‘Hustle Down’ Review
Stars: Tom Sizemore, Bai Ling, Paul Sidhu, Kevin Gage, Raymond J. Barry, Vanessa Angel, Noel Gugliemi, David Fernandez Jr., Victorya Brandart, Luis Gatica, Geoffrey Ross, Brad Potts | Written by Benjamin Budd | Directed by R. Ellis Frazier
Like many low budget action films, there is a constant, uneasy tension between ambition and what is possible. Hustle Down is aiming to be a Michael Mann thriller, but the constraints constantly degrade the experience. Whether it is low budget cameras, direction, or uneven acting.
An almost unrecognisable Tom Sizemore (with dyed black hair and looking elderly) is running around (and gosh is it a sad sight) in a cheap shirt, avoiding cartel hitmen (until he steps on some Doritos, in a magnificent show of overacting).
I barely recognise the wispy voice of Tom Sizemore here, nor his ghoulish countenance and I certainly don’t recognise his ripe acting. He was one of my favourite actors for a long time, and it is so sad to see someone I respect so much, laid so low… The man Steven Spielberg placed in one of the most important roles in Saving Private Ryan. Also featured is Bai Ling (do you remember the bonkers, sexy, baddie lady in The Crow?) She was also in Exorcism at 60,000 Feet, which I also reviewed right here.
The plot of Hustle Down, for what it’s worth, is Tom Sizemore’s character (“Cully”) running away from cartel gun men, with a “money car” with a competent side kick, in the bounty hunter “Turk” (Paul Sidhu).
We learn very little about our characters, from the cheap synth music, you know there is supposed to be something of a buddy cop, fish out of water vibe, with our two leads, but due to poor acting and a weak script, this doesn’t work. There are a lot of portly, middle-aged men running around non-descript locations, with guns. My favourite bit is a tubby, cartel gunman, chugging along, being hounded by a small dog (which may, or may not have been in the script).
I honestly don’t believe that cartels would use such an incredibly cheap and poorly maintained car to run around with half a million dollars in it. I also don’t believe it when some Mexican gang members decide that their best course of action is to get Cully to assassinate the mob boss. I wouldn’t trust Cully to brush his teeth in the Morning, let alone assassinate someone. It is also interesting, how many gunfights, you can have, in public places, without anyone seeing to be too bothered.
Honestly, the most fun to be had with Hustle Down is going to be drinking game related. The next scene has a shoot out among the gridlock that all the characters find themselves sitting in. Suddenly, Tom Sizemore’s Cully has seized the wheel and finds himself driving, at full speed, with no traffic suddenly in front of him.
Not a lot of thought has gone into Hustle Down. It has a couple of big names in it, so maybe that is enough for it to make a few dollars. Who knows?! Cully gets to apologize to his grown-up daughter, on her wedding day, as the character cries real tears. I wonder if Tom Sizemore ever got to apologize in real life..?
