A little offering available on Amazon Prime at the moment is
Afterburn. A Post-Apocalyptic Action film set 10yrs after a Solar Flare wiped out most of the known economic world. Computers & currency are gone & the surviving population are living in the equivalent of social poverty with Warlords overthrowing governments to rule what's left of civilisation.
Our main protagonist - General Volkov (played by Game of Thrones Wilding Kristofer Hivju) is a Russian Warlord, who has commandeered prtty much all of wider Europe, overseeing a very Nazi'esq style militant force who rule with an iron fist and occupied France is his current domain.
The UK is set a little apart form this horrific new reality - still affected by the flare, our water borders make further invasions tricky and it's here, in a battered London we meet Jake (Dave Bautista - WWE), a Treasure Hunter turned 'Finder for Hire" who specialises in obtaining lost, high end items for anyone willing to cough up resources, including the newly self-proclaimed, and very wealthy "King" (Samuel L. Jackson).
After locating a very rare Stradivarius in the opening scenes, Jake is tasked with heading to France & obtaining the Mona-Lisa which initially doesn't sit well with him due to Volkov's reign in the area but, he is soon tempted by the promise of a beautiful refurbished sail yacht, allowing him to fulfil his dream of getting out, once and for all.
So, off he goes to France - battling Volkov's reigime (with a little help) and after a few near misses - comes across the vault which houses much more than just a valuable painting and the realisation hits that perhaps he is destined to do more than just be a courier for hire.
Every Action Film needs a few elements in my mind.
1) A strong lead, something The Rock and Jason Statham have nailed in the past but following the 2021 movie Army of the Dead (which is awesome by the way) and a few others since, Bautista does pretty damn well at it.
2) A great female sidekick which in this, see's a welcome return for Ex-Bond Girl, Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace / Oblivion).
3) A great car, and what better for the rugged apocalyptic terrain than an awesome Baja Truck that steals most of the action scenes and finally,
4) A Bad-Ass 'Slo-Mo' walk away from an explosion without turning around. Yes - thats here too!
The film rattles along at a pretty decent pace and the 1hr 45m fly's by. The action is plentiful with shotguns exploding heads all over the place to grenades, car and train chases, brutal WWE style hand to hand combat which is all shot brilliantly and a cracking little scene including a small group of wild, masked, cannibal, Parkour hunters who's end comes as fast as their introduction - but still plays out great all the same.
There is no real focus on the Solar Flare outside of the introduction to the movie setting the scene for the backdrop but it doesn't matter. Slovakia and Hungary provide the locations for war-torn, occupied france and its rural landscapes and abandoned bunkers and hangers suit the mood of the movie perfectly. Our leading four cast members all do a fantastic job and there are a few other familiar faces in smaller parts that again, all do well.
For me, it's another great little action movie where the budget seems to be as plentiful as the bloodshed and it doesn't feel wooden or over scripted in any way. Friday night viewing? Absolutely.
Grab yourself a drink and settle in. If Action is your beverage of choice - pour me another one!
