Written Review By John Delia
The crime thriller Hot Seat puts you in the hands of a mad bomber and keeps you there till the wacky finale. Compelling and captivating, if you are a fan of films that build from scene to scene with some twists, then the movie, now in select theaters should create some excitement for you.
Ex-Internet hacker extraordinaire Orlando Friar (Kevin Dillon) has had a bad day and it’s just beginning. First he gets blindsided with divorce papers that would find him on his own and without the wife and daughter he loves so much. But his excessive overtime and missed family events have brought him to a precipice he did not need at this time in his life.
At the office he hears of an explosion in the area and news that it may be a serial bomber. The bomb squad led by Chief of Police Pam Connors (Shannen Doherty) is stumped and so are nearly retired Wallace Reed (Mel Gibson) and his newest sidekick Jackson (Eddie Steeples). When Friar gets a call from the bomber and is told he is sitting on a bomb that he controls, Friar must choose between his and his family’s lives and jail time for hacking into a fund worth millions of dollars.
The film gets very tense and the thrills start to develop as Friar tries to work his way out of the mess he’s in. Director James Cullen Bressack uses some unique camera angles, creates a lot of drama between the mad bomber and Friar, adds an unwitting hostage, and puts the two Bomb Squad members into a spot where they will have to risk their lives to end it all.
Putting his all into his character, Kevin Dillon sets aside his comedic banter (his mainstay in film) and treats the viewers to a man who is at his whit’s end. It’s a good role for Dillon and one that should further his career in the area of action thrillers. Here he has to make choices that will not only put his life in a coffin, but a serious threat that his wife and daughter will be included.
While I would like to say a lot about Mel Gibson, his role doesn’t give him much screen time. But, for the time he is on screen, the role of the older Bomb Squad member is well acted on his part.
Hot Seat has been rated R by the MPAA for language throughout and some violence. The violence does gets more extreme than what’s suggested in the rating and the first scene explosion is a bit dicey. The film can be seen in select theaters, available on Digital HD and video on demand streaming on available platforms. Above Average Crime Thriller.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Kevin Dillon, Mel Gibson, Shannen Doherty, Sam Asghari, Eddie Steeples
Directed By: James Cullen Bressack
Genre: Crime Thriller
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout and some violence
Running Time: 1 hr. 39 min.
Opening Date: July 1, 2022
Distributed by: Lionsgate
Released in: Select Theaters, On Digital and On Demand