Out now on Digital and On Demand
A group of men retreat to the countryside following a drug raid, there they get in the line of fire of The Stoic.
Written and directed by Jon Eckersley, The Stoic has some good ideas and a few interesting scenes here and there, but the story is a bit lacking. It’s one of those where things are going on, but the film just doesn’t make them connect with the viewers, or at least this viewer. The story here takes its time while bringing in plenty of characters, it would be the definition of a slow burn but the pay off at the end kind of doesn’t really have any oomph. The film has a story but the pace and how it develops makes it feel like it has a bit of a story that it is stretching well past its point. The writing here is the main issue, missing the mark in many spots and having the writer also be the director means that the script was either followed closely or changes were made that went with the original vision.
The cast here is decent here, working with the script and direction at hand. That being said, most of them are a bit on the bland side here, which may be a sign that they are going with the mood created by the writer-director. The cast highlights here are Scott Wright, Anka Evans, and Jason Flemyng. These three do well and thankfully keep the boat afloat interest-wise. The rest of the cast isn’t bad, they are decent, but a bit on the bland side so there isn’t much to say about them here which is a bit frustrating to be honest.
Another frustrating element here is the cinematography. The film has some well-framed and composed shots, but the decision to make so many scenes so dark simply seems like a bad idea. Yes, a majority of the film takes place after dark, but many other films make the darkness work for there. Here, a lot of scenes (even with the brightness raised up) are too dark and just do not work out for the story in terms of letting the viewer see what is going on. The cinematography is not entirely terrible, but the lighting is really an issue in many scenes.
The Stoic is not a terrible movie overall but it’s a letdown. The film’s story is not hitting right and the pacing is off, the direction is in line with these of course. The acting is as good as it can get with the script and direction with a few performances that stand out positively. While the film is not exactly exciting or even all that interesting, there are a few sequences here and there that really do work. However, overall this is not a film that most will need to see.