Bullet Points: Assailant
Most people know Redbox as another of the modern day alternatives to the classic video stores of yesteryear. But in 2019, Redbox launched Redbox Entertainment, the content acquisition and production arms of the Redbox empire.
Several Redbox Entertainment movies have been covered here on Bulletproof Action since the launch including SAS: Red Notice and Shadow in the Cloud. Now I am her to cover the latest from Redbox Entertainment, the action thriller Assailant…
- First Impressions: Assailant wastes no time establishing the fact that Michael (Casper Van Dien, Starship Troopers) is a murderous psychopath… The movie also quickly establishes that Zoe (Poppy Delevingne) and her husband Jason (Chad Michael Collins, High Moon) are having marital problems. Zoe feels like she is not getting enough quality time with Jason and that the two have become distant because Jason is too preoccupied with work… Jason proves her point by checking his phone during the session and it looks like Zoe is ready to start down the path to divorce right then and there…
- Second Chance: But outside the therapist’s office, Jason convinces Zoe to give him a second chance and pitches a trip to the Caribbean and the island where Jason proposed to her. Zoe agrees on one condition… Jason can’t bring his work phone along. Jason agrees to these terms. This was a much different role than anything I have seen Chad Michael Collins in before… gone was the heroic sniper I was used to and in his place was a jerk who definitely gets worse before he gets better.
- Third Wheel: Jason and Zoe arrive in the Caribbean and will kick off their vacation with a romantic dinner at a restaurant on the beach… but Zoe’s sister calls her to make sure the couple arrived safely and Jason decides to give Zoe some space and tells her to meet him at the bar when she’s ready. But it is at the bar where Jason meets Michael as Michael berates a man for speaking to the female bartender in disrespectful fashion… Jason applauds Michael for standing up for the bartender and putting the guy in his place… and next thing you know, the mysterious Michael is the third wheel for what was supposed to be a romantic evening for Zoe and Jason. But there is no romance in the air, especially when Michael demands that Jason apologize to Zoe much like he did the guy at the bar… things get extremely tense and when a security guard shows up to calm the situation down, Michael assaults him and takes him out. Zoe, who has a very bad feeling about Michael, wants to get the hell out of there and pleads with Jason to join her.
- Fourth and Long: After a rough first night, the couple decide to continue with their plan and go to the island where the two went hiking and Jason first proposed to Zoe. But the maniacal Michael follows them to the island and when he catches up with them, viciously attacks Jason leaving him at less than 100% before giving the couple a head start in what becomes a twisted game of cat and mouse! Could this be the worst vacation ever?
Assailant is a slow burn action thriller that doesn’t bother to reinvent the wheel. But with that said Assailant did still have a first for me, as it was the first movie I can recall where I was actively rooting against Casper Van Dien. Van Dien’s Michael is a nasty individual and the movie does a great job making you want to see him get the ultimate comeuppance and that is what ultimately kept me watching. Poppy Delevingne’s Zoe is easily the most likable character in the movie as she has to put up with the bullshit of her husband AND a murderer. And while I was actively rooting against Casper Van Dien’s Michael as I watched, I was openly rooting for Chad Michael Collins’ Jason to redeem himself… because it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.
And speaking of finishes, let me finish up this review with some Bonus Bullet Points…
- Familiar Face: Jeff Fahey (The Sweeper and Operation Delta Force) plays Captain Henry, Jason and Zoe’s host/boat captain while they are vacationing. Given Fahey’s ability to effectively play either a protagonist or antagonist, I would be lying if I said I didn’t think Henry and Michael may be in cahoots at various points in the movie. Was I right?!?
- Double Duty: Assailant was both written and directed by Tom Paton, who also wrote and directed 400 Bullets and G-Loc.
- If You Ever: …wanted to witness Jeff Fahey lay out a makeup sex scenario for Chad Michael Collins, then Assailant is the movie for you.
