Director: Jalmari Helander
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Stevenson, Victor Garber, Jim Broadbent, Felicity Huffman, Onni Tommila
Rating: 15
Extras: Interview With The Cast And Crew / VFX Breakdown
It’s not an uncommon occurrence to see Samuel L. Jackson in a rather absurd story-line but truth is… they just keep getting weirder and the latest in that long list is Big Game.
Big Game is a tale of two halves, the opening of the film tells the story of a thirteen-year-old boy named Oskari (Onni Tommila) who is living in the shadow of his hunter father, and in tradition of becoming a man, must spend a night in the forest and return with a hunting prize. While this is going on the President Of The United States William Allen Moore (Samuel L. Jackson) is flying to a G8 summit but – meanwhile – a lone-wolf who has an informant on the inside shoots down Air Force One to try and hunt the President. The pair meet unexpectedly when the President’s escape pod lands in the forest, with Oskari putting his hunting expedition on hold to save the President being hunted.
Are you still with me? Hope so. It might not be on Snakes On A Plane level but it’s close. Some moments create confused laughter but then again it is fiction after all and once you get past the slow building opener and the film’s weird concept, it does makes for great viewing. Fifteen-year-old Finnish actor Onni Tommila might have had the role especially made for him by his uncle, director and writer of the film Jalmari Helander but he holds his own against Samuel L. Jackson. Saying that, like many people I always jumps at the chance to watch anything with Jackson in and he does bring something different to the role. Usually President’s are seen to the heroes, but Jackson’s POTUS is down on his luck and unexpectedly gets his spark back when he has to join forces with Oskari.
Unfortunately Jackson and Tommila’s scenes are where the great acting ends. The antagonists of the film feel incredibly caricature and every time they’re on screen, we were hoping they’ll either leave or get beaten up. This also seems to be the same for the big time actors too – appearances from Jim Broadbent, Victor Garber and Felicity Huffman are forgettable and it doesn’t match the energy that our unlikely heroes have in the forest.
The most interesting thing about Big Game is that it could have easily gone down the family adventure route. If you take out any time someone is shot or blown up and it creates a compelling buddy tale that could have been a better hit for Disney than Tomorrowland. But the action scenes, while brilliantly executed, alienate half its audience and the age group that would absolutely love it but even they probably can’t buy it without ID.
In a nutshell Big Game is hardly a game changer, but if you are looking for a mindless, violent action film that will keep you captured and confused throughout then this one is for you.
Big Game is available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD on 21 September. Pre-order here.
