Armor movie review

Whether as an iconic boxer in the “Rocky” films, as a traumatized Vietnam veteran and one-man army in the “Rambo” series or, most recently, as a casual mafioso in the gangster series “Tulsa King”: Sylvester Stallone, in his 55th year, embodied Years (!) of film careers (almost) always positive identification figures and popular figures. His trademark: Wherever Sly is involved, there is usually a good amount of action – as was the case with “Expendables 4” – even if the 78-year-old has of course had to cut back a bit when it comes to stunts.

This is now also the case in the action thriller “Armor“ is clearly visible, in which Stallone once again embodies the role of a real villain for a change. The Hollywood star remains criminally underwhelmed in the few shooting scenes – although with a fee of 3.5 million US dollars, which he is said to have collected for his presence on a single day of filming, almost a third of the entire rumored budget of ten consumed millions of dollars. The US critics have already left their mark on the film (officially) directed by Justin Routt (“Test”): 0 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes speak for themselves – and “Armor” actually has numerous glaring weaknesses.

“Armor” on DVD, Blu-ray and VoD at Amazon*

After his wife's accidental death, James Brody (Jason Patric) fell victim to alcohol. Drinking has already cost him his job as a police officer, which is why he now works as a cash-in-transit truck driver with his son Casey (Josh Wiggins). One day when they are delivering an unannounced box to a bank, they are chased by a black delivery truck and surrounded on a bridge. A group of gangsters led by ex-elite soldier Rook (Sylvester Stallone) demands that the explosive cargo be handed over. But James and Casey, who was injured in an exchange of fire, manage to barricade themselves in the armored hold and use a lot of improvisational talent to stand up to the attackers…

A rare sight: Sylvester Stallone is not the hero in “Armor”, quite the opposite!

A rare sight: Sylvester Stallone is not the hero in “Armor”, quite the opposite!

In fact, at least James' ingenuity, which ranges from sealing air vents to ward off a tear gas attack to making a Molotov cocktail, provides some tension at least at times in a dialogue-heavy film that hardly gets anything out of its extensive condensation into one plot location. The inexperienced Justin Routt apparently only sat formally in the director's chair: According to many crew members, co-producer Randall Emmett was said to have given the instructions on set. That sounds quite consistent, after all, he is already responsible for a number of low-priced and questionable quality vehicles with aged action stars such as John Travolta (“Cash Out”) or Bruce Willis (“Fortress 2: Sniper's Eye” and many more).

While the short chase looks quite acceptable at the beginning, Emmett's technical incompetence becomes apparent during a short shootout on the bridge: in the confusingly filmed shootout, it is often not clear who is shooting at whom in which direction. In any case, cost efficiency was obviously the top priority for the on-location shoot in the US state of Mississippi, which was shortened from the original 15 days to just nine days – so it's no wonder that action scenes and pyrotechnics are generally in short supply. The two staid mini-explosions on the cash-in-transit truck certainly seem very dutiful in their shabby, staid staging…

Way too much time to think about the holes in the plot

Even if a few aerial and landscape shots by Cale Finot (“Baghead”) capture the heated southern atmosphere in a surprisingly picturesque way, the general lack of attractions makes the numerous inconsistencies in the plot all the more apparent. In the first few minutes of the film, James and Casey are repeatedly reprimanded as to why they keep coming late. It's strange that their cash-in-transit vehicle doesn't seem to have any GPS sensor at all and no one pays attention when the multi-million dollar vehicle doesn't show up at other banks on schedule for ages.

A blockage on a rusty bridge goes unnoticed for hours, Casey doesn't notice James' persistent drinking despite spending days together at work – and why James, his wife and son Casey jet off on a camping holiday in a police car with flashing lights in an unnecessary flashback is also unclear illuminate. In any case, the list of curiosities could go on forever.

Father and son barricade themselves from the gangsters in the armored money transporter. Of course, limiting yourself to a confined space also saves your budget.

Father and son barricade themselves from the gangsters in the armored money transporter. Of course, limiting yourself to a confined space also saves your budget.

Screenplay debutants Cory Todd Hughes and Adrian Speckert don't shy away from pathetic, meaningful dialogues in order to somehow inflate their low-substance plot into something bigger. Rook first explains the situation on the bridge at length with “Murphy's Law” before the exchanges with him and James turn to puzzling chess metaphors. Actually hardened mercenaries suddenly get nervous nerves, which is why the already mediocre narrative pace of the cumbersome action thriller is only further slowed down by their conflicts that keep boiling up.

Despite the at least hinted at characterization of his introverted anti-hero character, who urges people to keep a cool head, Jason Patric (“Speed ​​2: Cruise Control”) remains pale. Josh Wiggins (“Max – Best Friend. Hero. Savior.”) fares no differently as the whiny milk boy character. And Sly? He shoots at the cash-in-transit truck at a leisurely pace, completely unmotivated, and stares patiently and somewhat incredulously for several minutes at a drill that is supposed to give his troops access to the hold. In between, he recites his dialogue in a bored manner and, with his stiff back, visibly has difficulty turning his head to the side. Even if he contributes a few smug moments at the end: after the constant flirtation in the “Expendables” films, it’s actually time for action (film) retirement…

Conclusion: The obviously inexpensively produced action thriller “Armor” is annoying with excessive dialogue and many bumpy parts of the script. Unfortunately, a less committed Sylvester Stallone doesn't get anything out of it.