Stuntman and cancer survivor (his bio is very interesting) turned novice filmmaker Kirk Caouette stars, directs, wrote, produced, stunt coordinated, and composed the music for this low budget Indie B film, and it was actually not bad - all things considered.
Sure, the story is nothing new, and has been told many times before, but it was still enjoyable right to the end. I feel there needed to be more/better editing. Too many unnecessary shots, and the slow-mo was overused. The normally comfortable 82 mins felt longer with all those useless shots. Then there's the more cigarettes smoked than words spoken issue. I'm guessing all this was to make this a sort of art-house film. The score was actually very fitting for a B film. Although I wasn't impressed with the shaky-cam and poorly filmed first action scene, every other action scene was good, a few impressively John Wick-ish.
Caouette took many risks wearing so many hats, but at the end, I feel they paid off. Like I said, nothing new or extraordinary, but for a newb filmmaker on a tight budget, it's an enjoyable film. Props to Caouette for pulling it off.
American Badger
2019
Action / Drama / Thriller
American Badger
2019
Action / Drama / Thriller
Keywords: martial artsfightassassinhitman
Plot summary
He goes by the name Badger because his real name is Dean, and that's the lamest name ever for a hit-man. But really, it was his ex-wife that gave him that name before she died. Since her death he has been a recluse; like all American Badgers. In fact he has hardly spoken a word to anyone except his Handler in 4451 days. But all that is about to change with his latest assignment. His job is to make friends with a call girl and extract information from her about the inner workings of an Albanian gang she works for. Her name is Velvet and she is the closest thing the Albanian mob boss Vasily has to family; she is like a daughter to him -- in the most twisted way - a sex trafficked daughter. The Badger isn't good at making friends, but he's excellent at following orders; so despite his initial objections, he finds Velvet and makes an awkward, yet heroic introduction. Even though he identifies himself as a hardened recluse, he quickly realizes that he is much more vulnerable than he thought he was. As their new friendship takes a sharp turn into an unlikely romance, his Handler tells him that it is time to kill the girl, Vasily's partners, and Vasily himself. What does a badger do when it is cornered on all sides? Badgers are very territorial and will fight to the death to protect the things they care about. The ensuing carnage was to be expected, but the freedom and confidence he gives Velvet was something that nobody would have seen coming.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
American Badger or Canadian Beaver?
First, Google "vanity project"
Vanity projects seldom work even with Hollywood A-listers. When you have a Z-list director/actor doing his own voice-over on an ultra-low-budget indie ... well, let's just say the odds of a successful project are slim and none. And Slim just left town. Every low-budget fail is right there on the screen .. poor lighting, a sound track based on random noises from an electronic keyboard, terrible editing, and an incoherent script. Even the much-touted fight scenes are just a blur, a smudge, of motion that the viewer can barely see.
I Would Assign A Negative Rating If Possible
The American Badger is truly amazing. He singlehandedly kills about 70 hoodlums of various races and nationalities in this film, helped by the fact that his victims politely wait to attack him one at a time and have the collective IQ of a lump of coal. The plot is incoherent, the dialogue is often mumbled, the fight scenes are ludicrous, and the best acting performance is turned in by a dog. This piece of drek must be Canada's revenge on the U. S. for the War of 1812. You have been warned.