Reprisal (2007) - By Cary Conley

Film Reviews: Reprisal (2007) - By Cary Conley
Posted on Wednesday, July 01, 2009 @ 23:56:53 Mountain Daylight Time by Duane

Joe Wilka, the writer and director of Reprisal, has stated that this film was his first real attempt at making a “professional or at least semi-professional film as an adult.” In my opinion, Mr. Wilka has largely succeeded in this endeavor.

The plot is simple enough: two separate groups of disenfranchised youths are cross-town rivals. After a fight between rival gang members breaks out at a party, Kurt (Sam Benedict) leads his gang in an attack as revenge. This sparks all-out warfare between the rival gangs, culminating in a violent and bloody shootout between the two groups and the police.

While the plot is fairly simple and the film can be viewed as just an action picture, there are several layers of subtext for the more discerning viewer. For instance, the opening scene depicts a young Kurt’s rough childhood, clearly explaining why he has become the violent twenty-something he now is. Two brothers, Devin and Joey Harrow (Pierce Humke and Andy Thurdinger) are living on their own after their mother dies, forcing them into a life of crime in order to exist. The implication is clear: poverty and abuse will continue to destroy young lives if something isn’t done to break the cycle.

However, one of the most interesting scenes in the picture comes when Brett (Justin Heisler) enters his home. I was surprised to see that his house squarely placed Brett’s family in an upper-middle class home. In contrast to some of the other gang members who clearly had rough upbringings, Brett lives a comfortable life with loving parents. So why get entangled with the rough-and-tumble life of gangs? I think the director is commenting on how some youths becoming disenfranchised with their safe, comfortable upbringing. No matter how good life may be, some people are just drawn to the fringes of society and the lure of danger. Not all of these “gangsters” are outlaws and killers like the gangs in The Warriors; in fact, most of them are more like the kids in The Outsiders.

While all the actors are obvious amateurs, this really doesn’t detract from the film. In fact, there are several powerful scenes that are very well-done by the entire cast. They may not be trained in acting, but they certainly give this film their all and generally do a very nice job.

The cinematography is excellent as well. There are examples of real filmmaking style throughout the movie. For example, the camera alternates between a “handheld” look that shows the rage of one group and then much smoother shots for a calmer character. One of the final images of the film—of a bullet casing falling directly onto the lens of the camera in slow motion—is both beautiful and powerful.

The musical score is also done very professionally and adds much to both the tension and tenderness of certain scenes. There is even a “theme song”, if you will, performed by Xavier Pastrano—who also plays a role in the film--that is very good.

In fact, the only real complaint I have is that some of the film is just a bit too dark and slightly murky, but that isn’t really a criticism when you take into consideration that the film was made for about $1500 (!). Besides, it isn’t so dark that the characters or action get lost in the picture as happens with many low-budget films that cost much more than this production.

The film is short, clocking in at 56 minutes, but is very entertaining. In fact, I would have appreciated some more background material on some of the characters to flesh them out a bit more. For example, the film jumps from the opening scene of a young Kurt, around age 10, to a much older Kurt, perhaps 10 or 12 years older. After the violence of the opening scene, I was more than a little curious to know how Kurt had spent the ensuing years. Was he in foster care? Did he run away from home and live on the streets? Did he end up in a juvenile facility at some point? None of this information is necessary, but it would have given the character a bit of extra depth. I must say though, that if a viewer is already asking questions about a character after the first four minutes of the film, then the film must be succeeding at drawing the viewer in and helping the viewer empathize with the characters in the film.

This film reminds me a little bit of Jim Van Bebber’s excellent Deadbeat at Dawn. While it isn’t as rough, gritty, and graphically violent as Van Bebber’s first outing, it is a slicker film and deals with some of the same themes.

I also enjoyed the ending very much. While not giving away too much, I have to say it is refreshing for an American film to have a downbeat ending. I think American audiences like their films to have happy endings and be wrapped up with a big red bow. I find this unrealistic and irritating. Reality is sometimes not very happy. So when a director has the guts to film what I think is a more realistic, but downbeat, ending then he gets extra points in my book!

I also much mention the excellent DVD package as a whole. The film is presented in widescreen format and includes a large number of extras, including an interesting audio commentary with the director as well as interviews with the cast and crew and even the movie’s premiere on the big screen.

I really enjoyed this film and the excellent DVD presentation. For $10, I think this is a great deal if you like indie films. If you would like to find out more about this film or purchase the DVD, you can check it out here.