Bullet Points: The Flood (2023)
It is the final week of 2023 and I find myself with a little extra time on my hands (thanks vacation days), which means I can catch up on some 2023 releases that I have missed out on, like the action creature feature known as The Flood…
- Shelter From the Storm: Before the first scene even hits the screen, the sounds of sirens and heavy rain can be heard… a news reporter tells us that Hurricane Gustavo is ravaging Louisiana. Citizens have been asked to evacuate if they can. Of course, not everybody can… including a pair of strangers who are on the run looking for shelter from the storm… they soon find out there’s more than weather to worry about. The hurricane has brought the gators out and they are hungry!
- Plans Change: Elsewhere in Louisiana, a Department of Corrections bus is transporting five prisoners. Each prisoner gets a title card and brief list of charges. This helps these characters stand out immediately… there’s Big Jim, Jox, Angelo (who is even bigger than Jim), Floyd (Mike Ferguson, Breakout) and last but not least Russell Cody (Casper Van Dien, Shark Attack). As the weather conditions worsen, the corrections officers make the decision to reach out to the sheriff in nearby Lutree, Louisiana to see if Lutree can house their prisoners until the storm is over. This change of plans, changes the plans for Rafe Calderon (Louis Mandylor, Bring Him Back Dead) and his crew, who were looking to bust out one of the prisoners on board the bus.
- Not Just a Pretty Face: Nicky Whelan gave the standout performance from where I sit as Sheriff Jo Newman. A beautiful sheriff is not something you often see in action movies, but Newman (who we learn is a second generation cop) has more than once chance to prove she is not just a pretty face as the movie goes on. Newman immediately asserts her authority when the quintet of prisoners arrive at her station, which is leaking and flooding as the storm intensifies. But things are about to get worse… because Calderon and his crew are about to make their move and they are going to take the police station by storm.
- When It Rans It Pours: After taking out one of the corrections officers, Rafe Calderon demands to be taken to Russell Cody. Apparently, Rafe needs Russell out because the last job they did together didn’t quite go as planned and there are some loose ends to tie up. It is obvious that Russell is not happy to see Rafe and at one point even tells him it would be better if the just got the hell out of there… especially since the worst is yet to come. Remember the alligator from the start of the film? Well, there’s multiple big ass hungry alligators swimming around the police station, that is looking more and more like a building in the lost city of Atlantis as Hurricane Gustavo continues to unleash its wrath. As the alligator problem grows, the humans that have survived band together despite being on opposite sides of the fence where the law is concerned.
There were two things I expected going into The Flood… First, solid performances from two gentleman that I have been watching for years, Casper Van Dien (as a character who falls in the gray area) and Louis Mandylor (as a character that is a greedy villain)… Second, CGI alligators that were obviously CGI alligators (keep that in mind if that is a deal breaker for you).
What I was not expecting was Nicky Whelan kicking so much ass. The fight scenes between Sheriff Newman and the prisoners were really well done and the highlight of the movie for me as Newman stood her ground and outmaneuvered her much larger foes who foolishly underestimated her. There were a few more little surprises along the way, but overall The Flood played out as expected with the casualties piling up as the movie wore on and the final survivors being the least surprising part of the entire movie.
The least surprising part of this review is that I am ending it with some Bonus Bullet Points…
- Directed By: Brandon Slagle, who impressed us here at Bulletproof Action with his work in the Battle for Saipan and Breakout, was the director of The Flood. Slagle is building an impressive resume of direct to video action flicks.
- I Got the Reference: The Gremlins reference in the movie, was a cruel reminder that I did not watch Gremlins this holiday season.
- Written By: Chad Law was one of the writers on The Flood. Chad had a busy 2023, with Shrapnel and another movie I need to catch up on, Til Death Do Us Part.
