Into the Ashes

Quite literally just passed the time. To be fair, the acting was actually really good. It just lacked some energy. I wasn't invested with the characters or their struggle, like I have with other movies of this genre. Worth the $4 on YouTube.

If you want to feel tortured, hopeless, depressed and feel your life is a dead end street, watch this movie. The actors are well known, but the acting is flat and the plot is predictable. You go away with nothing gained.

🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

Most reviewers have got the score right. The film is moody and and ocassionally absorbing but agonizingly slow to the point where it becomes a chore to watch. It's as if the script was 45 pages long and the writer/director, Aaron Harvey, decided to stretch it out into a feature. Every scene is twice as long as it needs to be. There is very little plot and little action. When the action does arrive, in flashback, it is unexciting. Maybe the filmmakers thought they were adding meaning to scenes by keeping the camera on a hand, a flag or any object for too long. Instead they succeed in annoying the audience. This has the feel of a pretentious student film but with good actors. Who are wasted. The cameraman and editor must also share some of the blame for failing to tighten up the scenes. I will in future make a point of avoiding any movies directed by Aaron Harvey.

Maybe I missed something. Man drives a knife through another guy's hand, pinning it to the desk. Jerks the knife out and leaves. And the man behind the desk bleeds to death. Say what?

I thought it was excellently shot, superbly acted and compelling. Yes, the plot is simplistic, but does it have to be complicated? The film offers some modern reflections on the difficulty of truly putting a criminal past behind oneself, the choices children make vs the wishes of their parents, the role of law in society, and more. Looking back on it, there is one scene that looked a bit lame, but otherwise it's a fine film. Not too different from Rust Creek or Light of My Life. They're both fairly simplistic too - there's nothing truly extraordinary about their plots, so it's not a big deal here. Every shot of Into the Ashes could stand alone as a still photograph. For me, that's one of the hallmarks of a great movie. Is it world class, meriting five stars? No. Is it worth a watch? Undoubtedly yes.

The film as a lot of atmosphere or mood, but it lacks plotting and character development. It is a simple revenge tale, which mistakes lack of development as mysterious and edgy. Noble failure.

A cliché and monotonous crime film, Into the Ashes is rote and predictable. When an ex-con is tracked down by his former crew and left for dead he sets out on a path of revenge. Starring Frank Grillo, Marguerite Moreau, James Badge Dale, and Robert Taylor, the cast isn't too bad; though their performances are rather underwhelming. The script is pretty weak too, but the real problem is the directing; as the pacing is incredible slow and none of the fights are all that exciting. Still, there's a bit of mystery to the chase and what caused the fallout between the ex-con and his crew. Into the Ashes is a thriller with no thrills and no originality.

One of the worst thrillers I had the misfortune to sit through in quite some time.

Overall, this is a slow burn revenge tale with solid performances from a small cast and a story which will require its audience to think rather then being spoon feed the plot the whole time. If you enjoy films such as "No Country For Old Men" then I suggest you invest your time and check out "Into The Ashes". 6.4/10 - Walkden Entertainment