Sam Elliott’s piercing eyes and bushy mustache stare through you from the get go. But too bad the film doesn’t live up to it’s wacky title. Unfortunately, it meanders more than Elliott’s slow and low voice print.
Elliott, at 74 years old, is not your usual leading man. He’s getting a lot of attention for his Oscar Nominated supporting role in Bradley Cooper’s “A Star is Born.” Cooper even admitted emulating Elliott’s speech for their roles as brothers in the film.
In this one, Elliott plays, Calvin Barr, a WWII, a killer and master tracker who can find anyone, anywhere. He’s the best of the best to carry out impossible missions. Young Calvin (Aidan Turner – Loving Vincent, The Hobbit movies) plays stoic and stallwart as Elliott does as the older Calvin. Calvin the young and the old are both seem so detached. But the missions took their toll. This is a story about a man who would have been considered shellshocked then, or struggling with PTSD now.
When young Calvin was given the task to track down and assassinate Hitler, he made it look like a walk in the park. If only that really happened. But killing destroyed Calvin. He had a special talent he really didn’t want to use to kill.
Writer/Director Robert D. Krzykowski came up with this odd plot. He gives Sam Elliott an almost automaton aura about him. As Calvin, Elliott only reluctantly and infrequently lets his emotions rise to the surface. He’s portrayed as a sad super hero of sorts. And it’s a very physical role, He gets beat up a lot. The cool take-down of the three thugs who try to carjack him is extraordinary for anyone, let alone this lean, lanky man in his 70’s. And he got some heavy duty talent to work with him on this film which also impressed Elliott. John Sayles (Lone Star,) and Douglas Trumbull known for the SFX ((2001: A Space Odyssey, the original Blade Runner).
Krzykowski gives us a very strange profile of Calvin, using too many flashbacks. Before going off to war, he fell in love with young teacher, Maxine, (Caitlin FitzGerald). The scene where Calvin bungles his proposal is just sad and exasperating. He’s a mess and we think Maxine would have been his only hope.
Calvin’s brother, (Larry Miller-Mother’s Day, and so many TV series) is also his barber. He’s a sympathetic character who tries to understand and help the broken war hero. But his part is totally underwritten and Miller, who is very talented, is very underused. Same for Maxine. Both relationships seem puzzling and underdeveloped.
Fast forward to Calvin and Big Foot. Now we’re into sci fi. He’s pressured by Flagpin, a government agent played by (Ron Livingston), into performing another secret mission to help save the whole human race. His task? Track down the mighty beast that is spreading a virus that could destroy the whole human race. And, for the most amazing reasons, Calvin is the only one who can find the creature and kill it.
First of all, Big Foot isn’t that beastly in this film. His look is somewhat laughable, more like the creature from the Black Lagoon, only in color. And the ease with which Calvin tracks him down is not that exciting, especially since this mythical creature’s existence had never been fully proven. Talk about impossible task!
Even more confusing is the end of the film. Calvin is buried and then brought back to life. Well, at least, the beast isn’t. The disease is never really fully addressed. There’s a lot of low key, slow paced melodrama shot using soft focus to give it a haunting ambiance. Even though this is supposed to be a fantasy, it comes off disjointed and wacky. We liked being able to see Sam Elliott in an action role, but hoped for much more in this film. We know Sam can definitely throw one, but this film does not pack a punch.
RLJ Entertainment 1 hour 38 minutes Not rated
