Bullet Points: Out of Death
When you watch a lot of Bruce Willis DTV, you learn to recognize the GOOD, the BAD and the DOWNRIGHT UGLY of his recent filmography. Willis’ latest effort is Out of Death, which will be In Theaters and On Demand on July 16, 2021 from Vertical Entertainment. I wonder what category Out of Death will fall into?
- The Elephant in the Room: What kind of title is Out of Death? Is it a typo? Did the director, Mike Burns lose a bet? Is it an inside joke from first-time screenwriter, Bill Lawrence? Out of Death’s title has the potential to be a forever meme. My best guess? It involves the two main characters: Jamie King’s Shannon and Bruce Willis’ Jack. Both are dealing with losing loved ones. Shannon lost her dad, and she is hiking in the woods to spread his ashes. Jack lost his wife, and he is spending time at his niece’s cabin in the woods to get some rest. Both will end up crossing paths with a couple of corrupt cops and OUT OF the DEATH of our heroes’ loss, they find the strength to possibly survive their deadly encounter. I think I am stretching it.
- Pillows: I bet you are wondering how lazy Bruce is? His stunt double / standing double / head double / hand double has more time on screen than Bruce. It is rumored he only spent one day on set. I believe the film was made in a little over a week. However, I cannot confirm these rumors, but the film looks and feels rushed. It is so obvious Bruce is not really there. One scene featuring a conversation with Willis and King is laughable. You never seen their faces together, except for one distant shot. There are more examples, but I think you get my point. Bruce got paid, and he did not put in hardly any effort. The laziness is easily 4.5 pillows out of 5.
- The Action: We have action throughout, but nothing worth discussing in detail. The special effects are nothing special. It looks like the movie was filmed with the cheapest camera possible. Perhaps, Out of Death will look better on Blu-ray? I doubt it, but you never know. The story is generic, and I wonder if any of the actors read the script before taking the gig? At least Jamie King has Black Summer to fall back on.
- Closing: Out of Death falls into the DOWNRIGHT UGLY category of Bruce Willis DTV. It appears to be a victim of COVID. A movie filmed with restrictions that severely hampered the process. Perhaps, it would have been a better idea to not film the movie? In a different time, we might have received a more entertaining product. Instead, Out of Death is a disaster and one of Willis’ worst DTV efforts. There is nothing I can say that will make it all better.
- Grade: D-
Bonus Bullet Points
- Favorite Quote: “Does the Tin Man have a sheet metal cock?” – Said by Deputy Tom
- My IMDb Prediction: Something I want to try to do is guess where the IMDb score will eventually be. IMDb is not rocket science, but it does give you an idea how the masses feel about a film. Looking at Out of Death, I see nothing but a bleak future. It makes Wills’ Hard Kill look like Die Hard. Unless a swarm of bots vote it a 10, my best guess is 2.4 / 10. It could go even lower. The Out of Death title will not help. Let me know your guess, and if you could rename Out of Death, what would your title be?
Jaime King, after her virtuoso performance in Black Summer (esp S2), deserves better. Along with Betty Gilpin, whose The Hunt is under-rated and unjustly forgotten, deserves a brighter future as an action movie star.
It’s now come to the stage that if a movie has Bruce Willis in it, I automatically think “skip it”! His recent shit is even worse than what Seagal was doing in the mid 2000s!