Michael Ledo Mitch Davis (Scott Eastwood) has nothing going for him in Wilson Co., Texas. He borrows his step-father's black SUV and heads across the border with a friend only to find himself in trouble. He gets recruited by "The Captain" (Nick Chinlund) to be part of private law enforcement group which we quickly figure out is something akin from a Dicken's novel as Fagin, er uh The Captain teaches them their trade.Scott Eastwood doesn't have a lot of lines which was good because he didn't do that well on the ones he had. The action was slow to build and then quickly over. I would expect this film to be discounted quickly or on a multi-pack within a year. Far more drama than action.Guide: F-bomb, sex. No nudity.

davideo-2 STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Mitch (Scott Eastwood) is a former war vet living in a small mid-western American town, whose life is heading nowhere. However, one night, after running afoul of some Mexican pimps, he finds himself approached by a man known as The Captain (Nick Chunland) who sees potential for him as a private security operative, and Mitch accepts. Assigned to take out a number of targets, he forms a bond with his fellow recruits, but they gradually come to question their operation and The Captain's true intentions.It's been a long time since we've seen the offspring of a famous screen icon showcasing their stuff for our consideration, and so it's a novelty that Scott, son of the legendary Clint, has appeared in this miniscule effort that has creeped out onto DVD. While he's fair as an actor in his own right, he inevitably doesn't hold his own to his legendary father, not that that's the main thing on your mind. This leading role of his has a premise with potential, exploring the murky world of private security, but while the set up is intriguing, sadly the story doesn't pay off.Director Charles Burmeister strikes the tone and balance just right, creating a blurry, murky atmosphere that suits the mood of the story, matched with some suitably edgy characters on the good and bad divide that fit it well. Somehow, though, there's just not a strong enough foundation to guide the story with, not engaging enough at times and requiring too many leaps of faith at others. It's a throwaway effort when it should be a mesmerizing one, fully emersing the audience in the bleak, uncertain world of private security operations instead of just distracting them.Hopefully, Eastwood Jr. will find something more relieving of his talents. **

mikekozel In a world of seasoned pros, young genius, and serious money, it is amazing to see a property with the Eastwood tag so mishandled, badly directed, obviously posed, set in a ridiculous and sloppy script, and dished out to the public as some beefcake manboy that can be shot at times to give us that glimpse of that tobacco spitting, grizzled icon we really loved. Rowdy Yates had better lines, better direction, better support, and a charisma this kid ain't got,and that was TV. The horse this new kid rode in on should be in the glue factory along with all the other dead horses. Incompetent management of this magnitude is really amazing. Not reading much about the flick? There is nothing here to write about.

cookie-wise Those looking for an action-packed, shoot-'em-up thriller might be disappointed, but that doesn't mean there aren't some worthy ideas and narrative threads at work here. This is a slowly paced film, at times almost meditative, but one that rewards a patient viewer. Don't watch it for shootouts and chase scenes, but rather for a thoughtful treatise on men and boys, fathers and sons, the razor thin line between love and war, and the hollow attraction of lawlessness and moral anarchy -- all shot gorgeously in the dreamlike expanses of the Mexican desert.The plot is fairly bare bones: a young 20something down on his luck, Mitch (Scott Eastwood), crosses the border from Texas to Mexico out of nothing more than boredom, and winds up getting entangled in a group of lost boys who've been taken in by a Fagin-esque leader, "The Captain," a middle-aged vet who uses his ragtag band to carry out vigilante hits on various drug runners and cartel branches. At first, Mitch is enticed by The Captain's promise of money and claim that something special lies inside of Mitch -- something no one else can see. To the completely lost man-child without a father figure, this serves as motivation to keep Mitch serving as The Captain's "top soldier," even as the group quickly devolves into pure criminal violence and bloody greed. By the end, Mitch is forced to find his own ethical code, something to dictate his sense of self-preservation vs. self-worth.There is a lot at play here, talk of soldiers and kings and the ownership of territory, that all resonate deeply within our current climate of urban gang warfare and political fear-mongering and appetite for vigilante justice. Eastwood doesn't yet have the gruff gravitas and charisma of his famous father, but he shoulders the movie well, displaying a screen presence that belies his inexperience. The original score is haunting and beautiful, and the cinematography captures desolate landscapes and car chases with equal elegance. If you give yourself time to breathe with this film and meander along at its contemplative tempo, I think you'll appreciate its aim to be something more than just another shoot-out in the desert.