Frank Grillo further cements himself as a great action lead in this political action thriller that goes the practical route vs CGI action.
PLOT: A special forces soldier who has given up country, religion, and even hope, must return to the field of battle to track down his niece, a reporter, caught in the middle of an illegal private contracting operation that went dead wrong.
REVIEW: The political turmoil of Venezuela makes it the perfect setting for a political action thriller. The country has had such issues that the US government warns citizens not to travel there. So it allows a backdrop of corruption and violence while still keeping a grounded reality. Long Gone Heroes takes advantage of this and is able to provide a relevant story while not stepping on anyone’s toes, politically. This is a simple story about a group of “good guys” entering a war-torn country and saving a hostage. And it’s surprisingly good.
When it comes to these lower-budget action films, I never really know what I’m in for. They range the gamut from barely comprehensible to surprisingly energetic. Given the subject matter, I’d never describe Long Gone Heroes as fun, but it’s damn entertaining in its execution. Following Gunner (Grillo) and his merry band of mercenaries, they are tasked with saving the kidnapped daughter of a Senator. The rescue attempt is made more complicated when she refuses to leave without helping the other kidnap victims. It’s a pretty basic story with expected story beats and plot progression but it’s handled well. We aren’t given stereotypical character introductions set to different genres of music, trying to establish their personalities. We’re simply introduced to new people as they’re relevant to the story and it’s done rather unceremoniously.
Frank Grillo has made a nice little niche for himself as an action lead in these smaller films. But it’s never been more clear that the man needs a major action franchise to take charge of. Gunner impresses with how in control of the situation he is, no matter what curveball gets thrown his way. He feels like a classic action hero. Josh Hutcherson is also making a habit of really standing out in these actiony side roles. He’s presented as a tech guy but he more than proves himself out in the field. It’s not quite as showy as his Beekeeper performance earlier this year, but he adds such value to a role that would have been forgettable with a lesser actor.
As with many films like this, there are a few roles that, despite prominent placement on the poster, are nothing more than cameos. Melissa Leo is the Senator whose daughter is kidnapped, but she mostly bookends the movie. Andy Garcia is severely underutilized as bad guy Roman, really only getting a couple of scenes to stand out. He mostly just hovers around stereotypical bad-guy mode and he’s so great that I wanted more of him. Mekhi Phifer also features briefly as psychopath Moreao, a man who leaves no witnesses to his crimes. Despite the limited screen time for these actors, the filmmakers do a good job of keeping them involved even when we’re not physically seeing them. This avoids some of the trappings that indie films can get into (especially those geezer teasers) where the actor was clearly on set for one day and had nothing invested in the film.
The action is tight and mostly in-camera, though there is some CGI blood that can be a little distracting. For the most part, the explosions are real and moments that would usually be digital are surprisingly practical. There’s a fire stunt that could have easily been done with CGI but they go through the pains of setting a stuntman on fire. Stuff like this helps to differentiate it from all of the other action films that often take the digital shortcut. Even still, the action never reaches that next level, often just being a quick shootout and moving on to the next set piece. It can be a bit “rinse and repeat.”
This marks the fifth collaboration between Writer/Director John Swab and Grillo. They clearly like making these action films together and have gotten pretty good at it. As good as the execution is, the story is a bit generic at times. The film certainly meanders at points and could have easily been cut down to streamline the narrative. I’d argue that this further lends to the grounded world, allowing us to spend time with these characters in more mundane moments. I think this ultimately makes the side characters stand out a little more. Beau Knapp and George Carroll have some great interactions that really bring this world of mercenaries to life.
I really enjoyed my time with Long Gone Heroes. The story is simple but immediately gives the viewer the desire to see justice served. The action doesn’t go too crazy but the grounded nature and desire for in-camera stunts helps it stand out. While the story is very generic and predictable, I enjoyed my time with this band of mercenaries. We need more films like this that just want to tell interesting morality tales set in an action landscape. Is that too much to ask?
LONG GONE HEROES will be in Theaters, On Digital and On Demand September 20, 2024.
