have, and dare I say it, respectfully, a better director might have.
