Not a bad script and its well-acted, the film A Score to Settle comes out on Blu-ray and DVD today. The past few films for Nicholas Cage have been just ok to not so good, but this one does have a nice twist followed by another one. Sure it’s another story about a guy getting out of prison and wants revenge, so if you haven’t seen one with that theme lately this should peak your interest.
Member of a mob, Frank Carver (Nicholas Cage) gets released from prison after taking a murder rap for his crime boss Max (Dave Kenneth MacKinnon). Like a father to him, Max promised Frank that he would take care of his son Joey (Noah Le Gros). In addition a lot of money changed hands for his loyalty for when he gets out.
But, things did not go well in the penitentiary for Frank, even turning his brain on edge when he gets diagnosed with fatal sporadic insomnia. The symptoms are that he constantly remains awake and not able to doze off even for a minute. Now on early release because of the illness, he finds out the worst has happened while he’s been behind bars.
The film goes on from there with Frank on the prowl for his old gang members trying to even the score. Director Shawn Ku who brought the timely drama Beautiful Boy to the screen, works hard to keep the film lively and compelling. He almost drops the ball, but recovers when he hits his audience with a couple of nice twists during the finale.
Nicholas Cage does his best to keep the film exciting and does that as he’s tracking down members of his former gang. If you have seen a lot of Cage’s films you may get the feel of déjà vu during this one, but stick with it as the film pulls off some nice surprises.
BONUS FEATURES: on both the DVD and Blu-ray
“Story and Characters” goes into the how producer Eric Gozlan chose the script, and actors as they talk about their roles affecting the film. Karolina Wydra who plays hooker Simone in the film talks about relationships on how to redeem yourself from mistakes. Other actors including Cage, Benjamin Bratt and others chime in as well.
“On Set” give you the feel of making a film like Score to Settle and working with Nick Cage.
“Sins of the Father” does contain some spoilers so DO NOT watch this bonus until you have seen the film. It’s mainly for those that want to make a film in the future on how to handle the twist in a movie.
A Score to Settle has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains violence, sex/nudity, and language. You may want to watch the film first before allowing teens to view it.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A pretty good crime/revenge film. (3 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Nicholas Cage, Noah Le Gros, Karolina Wydra, Mohamed Karim, and Benjamin Bratt, and Dave Kenneth MacKinnon
Director: Shawn Ku
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains sex/nudity, language, violence
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 43 min.
Video Release Date: September 24, 2019
Original Theatrical Release Date: August 2, 2019
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-Master Audio 5.1
Video: Widescreen 1080p, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: RLJE Films
Released on: Blu-ray, DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
