Big Game

Director: Jalmari Helander

Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Onni Tommila, Ray Stevenson

Released: 7th May 2015 (UK)

When Air Force One is shot down by terrorists leaving the President of the United States (Samuel L. Jackson) stranded in the wilderness of Finland, there is only one person around who can save him: Oskari(Onni Tommila), a 13-year old boy. Oskari just so happens to be in the forest on a hunting mission to prove his maturity to his kinsfolk. Here’s Geek Ireland’s review of Big Game.

What Big Game succeeds at is touching on that love a lot of people have for movies like Commando, Cliffhanger and all the Steven Seagal movies. If you loved any or all of those movies then you are in flavour country. Big Game is packed with 80’s goodies and clichés. There is a secret service agent who’s one day from retirement(played by Ray Stevenson), there is at least five separate occasion’s where a one liner is pulled out of someone’s ass and there are so many slow-mo battles. Sadly no one is bringing close to their A game acting wise, you’ve gotVictor Garber and Jim Broadbent playing the most clichéd and phoned in characters I’ve seen in a long time. Thankfully Jackson is his usual charming self and he is teamed up with a bad ass little actor, Onni Tommila is interesting, funny and his character Oskari is a lot of fun. He one ups Jackson on several occasion’s throughout Big Game.

Another great element of Big Game is the cinematography. Finland is on flying form in Big Game, the landscape is breathtaking and givesBig Game a wonderful authenticity. The main problem with Big Game is sadly that at times it takes itself way too seriously, the whole storyline for Oskari and his father is well done but it feels so out of place when not two minutes later Jackson and Tommila are doing battle with terrorists who are hunting them down for sport. There are just a lot of elements that don’t mesh well together. Sadly the quieter moments just don’t work together with louder, bombastic scenes. With better editing and a defter hand they could have really worked but sadly it feels like a missed opportunity.

With a great cast, lead by a surprisingly cool unknown actor Big Game is a better movie than I expected. If  you’re looking for a night out with the lads full of booze and bombs look no further. Just don’t go in expecting to see anything new and different