Nerdly » ‘Elite Force: B.R.I.’ VOD Review

05th Feb2025

‘Elite Force: B.R.I.’ VOD Review

by Jim Morazzini

Stars: Jadey Duffield, Crispian Belfrage, Danny Darren, Rodrigo Rodrigues, David Cheung, Rupinder Nagra, Shane Hart, Tayah Kansik, Lee Wakefield, Leon Sua | Written by Roman Elpidio, Jadey Duffield | Directed by Roman Elpidio

Elite Force: B.R.I. begins somewher in Edinburgh, as a homeless woman named Jesse (Jadey Duffield; Choose Your Weapon, A Hitman in London) is grabbed and forced into a van. When she wakes, she’s strapped to a table in a rather improvised looking lab that looks like it was slapped together in someone’s basement, not a high-tech facility where bleeding edge genetic research is being conducted.

But this is where Dr. Marco (Crispian Belfrage; 100 Candles, Six Bullets to Hell) is perfecting the formula he calls, B.R.I. which stands for Body Recovery Immunization. It not only makes people stronger and faster but also allows them to heal, including regenerating lost body parts, at an incredible rate. He, of course, wants to use it to help humanity, especially injured veterans. However, Dr. Marco’s vision for the future is threatened by his partner, Jasper (Mark Strange, Redcon-1, Hounds of War), whose motivations are far more sinister. While Dr. Marco wants to use the formula to help humanity, Jasper sees the potential to profit from it, willing to sell the formula to the highest bidder. When Dr. Marco hesitates to complete the formula, Jasper resorts to threatening his family to force him into compliance.

It will probably not come as a surprise that Dr. Marco absconds with the newly revived Jesse as well as three other of his subjects, Kawa (Danny Darren; Picasso’s Smile, The Infiltrator), Luco (Rodrigo Rodrigues; Goitaca, The Looking Glass), and Fei (David Cheung; Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Meg 2: The Trench). He has his own plans for these enhanced fighters, and Jasper isn’t going to like them.

With its plot about turning ex-special ops into super soldiers, Elite Force: B.R.I. has the feel of a dollar store or, since it’s a British film, a Poundland version of Universal Soldier. That, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing, you don’t need a huge budget to make a good action film. What matters is the action, and director Roman Elpidio (Legol) who co-wrote the film with one of its leads, Jadey Duffield, make sure there is plenty of that, with almost the entire second half of the film given over to a mission to rescue a mysterious Mr. Johnson (Rupinder Nagra; I’ll Follow You Down, Do Not Disturb) and eventually Professor Adams (Shane Hart; He Who Dares: Downing Street Siege, Final Score) the only person besides Dr. Marco with an understanding of how B.R.I. works.

This means plenty of hand-to-hand action delivered by a cast of talented martial artists, which also includes Tayah Kansik (In Tenebras: Into the Darkness, The Bouncer), Lee Wakefield (Zombie Spring Breakers, Out for Vengeance) and Leon Sua (Legacy of Lies, I Am Vengeance: Retaliation). While the sets may be the usual collection of warehouses and empty office buildings, they put them to good use in the film’s many fights.

Unfortunately, the low budget does cause some problems besides the less-than-convincing-looking lab. Given how little the film’s science fiction elements play into the plot, that’s easy to ignore. However, for it’s budget, Elite Force: B.R.I. was a bit over-ambitious in the number of explosions it puts on the screen, and the CGI used for them would have been substandard twenty years ago. The same goes for the muzzle flashes, and even worse, in many scenes the blood splatter looks black rather than red.

If you’re considering watching this then you’re probably a regular viewer of indie action films and used to dealing with ratty CGI, so this probably won’t bother you too much. If you’re used to better-budgeted mayhem, you may want to prepare yourself, however.

Overall, Elite Force: B.R.I. is a decent, no-frills action film whose cast and crew frequently took on multiple tasks both in front of and behind the camera. Their efforts paid off with fight scenes that compensate for the dire effects and occasional plot holes. If you’re a fan of indie action films or simply looking for a no-nonsense action flick, Elite Force: B.R.I. delivers what it promises: a good dose of fight scenes and plenty of fast-paced thrills.