Bullet Points: The Mercenary (2019)
I received an early access screener for the latest Jesse V. Johnson action flick, The Mercenary. It hits DVD and digital on January 7th, and I can’t wait to share my Bullet Points review with you…
- The Story: Professional Badass, Dominiquie Vandenberg is Maxx. He’s a mercenary, and damn handy with a blade. When a mission goes to Hell, he’s left for dead by his own team. A priest saves his life, and shows Maxx kindness. Maxx is happy to live a peaceful life, until his past catches up to him, and Maxx quickly becomes a One Man Army Angel of Holy Death.
- Maxx: You couldn’t pay me to fuck with Dom Vandenberg. He looks like he could kick your ass with one finger. He’s a natural fighter with a background with the French Foreign Legion, a great kicker, he’s excellent with all firearms and a master with the knife. You probably associate Jesse V. Johnson with Scott Adkins. They’ve made a lot of movies together. However, Dom made The Doorman and Pit Fighter years ago with Jesse. They have natural chemistry together, and it shows with The Mercenary. Each uses their strengths to get the best out of each other. Plus, it pays to have Louis Mandylor as the main baddie. He’s very familiar with the directorial style of Jesse, and shines in his bad guy role. These ingredients mixed together make for an awesome action movie. It helps so much when the main players are allowed to make their movie, THEIR WAY.
- The First 15: My case for why you should watch The Mercenary can easily be made in the insane amount of action in the first 15 minutes. We have: 3 different missions, point blank sniper kills, brutal knife gutting, bombs that go kaboom, too many dead bodies to count, an intense rescue, a throat slash and the craziest 13 vs 1 fight I’ve ever seen. The 13 vs 1 battle features Dom at his most bombastic pimptastic. He goes off on 13 praying terrorist, and sends them straight to Hell. The blood in the room after the carnage is enough to fill a vampire blood bank for a year. Are you sold yet?
- The Western Vibe: The Mercenary plays like a Akira Kurosawa western. We have a hero who doesn’t speak much. A musical theme straight outta Django. The chorus is so memorable, I’ve had it in my head since I first watched. The hero comes to the rescue of a town that needs saving. He goes to war with the baddies, and one by one, he takes them out. Until we have a Final Boss Battle with Louis Mandylor. We also have a couple of priests as supporting characters, and a cook who can only cook stew. There’s a lot of food talk in The Mercenary, so don’t watch it if you have the munchies. With all I’ve said, my main point is, and please feel free to put my quote on the DVD: The Mercenary is one of the most satisfying action films of the year. Please don’t sleep on The Mercenary. Dom Vandenberg is the real fuckin’ deal.
Bonus Bullet Points for your pleasure…
- RiP: Carmen Argenziano plays Father Elias. A crucial supporting player in The Mercenary. Unfortunately, he passed away earlier this year. Rest easy, Sir.
- Stunts: The other mercenaries are mostly actors usually used as stunt workers. Props to Jesse for letting them have their own spotlight, instead of making someone else look good.
- Face Squish: Nothing quite says Jesse V. Johnson like a good face squish. Watch The Mercenary to see what I’m talking about.
- The Smile of Death: Remember the 13 vs 1 fight I talked about earlier? Pay attention to Dom’s smile. He looks like he’s having so much fun, and he just can’t hide it.
- But wait there’s more: Check out my video review below…
