Gary J Hewitt’s The Defender pretty much delivers what it promises on the tin. This is a story we’ve seen time and time again. If someone described a movie about a vigilante with a troubled past, taking the law into their own hands, already your mind is swarming with titles.
However, the plot isn’t necessarily the issue, there’s a reason the subgenre is used so often, people enjoy it – and you can certainly make it your own. After all, John Wick is different from Death Wish and both differ again from British approaches like Harry Brown. The problem is, that everything in this movie is simply competent. There’s nothing that grants it individuality or makes the film stand out amongst its peers.
A thriller without the thrills
The pacing is somewhat one note and a lot of the scenes tend to linger past last orders, making it (for the most part) a thriller without the thrills. The Scottish setting – as well the recordings from the mother – do give things a bit more steam and kudos to the acting chops of Sasha Macpherson. Unfortunately, they could have perhaps shined brighter within a film with more substance.
Jacked In Recommends ‘Flight of the Navigator’ (1986)
Flight of the Navigator follows the story of David (Joey Cramer), a typical 12-year-old boy in the year 1978. After […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘The Turk’ (2023)
The Turk is a comedy that tells the tale of two buddies, Tom (Matthew Kay) and Glen (Elliott Eason) on the hunt for […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ (2022)
Bungalow homes, cars that look like electric shavers and a round of Gibson’s for everyone. The ’50s […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ (2017)
After the local authorities fail to catch the people responsible for committing unthinkable crimes against her […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Riley & Rambo’ (2023)
A day in the life of, we follow a young boy by the name of Riley as he journeys around the Bradford area collecting […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Perspective’ (2023)
Perspective chucks you straight into the deep end as we follow the story of Mike (Velton J Lishke) – an […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Call the Shepherd – Lambing Time’ (2023)
As we follow the day in the life of a lamb farmer, from the get-go it’s clear that this documentary is going to […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ (2023)
As we open on our favourite racoon giving us a tour of Knowhere (the Guardian’s latest HQ destination) to […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Joker’ (2019)
Brutal homicides, cigarettes and a cool as f*ck slow-motion dance down the stairs sequence (just ignore the Gary […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘Mean’ (2023)
Director, Joshua Blewitt brings us chauvinistic, narcissist, movie lover and filmmaker, Chez Florentine (Joe […]
Jacked In Recommends ‘The King of Staten Island’ (2020)
Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island follows the life of local islander, Scott (Pete Davidson), a wannabe […]
Jacked In Reviews ‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021)
With the same premise as the previous movie (and obviously its literary inspiration) The Suicide Squad follows a […]