Hellion (2014)

You won't be disappointed!

Simply Perfect

Captivating movie !

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Retribution is a very difficult film to get into as it seems devoid of both point and purpose for almost its entire running time. It eventually boils down to a father losing custody of his youngest son due to his unruly behaviour and due to the behaviour of his oldest son Jacob.The big problem with this film is basically down to how it's actually been set up; this very thin story is about the failings of the father as a parent so therefore you would assume that most of the focus would be on the father himself, but the writers offer very little insight into Hollis as a character - it might have helped if the writers would have fleshed Hollis' character out more in order to make us understand his behaviour. It's mentioned that his wife has died and that he used to be a baseball star etc, but again these are just little threads that are mentioned, but I felt could have been expanded on more. It's very hard for me to get involved in a film when writers don't develop characters as I generally find that I won't care for a film if I'm given no reason to. The film also jumps around all over the place and just rambles on and on until eventually we get to the 'point' of the film about 10-15 minutes from the end. Aside from the father, the rest of the characters are rather one-note and shallow and as I've already mentioned this was a very hard film for me to care about.The film has a sub-plot involving his eldest son competing in a motor-cross competition which didn't really go anywhere and seemed kind of pointless. The only positive thing I can say about this film is that Aaron Paul was excellent and did everything he could with the material that he was given to work with. However that is the only good thing about this truly terrible film.

I had no expectations going into this film; I hadn't even read the plot summary. This was a film that had you shout predictability until what I thought would be the climax, came entirely too early and I realized...I had no real idea what was ahead. I found myself having little tolerance or care for Jacob throughout most of the movie, whereas I was overcome with emotions when it came to little Wes. Jacob ended up stealing my heart however and I was surprised at the director's ability to do this. I noted this as an "explosion" because the build up was serious! It's a common story in much of America, but truly shot in a way that the viewer finds riveting, emotional, and genuine. The acting, from the CPS counselor to Wes, was truthful and accurate. Facial expressions and moments of silence between characters can usually spill the guts on who's new to the game, and I just didn't find that here. A low budget film that will probably not get much viewership, but those that take the time out will not be disappointed.

This is probably one of the best acted, directed, and written films I have ever seen since "Boys don't cry" some 15 years ago. But of course, we still have yet to see the day when we can have a perfect movie with elements perfectly mixed together. And as I said, the ending in this movie quite disappoints and could summarily leave you hanging, wanting for more, and angry. I can understand why it did not perform quite as well at the box office despite its raving reviews.Being a fan of Aaron Paul's acting, I decided to check this movie out if the director could handle how to steer what Aaron Paul can offer. It was actually quite a revelation. And to my surprise, it was not Aaron's acting that became memorable in the film but that of a young newcomer Josh Wiggins. I could not praise his performance highly enough for such a young age. This boy is rare. You know, in a single scene, it could take at least two takes from different perspectives to capture the dialog and screen time of each of the characters and I believe Josh Wiggins was able to replicate those emotions in each of them perfectly. The scene in the pizza parlor is something to behold.This film is really a story about an emotionally-encumbered teenage boy and not about a man who has lost his wife and who is left to take care of his young sons. It's no surprise there that Aaron's part came out as something of a supporting role. But it is not to be lamented as Josh Wiggins' and the other boys' performances were more than enough to make up for it. Dalton Sutton's performance as a young emotionally affected boy is also worthy of being noticed.The dialogs are terrifyingly authentic. The continuity and flow of conversation were so sublime, you would think you are watching a real life conversation from real people. I just kind of felt disturbed by how explicit the language these young boys used. I know that although it is just a film, I believe it reflects a certain level of parallels on what the real American society looks like and how American kids could potentially react violently to the deterioration or destruction of their families. It is actually a truth being told in big screen. And if the recent events will tell us, this truth would be difficult to swallow.All in all, I really like this film. But in the ending, I wish Hollis ran for Jacob when he was about to be arrested. It would have been the point in the story where Hollis could have made Jacob feel that he was never alone. I mean, as a parent, you can escort your underage son to jail. It does not mean you are getting the blame or letting him go, it's just giving him the moral support at the time when he needs it most and is a way of reassuring him that everything is going to be alright. And in the process, would have made us more satisfied.

*****Hint hint****** A little spoiler but it won't wreck the movie***I thought this movie was awesome, it's a kinda movie that you want to watch with your dad and brother because it shows how close you need to be with them. I was really blown away by this movie, the casting was pretty good too, Overall a movie you will want to watch again and share with your friends. The story seemed so real, like I watched it online so I could have looked up if it was a true story but I just watched it and by the end I was sure it was. The one thing that drew me away was the poster, I know the boy did motocross but the poster could have been better, I mean that really doesn't matter because the movie was awesome. I would and will watch this later for sure!