MOMENTUM

(director: Stephen Campenelli; screenwriters: Adam Marcus/Debra Sullivan; cinematographer: Glen MacPherson; editor: Doobie White; music: Laurent Eyquem; cast: Olga Kurylenko (Alexis Farraday), James Purefoy (Mr Washington), Jenna Saras (Jessica), Karl Thaning (Doug MacArthur), Colin Moss (Kevin Fuller), Joe Vaz (Bank Manager), Shelley Nicole (Ms. Clinton), Lee Anne Summers (Penny Fuller),  Kingsley Pearson (Matthew Fuller), Morgan Freeman (Senator), Hlomla Dandala (Mr Madison), Anne Summers (Penny Lee); Runtime: 96; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Donald A. Barton/Anton Ernst; Azari Media; 2015)

“Fast-paced but vacuous thriller.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

The directorial debut for Stephen Campenelli is not an auspicious one, in this fast-paced but vacuous thriller. He’s Clint Eastwood’s usual cameraman. It’s a leaden action pic, with no character development, a dreary story and trite dialogue. Writers Adam Marcus and Debra Sullivan leave it unpleasant, witless and sullen. It’s a kick-ass movie that might appeal to viewers who don’t mind it’s all about an implausible chase around Cape Town, South Africa, and that it’s a rare starring role for a female in an action pic. 

A team of bank robbers in high-tech Power Ranger uniforms and voice-modifiers rob a Cape Town bank of diamonds, but the leader, Alexis (Olga Kurylenko), is unmasked and goes on the run. In a local posh hotel, a group of cleaners, led by the well-spoken and well-tailored CIA assassin Mr. Washington (James Purefoy), torture to death her partner Kevin Fuller (Colin Moss) while she escapes and goes on the run by herself. The free-lancing Mr. Washington works for a corrupt U.S. Senator (Morgan Freeman) who is the owner of the stolen diamonds and arranged for the heist to get a USB drive used to blackmail him in a terrorist plot. Freeman delivers literally a phone-in performance.

Mayhem and torture proceed with great alacrity, as the martial arts savvy heroine knocks the assassins off one at a time and then has a face-to-face with Mr. Washington.

The twist that results leaves us dangling with a murky ending, suggesting a sequel.

REVIEWED ON 4/13/2017       GRADE: C