Out of Exile (2022) User Reviews

Third act ruins what little was actually watchable.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 4/10 · 17 March 2023]

Clearly this was a low budget B film, and I can accept that, but I've never seen a film take such a fall in the final act as this film did. It actually had a decent score for a B film, and the cinematography was good. Writer and director Kyle Kauwika Harris did a fairly decent job directing, but failed to direct his cast properly, as most barely looked awake or wanting to be in the film, specifically Adam Hampton, who's acting was the worst, and was the most unconvincing character of them all. Not sure why he was cast as the lead.

This film needed lots of editing and cutting down, because there just wasn't enough meaty narrative to effectively fill in the 107 min runtime, and the snail speed pacing made it feel much longer. Although this story had nothing new to offer that hasn't been done many times before, and much better, at least the first two acts had a cohesive narrative, albeit cliched with the many unnecessary and mostly time-wasting sub plots and familiar genre tropes.

But Kauwika's third act unraveled so bad with tons of plot holes, and became convoluted so bad, it created more questions than answers. It tried to be smart, but failed. It's like Kauwika threw everything and the kitchen sink into the final act, hoping something would stick, and got too lazy to wrap up the viewers impatient investment of the first two acts, into a cohesive resolution. So much didn't make any sense in that third act. Had Kauwika wrapped up the narrative without the easily avoidable plot holes, I could've easily given this a 6 or a 7/10. But investing my time only to end up with an unsatisfied ending with more questions than answers, was annoying. Don't waste your time with this like I did.

Watchable, but generic crime thriller...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 30 March 2023]

I had not heard about this 2022 crime thriller titled "Out of Exile" from writer and director Kyle Kauwike Harris prior to stumbling upon it here in 2023. And of course I opted to watch it, on account of it being a movie that I hadn't already seen.

And while "Out of Exile" was watchable, it was ultimately a rather generic crime thriller. The movie offered nothing extraordinary to the genre that hasn't been done or seen in other movies before it. Now, don't get me wrong here, because "Out of Exile" is a fair enough movie and certainly is watchable for a single viewing, just take into consideration that it is a generic movie.

Of all the cast members in this movie, I was only familiar with Peter Greene. And looking through the cast members here on IMDb, I am surprised to see that former wrester Jake "The Snake" Roberts was in the movie as well, I couldn't recognize him on the screen at all.

The storyline in "Out of Exile" was adequate, just a shame that the movie was run page by page from the 'how to make a crime thriller' handbook.

Watchable and enjoyable for what it was, "Out of Exile" is adequate for a single viewing. There is not enough meat on the storyline to support more than a single viewing though.

My rating of "Out of Exile" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Brothers

[lavatch · 4/10 · 29 August 2023]

The best part of "Out of Exile" was the carefully crafted relationship of two brothers, Gabriel (Gabe) and Wesley (Wes) Russell that were especially well-performed by the two actors.

Gabe has been released from prison and is on parole. But he instantly participates in robberies and takes Wes along with the high-risk ventures.

For two-thirds of the film, there was an ebb-and-flow to the action, as we experienced the depth of the relationship of the brothers. Wes has a hair-trigger temper and is impulsive. By contrast, Gabe is quiet and reserved and takes a stoic approach to life, possibly due to his long stint in prison.

In the closing stretch of the film, Gabe is killed after Whitman Rader, the sleazy ringleader of the robberies, gives him up after Wes had killed a man in his bar. For the final twenty minutes, the film implodes with a series of incomprehensible scenes, including a confusing bank robbery gone sour.

For most of the film, this was a thoughtful set of character studies. It is unfortunate that the screenplay completely lacked coherence at the close.

Trite and Underwhelming.

[tommybjean · 1/10 · 23 January 2023]

I rented this on release. Overall the film is trite. I found myself losing interest several times because it tended to drag in spots. I feel it could have been cut down shorter. The Protagonist Gabriel comes across as an aloof delivering an incredibly underwhelming performance. This could be perhaps the Actor seemingly more befitting as a Character Actor than a leading man. The brother Wes was a hot headed Veteran with ptsd. As a Veteran myself this was ridiculous. Stereotypes surrounding mental illness such as ptsd and the way this was portrayed was one dimensional and stereotypical of the "Dangerous" unhinged Veteran. The Character lacked depth and I found myself watching an Actor attempting to act mental illness and pop pills. His physicality came across more like someone on Cocaine then living with the challenges of ptsd. I didn't believe it. The Antagonist played by Peter Greene as Whitman Rader kept this film afloat. His Character came across gritty and believable. I found myself wanting to see him more as his Character was interesting. Had it not been for him I would have turned it off. Overall the film is nothing new. The plot, the heist story we've been fed many times before. However, if you are going to give it to me make it worth my investment of $6.99. If you're bored and can find nothing else to watch then add this to your list of disposable forgettable content being put out. Out of Exile gets 1 Star. I debated giving it 2, but just couldn't get over the stupid unbelievable Character Wes.

First year film school vibe

[seanpatrix-518-150814 · 2/10 · 16 March 2023]

Nothing original here. It's a recycled regurgitated story we've seen over and over again.

The sound editing is choppy and inconsistent. Especially during the stripper scene using crisp new dollar bills?!!

Actors acting and overacting. The bouncing camera gets tired and nauseating especially during the garage scene. At this point it's no longer watchable. The news reporter during the bar scene was awful and the bar fight argument was so over the top over or under acting it's hard to tell. Mixed with the bouncing camera is nauseating.

It's officially unwatchable at this point.

For a highschool or first year film school it would get a 4 or 5/10 at best. The script and story is tired. I can't even social media with it on in the background.

The high rating reviews are extremely exaggerated just like the acting.

Another trash steaming movie

[FeastMode · 2/10 · 27 March 2023]

Out of Exile is garbage. It immediately reeks of streaming-level quality. I thought about quitting 15 minutes in. I should have. Every aspect of this movie is bad.

The acting (and overacting) are the easiest giveaway. The story seems like it was written by artificial intelligence, copying parts of other movies of the genre. The "action" scenes are useless. The only good thing I can think of is it was able to get me invested in the lead character and his relationship with his daughter. Otherwise, it's pretty much a waste of time.

Streaming services are ruining my love for movies. I would guess somewhere around 90% are terrible, 9% are mediocre, and 1% are actually good. I think going forward I will only watch theatrical movies unless I hear multiple recommendations for a streaming movie. (1 viewing, 3/26/2023)

Silence is the language of God

[nogodnomasters · 2/10 · 31 March 2023]

Gabriel Russell (Adam Hampton) is on parole and appear to be clean in every way to his parole officer of three months (Bruce Davis). We next see as part of a threesome along with his brother Wesley (Kyle Jacob Henry) and Chava (Oliver Rayon). They are robbing a transfer of money to an armored car. During the robbery a guard reaches for his ankle gun and Wesley shots him. The three get away but Wesley is chastised for his action. The FBI (Ryan Merriman + Karrie Cox) is called in. The group works Whitman (Peter Greene) who launders the money. Gabriel wants to make enough money so he and his daughter (Hayley McFarland) can relocate and start a new life.

The film was bad. Didn't feel for any of the characters. Protagonist was a bank robber. Scenes were boring.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

little bit of the OK razzle dazzle

[zingerdinger · 10/10 · 28 December 2023]

I'll tell ya what peeps, don't listen to the haters. This film reminds me of Beverly Hills chihuahua 3. People said "no! We've seen two movies with these chihuahuas! Not a third! We don't need a third!" but they got a third. And they ate it up like taters on thanksgiving. Now sure, we've had LOTS of one last job films. If I ate a cupcake every time I saw a one last job film, I'd be like the dead fat guy in Seven (maybe with more hair and a nicer smile), which is to say I've seen A LOT of one last job films. But this film definitely adds something to the genre with sensitive vulnerable portrayals of hardened criminals "just tryin' to dun do better" in their own low brow simple ways. And I say bravo. Bravo to the looks of consternation. Bravo to the emotional moments of silent consideration. Bravo to the greasy hair and crazy beards. Bravo.

What's with all the beards?

[fluffchop · 1/10 · 15 August 2023]

Seriously, can't we have some clean cut people exist. There's bears and mustaches and unshaven scruff as far as the eye can see. I hate those long beards they're so gross. Seriously, can't we have some clean cut people exist. There's bears and mustaches and unshaven scruff as far as the eye can see. I hate those long beards they're so gross. Seriously, can't we have some clean cut people exist. There's bears and mustaches and unshaven scruff as far as the eye can see. I hate those long beards they're so gross. Seriously, can't we have some clean cut people exist. There's bears and mustaches and unshaven scruff as far as the eye can see. I hate those long beards they're so gross.

Excellent

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 10/10 · 22 January 2023]

I love a good cops & robbers thriller with a splash of heist action and Kyle Kauwika Harris 's Out Of Exile is just the ticket. Set against the backdrop of both the Oklahoma law enforcement and criminal underworld scene, it tells of paroled ex-con Gabriel (Adam Hampton) taking on scores to provide a better life for his daughter and resolute FBI agent Solomon (Ryan Merriman) who is determined to take him and his crew down, while also doing right by his own family. Gabriel works under the behest, intel and malevolent watch of underworld boss Whitman Rader, played by the always amazing Peter Greene in one of the meatiest, most memorably evil roles he's gotten in quite sometime. I love a crime film where the lines of what we perceive as morality are purposefully blurred until there is no discernible 'good or bad', just people in tough situations making impossible choices and living with the consequences, or dying with them. This is a taut, ruthlessly tense action picture with shootouts, bullet wounds and hand to hand combat that feels heavy, realistic and brutal. Hampton brings a harried, soulful quality and formidable physicality to his role, you believe this guy's fortitude in his goals and feel every agonizing thing go wrong alongside him every step of the way, until the final hauntingly ambiguous beat to his character arc. The supporting performances are all solidly intense, with Greene being the standout he usually is as an absolute snake and the last guy you'd want bankrolling your operation, even throwing in a subtle yet noticeable reference to his Usual Suspects character, who was also a fence. Director Harris has a feel for hard hitting action, bluntly profane real-world dialogue and uses a nervy, darkly ambient score by Corey Perschbacher to accent his action in high style. I am reminded of John Hillcoat's woefully underrated cops & robbers flick Triple 9 here, both this and that have a poetically melancholic, downbeat, almost noir emotional and atmospheric vernacular in the best possible way. Highly recommended.

Too many unanswered questions

[alfredbullock · 4/10 · 21 October 2023]

If this guy does a five year stint in prison. How are his kids the same age when he goes in, as when he gets out? That's the first question. Secondly there is a huge gap as to the role of the police officers in the movie. There was no outcome concerning whatever act he at committed. They just kind of left that whole scenario hanging. Thirdly, she shoots a wolf, and later tells the main character that she shot the so called antagonist of the story, to which he responds with the antagonist already being dead. We later see what could potentially be the the previously mentioned on a boat. This is never really explained either. Poorly written randomness, with nothing coming to any kind of solution or head.

A generic bank robbery drama with a bit of flavor add to it!!!

[darkseverin · 9/10 · 20 January 2023]

This film is your generic bank robbery thriller but it does add a little flavor itself with a plot of about a man finding a way to redeem himself for his past transgressions while also trying to find a way to escape his criminal lifestyle before it is too late. This kinda of plot is a little different compared most bank robbery films as they are usually about guys trying to make it rich while escaping the law. This film does it differently as Gabe is trying get out of his previous bad deeds but also move on with his life and start a new one with his estranged daughter. Now I did enjoy the performances by Adam Hampton and Ryan Merriman both, I liked the story that Gabe had in this film as he is broken man that has paid for his mistakes by serving prison but due to not knowing life outside of crime, he goes right back into it. It is only when his brother botches the bank job and kills an armored bank guard does he see the errors of his ways. This story of Gabe is really a story of redemption and rebirth. As he tries to redeem himself from his sins by trying to fix all of the issues that he caused plus he plans to get himself a rebirth by starting a whole new life without crime involved. Now Adam's performance is very strong in this film and you can tell that he truly embraced the character that he is acting as. Which I very well enjoyed. Now Ryan Merriman may have just had the best performance of his career in this film. As Merriman usually is an actor who casted in very small time b Rated films or horror movies and isn't really take serious as a A-listed actor. But his performance in this movie was quite impressive as he plays an intimidating and cunning FBI agent very well. In fact as audience member I was blown away with how convincing his performance was as he looked intimidating onscreen which is incredible to say given Merriman's previous work. But hopefully this film may open the door for Ryan Merriman to have more serious and A-graded roles in the future. Now the one problem that I had with the movie was its ending as I felt it was a little too dark and depressing especially after the redemption arc that the story takes you on plus the ending is one of the those open ended cliffhangers that make you have to have own interpretation. I don't mind open ended films if they are necessary, I just didn't think that this film needed an open ended ending and should have had a more grounded and solid structured ending instead. But that is just my critique and opinion on the film. Overall though I had a decent fun time with this film and I could definitely see myself watching it again.

Underrated Thriller

[jbryantiir · 9/10 · 12 February 2023]

This is a very well-made film. (solid acting, directing and story) I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Good storyline about bank robbers in TX. The movie did an excellent job of keeping consistent pace and the acting was pretty good. Also, I appreciated the fact that it had more character development and was a slow burn that did not feel slow. Directing and story-line well-made, and the twists and turns in the movie were effective and with purpose. I would actually recommend watching this one if you like a good thriller that has a nice storyline to it. Excellent work here and would like to see more like these.

Excellent Movie

[ashleyspells · 10/10 · 21 January 2023]

Had the pleasure of watching this on the big screen. Kyle Kauwika Harris nailed it once again. The cast all played perfect parts that I feel were made for them. Hats off to the entire team that put this together. The movie touches on so many complex subjects of why each person is going down the path they are on. Whether it be childhood trauma, broken brother bonds, PTSD and the effects of war, love, friendship, hate, fear, wanting a better life, children. The characters have their reasons, sometimes surprising you on how deep those reasons run. The writing makes you feel this and root for the "bad guy". Best independent film to come out of Oklahoma in a long time. Bravo, everyone!