Bullet Points: Outlawed

It is never a surprise when a stunt performer makes the leap from stunt player to movie star… sure it is a risk, but taking risks are what stuntmen are known for.  And when you really think about it, trying to get into the spotlight is probably the safest risk a stunt performer can take.

Adam Collins, a stunt performer in movies like Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, is the latest “unknown stuntman” looking to make a name for himself in the world of action entertainment with his first starring role in the movie, Outlawed…

• Meet the Players: Adam Collins plays Jake O’Neill, a highly decorated member of the British Special Forces. We get to see Jake and his unit in action as the opening credits roll. The movie then transitions to a ceremony honoring all the members of Jake’s unit. Before Jake and his girlfriend Victoria can excuse themselves from the festivities, he is summoned to the office of a powerful politician named Harold Archibald. Archibald makes Jake a lucrative offer to head up a private operation for him… Archibald doesn’t reveal any details, but does promise Jake that it will make him a very rich man… Jake says he doesn’t do what he does for money, he fights for a purpose and he doesn’t want to work for a man like Harold Archibald.

• The Day That Changes Everything: Exactly what kind of man is Harold Archibald, the kind of man who would do business with a known criminal like Abdul Ali and even worse, the kind of guy who would try to double cross a known criminal like Abdul Ali. Abdul has a strong response to Archibald’s failed double cross, when he kidnaps Archibald’s kids and holds them hostage at a factory where Abdul Ali and his crew are involved in all sorts of nefarious activities. Ironically, it is Jake’s unit that is called into action to save Archibald’s children… but things don’t turn out well for anyone. After infiltrating the factory, Jake comes upon one of the bad guys with a gun to the head of Archibald’s nine year old son. Jake is trying to diffuse the situation, when one of Jake’s fellow soldiers gets trigger happy and Archibald’s son ends up dead.

• The Downward Spiral: Jake can’t help but blame himself for the boy’s death and he promptly puts in his discharge papers… he then heads to the pub. After hours and hours of drinking, Jake makes his way home only to find his girlfriend Veronica banging another dude… this starts Jake on a downward spiral that will see Jake start gambling heavily, partaking in drug filled parties with hookers and getting his ass kicked in street fights. When his old childhood friend Jade (Jessica Norris) finds him, he is sleeping on the streets… Jade tracked Jake because she needs his help. She has evidence that the crooked bastard Harold Archibald killed her father… and that is the sobering moment Jake needed to snap him out of his funk. Jake then erases his recent bad times with a well placed montage and now all that is left to do is go after Archibald. And if the stakes weren’t high enough… Archibald has Jade kidnapped while Jake is out and about building up his arsenal for his mission of revenge.

• Storming the Castle:Jake hops on a motorcycle and literally drives right through the front doors of the Nottingham Council House and all hell breaks loose as Jake O’Neill becomes a British Rambo, dispatching of Archibald’s minions on his way to rescuing Jade and squaring off with Archibald himself. The action packed finale is brutal, bloody and ultra-violent… but most importantly… AWESOME!

There are two things that Outlawed got very right.  First, making the bad guys truly reprehensible… politicians are pretty easy to hate, a crooked politician even more so, but Ian Hitchens deserves some credit for really turning it up a notch with his portrayal of Harold Archibald. And let’s not forget Abdul Ali and his crew… they were shooting kids! The second thing Outlawed got very right was the action. This is really no surprise given the background of Adam Collins… before he was doing stunts in the movies, Collins was in the Royal Marines. Adam Collins is probably more skilled than his Special Forces character Jake O’Neill, seriously… Collins is legit as legit can be and that level of realism added to the movie.

Bonus Bullet Points have been known to add to a movie review…

• Flashbacks: Outlawed makes good use of flashbacks to give us the backstory on Jake, his relationship with his commanding officer Mac and the moment that bonded Jake and Jade forever.
• Name Game: The working title for Outlawed was Heart of Chaos.
• Familiar Face: Die hard professional wrestling fans may recognize former pro wrestler Steve Lewington as one of the gang members in the junkyard shootout where Archibald tried to double cross Abdul Ali. Lewington wrestled as D.J. Gabriel for WWE’s ECW brand in 2008-2009.
• All In:  Adam Collins was not only the star of Outlawed, he also co-directed and co-wrote the movie with Luke Radford.