Review by John Delia
Running from his past, former hitman Boon (Neal MacDonough) gets shot by a contract killer. Finding his way to a farmhouse, the wounded Boon collapses. Young farm boy Elijah (Jake Melrose) takes him into his house where his mother Catherine (Christiane Seidel) administers aid for his wound.
In the meantime, Catherine is dealing with the town’s elicit city officials and nearby land owner that are using her property to run a drug operation. When Boon heals enough to take up weapons, he sets out to protect Catherine and Elijah, while still being pursued by killers and the FBI for his past crime. Director and writer Derek Presley does a terrific job of hiding just enough facts and relationships to keep the audience captivated.
The fine acting by Neal McDonough opposite Christiane Seidel makes the film work. As Boon, McDonough brings a lot of action and energy to the film as the script spools out at a fast pace. After his first conflict we start to find out about his past and whether he’s really ever reformed from his previous “occupation” and if he really has the right motives for accepting Catherine’s help.
Seidel gives a nice performance as Catherine the local preacher who finds her homestead in the middle of a “war” between the land poachers and Boon. Having to protect Elijah while tending to her wounded visitor, she finds that she may face the inevitable.
The film has good production value, direction and excitement and to give you some idea, it reminded me of the movie Fargo with its twists and kills. Boon is Not Rated by the MPAA, but it contains violence, language, drug use and some brutality. For those who like a well-crafted action crime drama, it’s now available in select theaters, VOD and Digital. (At least 3 out of 5 stars).
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Neal McDonough, Tommy Flanagan, Christiane Seidel, Jason Scott Lee, James Madio, Demetrius Grosse, Christina Ochoa
Directed and Co-Written by: Derek Presley
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, language, violence, drug use
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min.
Opening Date: April 1, 2022
Distributed by: Cinedigm
Released in: Theaters, VOD, Digital