Nothing new here with The Assault, the movie is very clichéd and although it has some good moments, they’re not enough to raise it to average. It’s not that the cast is inexperienced, it looks more like they were just looking for a pay day. If crime films are your cup of tea, then you may want to give it a try on VOD or DVD.
A convenience store gets robbed by two masked bandits wearing skull masks in the small town of Cromwell, CT. The next morning abused wife Lindsay Walters (Jordan Ladd) gets chastised by her husband Seth Walters (Tom DeNucci) who had beaten her for coming in late. The two make up and he tells her he’s going to be making a lot of money soon and never have to worry about another thing.
Arriving at the scene of a burned out car is ex-New York City Detective Gary Broza (Tom Sizemore) who transferred in to give the town a department leader. A seasoned cop, finding a card for a strip joint at the scene he begins his investigation there where he meets Nicole (Nikki Moore). She gives him some small talk and asks him for a ride to her apartment.
When the convenience store crime leads to 1.8 million dollar heist, both Lindsay and Nicole find themselves in the middle of a robbery. Noted TV director and writer Jacob Cooney gets the action going early, then slows it down a to establish the relationships between Lindsay and Nicole. Spicing it up a bit, he also builds in some romance between Broza and Nicole that fits in the main storyline leading up to the finale. Unfortunately the film as a whole plays out like a Lifetime TV production and with a 20 second adjustment it could have easily been aired on the cable programming.
The whole cast delivers lackluster characters that are only worthy of a TV afternoon matinee, so if you do acquire the film, maybe invite the girls over for a tea. The only actor shining here is Nikki Moore and thank goodness she was on board for the antagonist role. She at least looked like she was having fun with her character. Of course she has all the good lines.
The Assault has been rated R for language, violence and brief nudity. A $5.5 million budget doesn’t go very far these days, and it shows. Action shots seem more like a paint ball fight and the cops look like they’re tripping over their own feet. And with the perp standing in plain sight, six cops couldn’t take the assailant down.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Not the sharpest film out there. (2 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Tom Sizemore, Jordan Ladd, Nikki Moore, Kevin Nash, Thyme Lewis, David Gere
Director and co-writer: Jacob Cooney
MPAA Rating: R for language, violence and brief nudity
Genre: Action, Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 12 min.
Video Release Date: August 20, 2019
Original Theatrical Release Date: March 17, 2019
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen, 16×9, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Released on: DVD, VOD, Digital HD
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
