The wild and wacky Army of One arrives on DVD/Blu-ray disc and I could not stop laughing. It’s based on a true story with the guy at the center of it all getting his day in the limelight when the credits start to roll, and he swears to it. The story may sound ludicrous and impossible and most of it probably is, but if you believe it for a real adventure you’ll have more fun. It’s cast perfectly and reminds me a lot of the crazy film Danny Deckchair.
A part time fifty-year old construction worker Gary Faulkner (Nicholas Cage) has had aspirations about his future, but they have never panned out. His constant ranting at high speeds have not kept him from having friends, but he’s very annoying to most everyone around him. Not having a place of his own, you can find him sleeping nights on the construction job or more recently at his friends Pickles (Paul Sheer) and Roy’s (Will Sasso) apartment. His main complaint is how the government has not yet brought down Osama bin Laden. He’s so incensed, he’s made it his main challenge in life.
His personal life starts looking up when he meets his high school crush Marci (Wendi McLendon-Covey) and they become smitten with each other. When a new report announces that the CIA has again missed getting bin Laden and God (Russell Brand) appears to him, Gary goes after the terrorist to bring him to justice. So begins one of the most incredible stories I’ve ever heard, yet interesting enough it’s true, or it at least has truth in it.
The film goes on from there with Director Larry Charles (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan) moving his film along at a fast clip. It gets very silly and often beyond that, but once you get past the high pitched screwy voice that Cage uses to depict Gary Faulkner, the film becomes less annoying and very funny. In the center of all there’s a wonderful romance between Gary and Marci that gives it a good measure of empathy.
Nick Cage as the wacky Gary Faulkner puts on a good show. He holds the guy’s nutty voice, gestures and persona throughout the film taking him from mindless to emotional and just a meaningful guy. Giving Cage’s character life and reason, Russell Brand brings a lot of hilarity as God. Giving reason and hope to Gary, God urges him to get the man who killed thousands in the Twin Towers. Popping into the film at some of the most inopportune and sometimes inappropriate times, the character is a stitch.
BONUS FEATURE:
“The Making of Army of One” gives you a look on how they made several scenes and the how it came about.
Army of One has Rated R by the MPAA for language and drug use.
FINAL ANALYSIS: If you like zany this film’s for you.
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Russell Brand, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rainn Wilson, Will Sasso and Paul Scheer
Director: Larry Charles
MPAA Rating: R for language and drug use
Genre: Comedy
Running Time: 1 hr. 33 min.
Video Release Date: November 15, 2016
Original Film Release Date: November 3, 2016
Language: English
Review Format: DVD (also available in Blu-ray)
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: Anchor Bay
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
