Movie Review - Homefront

Homefront ** ( R) This one’s a by-the-numbers crime drama with a handful of the cool fight scenes one expects from any Jason Statham flick, plus a couple of interesting tidbits for genre buffs. He stars as an undercover cop who runs afoul of the meth-dealing biker gang he’d infiltrated for a major bust. He resigns and moves to the Louisiana boonies with his 10-year-old daughter, partly to mourn his wife’s death, and largely to raise his child without the fallout from his life on the force. When the lass decks the large loutish school bully who knocks her down, the peace they sought unravels. The kid’s angry redneck mom is the sister of the local aspiring meth cooker (James Franco), who is even more psychotic. Payback will ensue; even scumbags have pride.

The first surprise is that Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay. One assumes he had himself in mind for Statham’s role, and would have filled it 15-20 years ago. That Charles Bronson-esque sort of reluctant hero gig was in the wheelhouse for sly’s younger self. Franco seems ill-suited for this stretch into the underbelly of rural crime, though he puts in a more valiant effort than his hosting of the Oscars. Low bar to clear. Winona Ryder is basically wasted as his girlfriend and business partner. Statham’s fans will like the action sequences, but the vehicle offers less overall entertainment than any of his Transporter outings, and no explanation for why his character has a working-class English accent. (11/27/13)