Plot
A police officer with a painful past returns home to help the FBI track down a mastermind assassin.

Release Year: 2010

Rating: 5.2/10 (1,237 voted)

Director: Robert Kurtzman

Stars: Sean Patrick Flanery, Joe Pantoliano, Amanda Wyss

Storyline
The Lion is a formidable assassin - clever, skilled, and cruel. In Albuquerque, he forces police detective Tom Armstrong into a tailspin of grief. Several years later, Armstrong's living alone in Mexico when the FBI seeks him out to help: they may have a lead on the Lion. Back in Albuquerque it seems that the Lion has unfinished business, and while he pursues his unknown objectives, he also stays one deadly step ahead of the police and the FBI. For Armstrong it's personal. Can he return to the states and find the arch villain, or is he walking back into more pain and loss?

Cast:
Sean Patrick Flanery - Tom Armstrong
Joe Pantoliano - David Kaplow
Amanda Wyss - Julie Mulligan
Carmen Serano - Isabel Ordonez
Greg Serano - Ryan Alba
John Koyama - X-ray Agent
Luce Rains - Red Tie
David House - Special Agent William Hopter
Joel Bryant - Richard
Fredrick Lopez - Senator Cordero
Michelle Greathouse - Kelly Armstrong
Christopher Dempsey - FBI Agent
Mike Miller - Randall Hollis
Brother Eden Douglas - FBI Agent (as Brother Douglas)
Jesus Jr. - Club Floor Security

Release Date: 3 Jan 2010

Filming Locations: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Technical Specs

Runtime: Canada: 96 min

A Worthy Member of the Criminal Mastermind Lineage

Rating: 6/10

After a horrible incident, police officer Tom Armstrong retires and moves to Mexico. But he is forced to return when the madman who targeted him once has returned, and only Armstrong knows the killer's mind well enough to play his games. But, of course, this only makes him a target.

Director Robert Kurtzman ("Wishmaster"), more generally known as the FX maestro behind scores of films (often in the horror genre), brings his vision to the script of Alex Vesha, who knows something about tense situations, psychotic (but brilliant) killers and bomb scares. There are more than a handful of moments here where lives are on the line -- sometimes hundreds. Eat your heart out, Jack Bauer.

While the lead role of Armstrong (Sean Patrick Flanery) has to be admired, there's no denying that Joe Pantoliano steals the show as The Lion. Menacing, devious, a master of disguise... he's a perfect casting choice for a villain. Despite decades in acting (including "The Goonies", "The Matrix" and "The Sopranos"), he still hasn't really achieved the notoriety he deserves. This probably will not be the film that breaks him into the top tier, but that day is coming. Watch out, Kevin Spacey.

I have to say I'm not really keen on the romantic aspects, and there is some slowness in general where the piano music kicks in. I understand the importance of the romance and relationships in this one, but there is a break in the pace that I think ultimately works against the fast action of the movie. I cannot really offer a solution of how to reconcile the need for romance and the pace, though, so I think the best was done with what they had. I would have replaced the romantic interest with a platonic partner or boss, but that's just me.

While I think the film is mildly flawed, due primarily to the pacing issue, it is worth seeing for anyone who enjoys the police or thriller genres. As stated, The Lion is a worthy villain in a long line of criminal masterminds, and Vesha, Kurtzman and Pantoliano really bring that to the forefront.

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