Arsenal (2017 film)
Arsenal (also known as Southern Fury)[4] is a 2017 American direct-to-video action thriller film[5] directed by Steven C. Miller and written by Jason Mosberg. The film stars Nicolas Cage (reprising his role from 1993's Deadfall), John Cusack, Adrian Grenier, Johnathon Schaech, Christopher Coppola and Lydia Hull. The film was released on January 6, 2017, by Lionsgate Premiere.
Arsenal | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Steven C. Miller |
Produced by | Randall Emmett George Furla |
Screenplay by | Jason Mosberg |
Starring | Nicolas Cage John Cusack Adrian Grenier Johnathon Schaech Christopher Coppola Lydia Hull |
Music by | Ryan Franks Scott Nickoley |
Cinematography | Brandon Cox |
Edited by | Vincent Tabaillon |
Production company | Grindstone Entertainment Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films |
Distributed by | Lionsgate Premiere |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10 million [2] |
Box office | $41,037[3] |
Plot summary
The film opens with the characters growing up in their teens on the streets with crime, baseball and brothers looking out for one another. Mikey gives his lawn mowing job to JP and later protects him when an uncle commits suicide. The film then moves to the adult lives with Mikey getting out of jail and JP running a successful construction company. The families celebrate a 4th of July picnic with Mikey, his wife and daughter Alexis being the dysfunctional family and JP and his family being the normal American clan. JP loaned Mikey $10,000 for braces for his daughter but Mikey bought drugs to flip for a quick profit. The drugs have been jacked with Rusty the prime suspect. Mikey is out the drugs and his money.
Sleezeball mobster Eddie King decides to kidnap Mikey and expects his brother JP will pay $350,000 ransom to free his brother. Mikey is beat up with pictures sent and demands made. JP and friend detective Sal go into action to free Mikey. JP refuses to pay so Eddie adds Alexis, Mikey's daughter, to be at risk. Eddie's brother shows up and demands Eddie to stop his silly kidnap scheme. Eddie spent 3 years in jail for his brother Buddy and he does not appreciate the interference. Eddie kills his brother Buddy.
Eddie lets JP know that he killed his own brother so that his threat to kill Mikey is real. JP agrees to pay $200,000 but at the money exchange the money bag explodes. Eddie and his henchmen are killed after a bloody long shootout. The film ends with the Lindel family at another picnic.
Cast
- Adrian Grenier as James "JP" Lindel
- Johnathon Schaech as Michael "Mikey" Lindel
- Nicolas Cage as Eddie King
- Lydia Hull as Lizzie - Wife of "JP"
- Christopher Coppola as Buddy King
- John Cusack as Sal
- Megan Leonard as Vicki
- Tyler Jon Olson as Gus
- Christopher Rob Bowen as Rob
- William Mark McCullough as Luca
- Abbie Gayle as Alexis
- Shea Buckner as Rusty
- C.J. LeBlanc as Hoya
- Robert Harvey as Eddie's bodyguard
- Tamara Belous as Janet
- Heather Johansen as Kristy
- Carrie Jo Hubrich as Chelsea
- Vivian Benitez as Lisa
Release
The film was released on January 6, 2017, by Lionsgate Premiere.[6]
Critical reception
Arsenal received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 3%, based on 30 reviews, with a rating of 3.13/10.[7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 25 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[8]
Joe Leydon of Variety wrote primarily about Cage's performance, saying it "could be labeled Swift’s Premium and sold by the pound", going on to say that with his "putty nose", "bad wig", and "fake mustache that resembles an exhausted caterpillar", Cage brings his usual "manic gusto", and that "while his over-the-top shtick is perilously nearing the end of its shelf life", Cage "routinely dominates each film in which he appears". Of the entire movie, he called it "pointless flash and filigree".[9] Jesse Hassenger of The A.V. Club also noted the "prime Nic Cage overacting", as well as John Cusack "trying to disguise how miscast he usually is as a lowlife", but wrote that this tried to work as a "quick fix for the movie’s weaker elements".[10] Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times was far more negative, saying the movie may already be "the worst movie of 2017", criticizing the "cliché-ridden script", "dripping molasses pace", and "brutally unpleasant" action and fight scenes. He too noted that Cage's "sadistic Sonny Bono get-up" was "anything but dull".[11]
References
- Sheri Linden (2017-01-03). "'Arsenal' Review". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580536/
- "Arsenal". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- "SOUTHERN FURY | British Board of Film Classification". Bbfc.co.uk. 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- "Arsenal (2017) - Steven C. Miller". AllMovie.
- Vikram Murthi (2016-12-15). "Arsenal Trailer: John Cusack & Adrian Grenier Take On Nicolas Cage". IndieWire. Retrieved 2017-01-07.
- "Arsenal (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. 2017-01-08. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
- "Arsenal Reviews". Metacritic. 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- Joe Leydon (2017-01-06). "'Arsenal' Review: Nicolas Cage Stars in Steven C. Miller Melodrama". Variety. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- Hassenger, Jesse (2017-01-05). "Arsenal · Film Review Some prime Nic Cage overacting is just a distraction from Arsenal's faults · Movie Review · The A.V. Club". Avclub.com. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- "Too soon? Crime drama 'Arsenal' may be the worst movie of 2017". LA Times. 2017-01-05. Retrieved 2017-03-03.