Tuchergson Truly the worst movie I've ever seen in a theater

Micransix Crappy film

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The_Phantom_Projectionist While Isaac Florentine has a death grip on the title of "best direct-to-video action director," Jesse V. Johnson is definitely a runner-up. More restrained than Florentine, Johnson displays a particular aptitude for character development and storytelling, and in no instance more so than the vehicle crafted for star Eric Roberts. While not the action-packed extravaganza that I had been hoping for, it is an excellent crime-thriller that proves the cinematic experience is possible on a small budget.The story: Double-crossed by the underworld syndicate employing him, a washed-up debt collector (Roberts) strikes back by stealing a multimillion dollar take.With a 113-minute runtime, THE BUTCHER is a longer-than-average low budgeteer, but makes it worth it by building up its characters and allowing the actors to amply show their acting chops. This investment, in turn, is made worth it by the seriously good cast. Cult star Eric Roberts has the same natural charisma as David Carradine or Lance Henriksen, making any scene he appears in entertaining by default. Villain Robert Davi is in a similar league and for all the seems like he was gearing up for a BOARDWALK EMPIRE audition. Also in the credits are the spectacular Irina Bjoerklund, Keith David, Geoffrey Lewis, Bokeem Woodbine, and Michael Ironside – occupying roles of varying sizes but all working towards my general impression of "Wow, I forgot that movies like this could have good acting in them!" The story they perform is a slow burner, sometimes too slow for my liking, but the atmosphere it creates along the way is excellent and its avoidance of cliché is welcome.The one bad thing about the story is that it comes at the expense of the action, which – despite the claims of the DVD case – is not evident "from start to finish." Uncharacteristically for the director's movies, there is very little hand-to-hand content, which is disappointing considering the supporting cast's inclusion of Dominquie Vandenberg, Dan Southworth, and Jerry Trimble (who gives a surprisingly wicked dramatic performance). Its focus is on gunplay, but you'll have to wait until the second half to see anything substantial. There are three big shootouts, and while most of them lack overall creativity, each features at least a couple moments of cool absurdity. Roberts shoots through a brick wall with a shotgun to dispatch an enemy, and later grabs a decorative Browning machinegun to take on a club. The final shootout in a bar makes up for a lot with its hyper-violent choreography; it's worth waiting for.When I think of "bad" B-movies of the pre-2000s, I think of poorly-made shlock. When I think of "bad" B-movies of the 2000s and beyond, I imagine well-made but dramatically vapid shlock. It's nice to come across a movie that makes such a point of avoiding both pitfalls, and it's good to know that there are indeed filmmakers out there who take this particular tier of filmmaking seriously. While I really wish there had been more action, THE BUTCHER is worth at least the price of a rental.

Scarecrow-88 If you want to see Eric Roberts kill a lot of people, then 'The Butcher' is the movie for you. As ridiculous as they are, I have an affinity for these "one man army" movies where someone, on his own, must overcome a militia, in this case a mobster's goons.Roberts is a mobster's "enforcer", the guy who is an expert at removing thorns from the ass of his boss. This mobster, Murdoch(Robert Davi) has his eyes on money laundering, and sets up Merle(Roberts)to take the fall regarding the theft of a heavy Reno crime family. It's actually a more complex scheme where Murdoch had plans to use a hot shot in his entourage, eyeing the "throne", Eddie(Jerry Trimble), to sweep in to steal the money from the owner of an expensive stripper club, Doyle(Paul Dillon), who uses the joint as a front for the money laundering operation. Merle is sent there to "collect money owed", foiling Murdoch's plan to have him iced and left to take the fall for "attempting to steal the cash for himself." This doesn't bode well with Merle, to put it mildly, and he decides to take a dropped duffel bag of money with him as a "retirement fund." Having that money is bad enough, but his decision to seek revenge against Murdoch places his life in serious jeopardy. In a spur of the moment, with nothing to lose, Merle asks a waitress at Murdoch's bar, Jackie(Irina Björklund)to come away with him.Like the action sequences, Eric delivers his part in style, blasting hoods and looking great doing it. Nice supporting turns by Keith David as Larry Cobb, a loan shark demanding money owed to him by Merle, and Geoffrey Lewis, as Merle's weapons supplier, Naylor. Davi has the snake-in-the-grass mobster role he performs with ease, eliciting a dangerous aura when he's in a scene. Irina Björklund is a nice surprise as this young woman with an unfulfilled life who decides to take a chance, hopping in Merle's car for a little excitement, the threat of peril always near. There's violence aplenty, with bullets ripping apart bodies, the use of blood bags in heavy supply. Bokeem Woodbine is "Chinatown" Pete, a compulsive gambler who never loses, yet Merle, an obvious failure in the past, finds luck and earns some cash which will be used properly, perhaps something of substance provided by a man who kills men for a living. The final bloodbath, guns a blazing, goes on forever and delivers in spades. Roberts looks quite cool in his shades and '69 Dodge Charger. The plot is really just an excuse for Roberts to rid the world of mobster scum. Again, to reiterate, these movies are bound to make many an eye role, but it's like smack to a junkie, when it comes to my love for them..I can't help but gravitate towards them.

actionfilm-2 Having followed director Jesse V. Johnson's career since 2002's "The Honorable" it's amazing how quickly he has evolved into a top notch action director in such a relatively short period of time. The man has toiled away and paid his dues so it's nice to see his skill is becoming recognized by his peers, allowing him to recruit some great talent. His 2009 film The Butcher slowly builds up momentum towards a brutal action packed finale. It does so skillfully and all the while remained interesting, unlike say for example "The Kingdom" starring Jaime Foxx which had dull dialog and uninteresting characters for three quarters of the film trusting that the final action packed reel would make up for it (as terrific as it was, it did not). The Butcher on the other hand, has barely a fraction of the budget and fires on all cylinders, well scripted, great leads in Eric Roberts and Robert Davi, excellent cast (including several of the director's "stock" actors such as Keith David, Bokeem Woodbine, and even a cameo by the Pitfighter himself Dominiquie Vandenberg), grade A staged action with superb stunt work, one of the best musical scores I've heard in some time, even a beautiful Dodge Charger and eclectic mix of firearms. Recommended!

nathan-yeo I like British gangster films over American ones especially urban they're all feeling sorry for some gangster who's trying to get out of the business. Our boy here isn't trying to get out of the business, well he wasn't until a quarter million dollars landed at his feet. now he wants to grab the waitress and take it on the road. only problem is he stole money from his mob, that was stolen from the mafia. So now everyone wants him dead. the characters were believable, a lil more Micheal ironside would have helped.They stole a lot of stuff from several all-rite gangster films to make a mediocre gangster film. There was some "Saving Grace", the reflection and repose of "Boiling Point" and then they tried to add in some John WOO type shoot-outs.Here's a problem, who ever did this had too much pull with the props department, mobsters, and gangsters, don't have gunfights with "Bayonet Fixed, Belt-Fed" weapons. He even shot-up a bar carrying a WWI era 30cal machine gun.