American Muscle (2014) User Reviews

Bad even for a Mantasy.

[rushknight · 5/10 · 17 October 2014]

Start with a hero who is big and strong, covered with tattoos and vicious looking, who kills without remorse and has a true cause: To save his wife from the clutches of his evil brother who betrayed him 10 years ago. Add in the trashy hot chicks and the resulting heedless adultery, the drugs and alcohol, the rampant killing of bad guys and a few mostly innocent folks as well, bikers (never forget the bikers), drug money and lots of guns..

And ta da, you have yourself a Mantasy. A compilation of all the animalistic, pointless behaviors associated with big, strong, dangerous looking men as they rage through the neighborhood being.. well, stereotypically manly. The idea is that men don't think. They react on instinct. Revenge, hate, rage, lust and delusion. It could be fun, but this time it wasn't.

In order to make this style of film really work, the hero (as it is entirely hero-centric) needs to be someone that the viewer can empathize with. If there is no empathy, there is no entertainment.

This hero is set up as a showpiece more than a character. I think the writers and director wanted to believe that he was the perfect manly character: with the perfect manly name, the right sized muscles, the tough looking exterior and tattoos, and doing all the right manly things like winning the fights, killing the bad guys, boppin all the ladies, fighting for justice, etc. But unfortunately all those shiny archetypes of the manly hero are tarnished when we add in all the little blemishes to his heroic luster: He cheats on his wife, he kills even mostly innocent people without remorse, he is clearly delusional on some level and irritatingly fatalistic, etc, etc. And we have a hero that you just don't feel inclined to love.

All in all, the film was simply just unsatisfying. The acting was not great, the plot development was handled as well as it could be for a plot that really makes little sense, and the camera work was only shaky when it really counted. It just didn't entertain, but instead skirted along in shallow waters, so to speak. It never achieved convincing depth, which is a shame because it tried too hard.

Brutal,vicious and gritty ... but so pointless and simplistic

[peterp-450-298716 · 3/10 · 9 July 2015]

"You owe…you pay."

"American Muscle" is a simple revenge film (the terms exploitation and grind-house are commonly used) and you certainly won't expect a creative storyline and memorable performances. The only purpose of such a type of film is to create a violent flick as quickly as possible and with a limited budget. There certainly is an audience for such films and I myself sometimes like watching such a go-for-it-without-thinking pulp film. This gritty film also focuses on brute force, bloody settlements and some female nudity. But what annoyed me the most after a certain time, was the totally nonsensical and vastly simplistic content. Most of the characters their muscle development isn't proportional to the development of the brains. Sometimes the shown stupidity in here, made me laugh spontaneously.

The story is dead simple. John Falcon (Nick Principe) has been released after a prison sentence of 10 years. As soon as he leaves the gate, he has only one goal and that's to take revenge on those who ensured him to end up behind bars. He also wants his wife Darling (Robin Sydney) back by his side. Darling is a naive girl with a drug problem. Despite John's attempts to keep her from the deadly stuff, it seemed as if she's the one who caused that John received those years of imprisonment. The path John's following, leads directly to the members of the responsible gang of which his brother Sam (Todd Farmer) is the leader.

So what we get to see is a seventies-looking brutal film full of unfussy sadistic violence and massacres. The fake blood gushes through the film, the bloody bullet wounds are imaged frequently unscrupulously and you can gawk almost every 5 minutes at some female nude. Frankly however, most of them better left their clothes on, because they weren't really appetizing to look at anyway. Besides the desirable-looking dancers in the striptease-bar where John walks in during his trip, most look like unkempt sluts who get drugs as a reward after they've let themselves being used. John's concern about Darling wasn't really sincere in my opinion, since he has sex with every woman he come across his path (It seems to me that in that area there are living a bunch of women who aren't hard to get at all. Or they lack something in certain areas, if you catch my drift). Apparently the love between him and Darling isn't something he takes too seriously.

Nick Principe needs no effort to look unsympathetic. He's a real bad-ass, with a body the size of an antique wardrobe and with pumped up, tattooed muscles. He isn't very talkative. His conversations are usually limited and his dialogs concise out of a few phrases he pronounces muttering. He rumbles through the desert scenery as a terminator. Nothing and no one can stop him. The fact that the intellectual level of his opponents isn't higher than that of a cactus that has been standing all day in the blazing desert sun, helps too of course. For sure the most dumb ones were the biker gang members, who accepted the assignment to kill John and send him to the happy hunting grounds. They could as well have a target cell painted on their obese body, while carrying a sign with the slogan "Please aim below in the bull's-eye." The only one who gets an award for the most courageous person of all, is one of the bimbos from Sam's entourage (an old-fashioned alternativo with a huge, inverted brush on her head), who despite being a light weight and having a muscle-less stature, takes it up against John. Respect.

The real fans of this genre will probably enjoy this film. However this rugged film was a bit too simplistic and at times completely idiotic. Some fights were nicely put on the screen (despite the amateurish shooting skills again) and other scenes were plain ridiculous. Most dialogs are negligible and meaningless (the toilet scene is a typical example). The reason for the entire revenge expedition and the cause of John ending up in prison wasn't obvious. However, there are some positive points. The playing time is roughly 77 minutes long so it's really a film you can watch in between. The best fragment was in the desert landscape where iron works stood around. But sadly enough, this was ruined by a lousy, silly-looking shoot-out. "American muscle" looks much like the scantily dressed women in this film. There is the attempt to make it look interesting, but ultimately the end result is ugly, insignificant and only good for a one time use.

More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

Root for an anti-hero ! ! !

[dadatuuexx · 5/10 · 6 October 2014]

I have always been a fan of films that wants us to root for an anti-hero.In our world of good guy wear white ,i like movies that feature a less-than-perfect hero.American films don't do that as much as films from other countries.I was lucky enough to see this film with friends down south,and i was happy i did.Director Ravi Dhar has weaved a simple tale of revenge that,if you like this sub-genre , should be seen.He will be accused of doing a blue-plate special ,with little complexity ,and not much story,but its really just a matter of simple story telling ,and whats so wrong with that?. Danny Trejo says "A movie needs 3 things,Blood ,Bullits ,and Boobs " ,and this film has that.A tale of a bad guy going after some even worse bad guys.That simple !. Actor/writer Nick Principe kicks ass and checks off names with quiet style ,and bare-knuckle flair.Todd Farmer is the supporting actor and gives a decent part in this potboiler.Good production values ,and lots of action gave this movie the meat between the bread for me,and the guys i watched it with.So ,its not hard to guess what happen;s next ,but with movies like this ,thats par for the course.Gore,girls ,and guns,this one should be seen if you like action ,plain and simple.The comparison to Fast,or others like it is not really a fair one,but in thats it is an action/revenge story,thats on the money.Its got my vote for action film of 2014,and with that said,ignore the low rating here on I.M.D.B. ,and be brave ,do yourself a solid ,and see this one...if actions your thing ,you wont be let down!~ . Remember," If you owe,You Pay" ! ! ! .

This Has the Muscle of Pee Wee Herman

[jamdifo · 2/10 · 31 January 2015]

For almost any movie to work, you have to like the lead actor. I couldn't stand him. All he did was grunt and say the same things like "Where is she?" and "I've been waiting 10 years for this." This movie is a straight revenge movie that lacks any suspense.

The lead actor easily handles everybody. He gets shot and stabbed, no problem. He's like a cyborg, nothing affects him. A number of times the bad guys get the drop on him with their gun. But rather than shoot the big bastard, noooooo, let's fight it out.

That's another thing, poorly staged fight scenes. They are worse than what Steven Seagal fight scenes have been the past decade. Also, its the old cliché that he never misses shooting someone, but the others can't hit a 6'7" 300 lb guy from 10 ft away. This movie fails at so many levels. The best thing about this movie is its short, credits roll at 72 minutes.

The film that tries too hard... and fails

[jgballard1313 · 1/10 · 8 October 2014]

I watched this film with several friends, who are all fans of horror and genuine grind house films. I was the only one who lasted throughout the entire crap-fest.

The lead character John Falcon (whose name coincidently is a tad too similar to the writer, John Fallon), gets out of prison after 10 years. His only desires are to get revenge on those who put him there, and to get back to his wife.

Seems reasonable enough. This is where the film stops making any semblance of sense and becomes just gratuitous sex and violence, along with terrible acting and atrocious writing.

If a man is desperate to get back to his wife,then why does he have sex with any woman he encounters? This makes zero sense. Even more so, his wife is having sex with anyone she meets. And I do mean anyone. Male and female. So if she is such a slut, then why is Fallon, err, I mean Falcon, so eager to return to her?

Another problem I had was how all of the women are depicted in this film. All of them are made out to be whores, only looking for sex. All of them. John Fallon has some serious issues with women, to say the least, which is his business and that is fine. Just please leave that out of your screenplays.

I was hoping this atrocity would be saved by Todd Farmer, cast in a role which I thought he would shine in. Instead, he fell short and came across as meek when he was supposed to be a bad ass. Perhaps the sub par acting of the others in this "film" affected his performance. Either way, it just fell apart long before it was over.

This film tries way too hard to be a grind house revenge film. To call it such is a huge insult to the genre. Nick Principe as the doppelganger for Fallon falls hideously short in convincing us that he is a ruthless killing machine. His acting is wooden, and his appearance as a sex symbol is laughable at best. And that voice? Never has there been a more annoying attempt at "toughness" voice-over since Christian Bale's Dark Knight. I have heard this guy speak in films. He should have used his own voice rather than try too hard to be a tough guy. But I doubt even that would have saved this film.

If you are a fan of Fallon or Principe, you may enjoy this. If you enjoy gratuitous violence and sleazy sex with bad acting, it may be for you. But if you are expecting some kind of storyline and decent acting, keep looking. Perhaps try the film Faster, which this one so closely resembles that Tony and Joe Gayton should take note. Imitation is a form of flattery,but not in this case. This film is garbage.

The yellow Duster..

[movies-by-db · 1/10 · 7 August 2015]

..is the reason why I gave this 1 out of 10. And that is quite fair as it's really the only attractive thing about the whole damn production. The movie was slow, very slow. The action lacked everything an actionscene needs. The effects were all computer generated including some very badly done muzzle flashes (even I can do better..) and very very amateur. And worst of all : The lead actor couldn't even act to save his own life. He just tries to look mean all the time and it just doesn't come across. There are occasional shots (not even scenes) where he comes off less bad. But I'm talking occasional seconds here and there. The director is either scared of this man as well or he's just a 12 year old kid who's just finished his school project. That's what most of this reminded me of. Give some dimwit a bag of money and a box of cameratricks and let him film the script his 8 year old brother wrote.

I started watching this knowing what to expect, hoping for some gratuitous violence, occasional ridiculous sexscene and downright cool crap. I was hoping for a grindhouse type production. Well. Hellride sucked, but it's a complete masterpiece compared to this turd. An absolute waste of time.

Stupid

[seckinlergafri · 1/10 · 23 July 2017]

American Muscle (2014) is a disgusting movie, terrible acting, bad storyline, annoying characters, very bad acting ... Somehow someone wants to make a cheap movie like American Muscle, its typical story, revenge and filled with prostitutes and actors who only show off muscles and faces alone and can not act at all in this movie ... Do not waste your time to watch This junk film

YOU OWE. YOU PAY

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 5 September 2018]

The film opens up with a bunch of bad guys with KISS makeup driving a car with a pentagram painted on the hood. They go to rob a place and the next thing we know John Falcon (Nick Principe) is getting out of prison to enact revenge on the rest of his gang because....Well we don't know why, but we get bits and pieces in the flashbacks. John wants to kill his brother Sam (Todd Farmer) and get his Darling (Robin Sydney) wife/girlfriend back. Darling claims she likes to do drugs and have sex. Okay. Who doesn't.

That is pretty much it. The film is a grindhouse. Plenty of sex, nudity, and killing. Heads getting blown off with a shotgun, naked tattoo ladies, a strip joint, and drugs.

F-bomb, sex, and nudity (Robin Sydney, Kerry Krogstad, Carolyn Dorsey, Malice McMunn + strippers)

what you can expect from a revenge flick

[trashgang · 7/10 · 12 March 2015]

I picked it up for only one reason, the main lead Nick Principe. I met the guy at a convention were he was to promote Laid To Rest (2009). Being a very nice guy who signed my stuff and made it possible to take a picture with him it's weird to see him here as a really tough guy going out for revenge. And that's exactly what it is all about.

I noticed that some reviewers were very negative about this flick which is made as an old grindhouse flick. Well, to be honest it isn't really grindhouse, maybe the opening looks like it, you know, the yellow main titles but that's as far as it goes. From then on this story, written in two sentences, guy get free after 10 years jail and is out to kill everybody who tricked him in the passed, moves on as a brutal flick. The brutality lays in the fact that the revenge is out for everyone, girl or man. But most of it is done off-screen but they tricked us by letting the blood drop on the lens of the camera. Simple but it works. The acting is mediocre but still it isn't going to be for everybody because it has a lot of nudity in it. And some girls are really full of tattoos.

If you just want to see a no-brainer with tits all the way and blood then this is a must see, but I admit, there's no suspense, you know what will happen, okay, the ending do has a plot that you just didn't expect. Also nice to see was the yellow Plymouth Duster muscle car, very nice and that sound, I love it.

Not that bad at all, a simple low budget flick that delivers what you want from such kind of flicks.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 2/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

Grindhouse at it's best

[sascha-130-374235 · 8/10 · 12 October 2014]

John Falcon (Nick Principe) is out for revenge/out for a kill. His muscle car and pump gun are ready. On the day he leaves prison, blood will be spilled. This is fun to watch. Didn't expect too much in the first place, was then surprised by the crew's obvious enthusiasm. Honest, low budget, hard hitting. Some superbly directed shots, some straight forward action. Some of the acting is better, some is worse. Altogether a good mix for a wild ride (some nude dance included). I wasn't too keen on Machete Kills (the second one) by Roberto Rodriguez, but this is the kind of Grindhouse I personally like. As this seems to be the director Ravi Dhar's debut, I guess there is more to come. I'll watch out for it.

Ignore The Bad Reviews

[Skeelo_2016 · 7/10 · 10 December 2014]

Grindhouse has become the cool thing to do ever since Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez made it popular again with their double feature Death Proof/Planet Terror. Those movies spawned a lot of ''homages'' throughout the years which have been deemed ''throwbacks'' to the exploitations of the 70's and 80's but most of the time just come across as stylized comedies. Some have managed to come close to capturing the movies of yesteryear and retain their essence but they're still essentially comedic homages more than anything, but brilliantly and respectfully done (Grindhouse, Hobo With A Shotgun, Dear God No, Black Dynamite), where as others have been very entertaining, stylish romps (Drive Angry), and others have just tried too hard and came up short (Bounty Killer, Machete Kills, Bitch Slap). All of these movies have screamed at us, ''Look At Me, I'm A Grindhouse Movie,'' I've found enjoyment in most of the modern, self-proclaimed, Neo-Grindhouse movies, even the ones that do come up short, but I've often craved something truly authentic. American Muscle does have an element of being a deliberate homage to the drive in movies from the golden era. It is very stylish, slightly comedic and written as a tribute, but what makes it more true to those movies is how unapologetic it is. There's no winking at the audience here. It's just a straight up balls to the wall action flick full of gratuitous sex, violence, drugs and cars. It is stylish but it's probably the grittiest of the modern Grindhouse features since Dear God No.

American Muscle is a revenge thriller about a man named John Falcon, who has just been released from prison. With vengeance in mind, he sets out to kill everyone who had a hand in sending him there and finding his wife, who happens to be a junkie. Along the way he has sex with every woman he encounters. Everyone he meets who he doesn't bone just gets added to the body count. Essentially, all this movie consists of is sex and violence with a few flashbacks of people doing drugs, having sex and committing acts of violence. There isn't much in the way of deep story or fleshed out characters. We know John's motives, why he's doing what he's doing and the rest is his violent rampage unfolding. Boyhood this is not, but it's one of the most fun movies you'll see this year provided you don't have high standards and you enjoy senseless sex and violence. If you don't love it your grandmother definitely will.

One of the better modern Grindhouse movies.

Remarkable

[syronth · 8/10 · 19 January 2016]

I have to agree with Maurice Grant's review.

The screenwriter knew exactly what he was writing and the director did a great job capturing the scenes, the faces - and well, other stuff. I truly got what I was looking for this evening while actually not expecting it. The movie is well cut too with perfect length, technically quite well done without pretending to be some kind of pseudo-70s movie. It's filmed in HD, it's clear, the colors are precise and great. I guess the director likes the work of his colleague from the TV show "Breaking Bad", while carrying it a bit farer in this movie.

I can't help myself but it felt like the whole crew had fun doing this movie, while they still kept bloody serious and honest about the genre. The actors might hate me for saying this but I've a heart for them. They did pretty well too, showing a honest performance and were playing well along.

There are bad bad movies, there are really terrible bad movies - and there are good "bad" movies. This one belongs to the last. Just hit the nail for my taste.

Grindhouse YES PLEASE - Anti hero seeks revenge

[Dark_Lord_Mark · 9/10 · 27 April 2019]

Grindhouse YES PLEASE

"American Muscle" is a revenge film.

It's Stupid fun, with blood, violence ,sex, and nudity.

It's 70s style and coolness, for true movie buffs.

Anti hero seeks revenge