Nerdly » ‘The Handler’ Review

25th Jan2022

‘The Handler’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Chris Levine, Micheal Pashan, Tyrone Magnus, Rachel Alig, Matt Erdems | Written and Directed by Michael Matteo Rossi

The Handler is the latest film from writer/director Michael Matteo Rossi, a name that might not be familiar to some but a filmmaker who has slowly been chipping away at the industry, honing his craft and – usually – crafting films that are at least interesting, if not always successful. As is the case with this film – which is an interesting action movie that, on a surface level, will please fans of frantic action, excessive violence and a bit of gore. However, the deeper story needs some work.

Told in a series of flashbacks, The Handler follows Ryker Dune (Chris Levine) who, in the present, is holed up in a house which is under invasion from assassin after assassin – men, women, guns, knives, feet, fists, nothing is spared trying to kill Ryker. Why? Well that’s where the flashbacks come in. You see Ryker is an ex-Marine who couldn’t really adjust to civilian life and the daily grind of a job. Instead, to make ends meet and support his family, he gets a job working for gangster Vinnie Fiore (Micheal Pashan – who has a startling resemblance to Clancy Brown, well if you paid for a cheap lookalike!) Now his wife Jane (Rachel Alig) is not a fan of Ryker’s job or Vinnie. So he quits. Well, tries to quit, No one walks out on a gangster do they? Which is why we, and Ryker, end up in the safe house situation.

The rest of the film follows Ryker as he lounges at home, casual as anything, as various people come to his home – which he just happened to stash an armoury in! – and he takes them out. Now I say casual as Ryker doesn’t seem to be really bothered with defending himself in any way, he just waits for someone to show up and has a fight. It’s kind of ridiculous to be honest – especially when the assassins just walk into his house while he sleeping, showering etc. Ryker is either a total badass who doesn’t give a sh*t… or he’s a masochistic idiot. I can’t tell which. Honestly.

Eventually, after a slew of enemies are wasted by Ryker – including one played by YouTuber Tyrone Magnus, who went on to work with Rossi on the proposed series Vengeance, Ryker’s acquaintance Lukas (Matt Erdems) turns up and we get a well-put-together, drawn-out fight between the two – the kind of fight than action fans crave, action fans love. And it’s in these kinds of scenes where The Handler works. Rossi and his crew (Matt Erdems was also the stunt coordinator on the film) know how to stage the action, that’s abundantly clear. It’s just that the story lets that action down. OK, so the idea of trying to get out of a “contract” with a gangster is nothing new, it’s a trope used in a myriad of films be they action or thriller but the film doesn’t reality do anything with that plot other than as something to hang an Assault on precinct 13-style invasion of Ryker’s home, Only it’s not an Assault on Precinct 13-style invasion because Ryker, in the films biggest sin, doesn’t do anything to fortify it or protect himself… Like I said, I can’t tell if Ryker is a total badass who doesn’t give a sh*t… or he’s a masochistic idiot!

To be fair, I might be the masochistic idiot for sticking with The Handler all the way to THAT ending. An ending that says, to me, that Rossi – the writer – had no idea how to end his film. At all. Although there’s a post-credits scene (surprisingly) that reveals Ryker didn’t die in the films final gun battle and sets up a possible sequel!