THE CHANNEL (2023) - Movie Review

Director: William Kaufman
Starring: Clayne Crawford, Max Martini, Nicoye Banks, Juliene Joyner
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Writer: William Kaufman
Runtime: 95 min
Rated: Not Rated
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

After their bank heist goes wrong, a desperate criminal, his out-of-control brother, and their motley crew of ex-marines must escape New Orleans and the determined FBI agent who pursues them.

Review:

Directed by William Kaufman ("The Hit List", "Daylight's End"), the crime action thriller "The Channel" is heavily influenced by films like "Heat" and "The Town". While it's clear that Kaufman has big intentions, the movie is firmly stuck in wannabe territory.

The story isn's that bad, but it is heavily cliched. Some plot beats are lifted directly from "The Town". Clayne Crawford's bank robber with a loose cannon brother, played by Max Martini are characters that bear similarities to those played by Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner in that movie, although Renner and Affleck's characters weren't exactly brothers, but close as brothers. Then there's the whole FBI hunt with the dedicated agent who will stop at nothing to capture or kill them, which ends almost exactly like it did in Affleck's movie. "The Channel" also lifts a bit from the Gerard Butler flick "Den of Thieves" with the robbers being ex-Marines.

However, kudos for Kaufman for turning what could have been a lame rip-off into a decently entertaining thrill-ride. Crawford and Martini do the best they can with the shallow characters, and their commanding and believable screen presence is one of the few elements that help save this movie from utter disaster.

The other is the action. The movie opens with a heist scene that immediately goes wrong, turning into a lenghty firefight. It's surprisingly well shot and overall competently staged. It ran a little too long for my taste, and could have used a little more tweaking in the pacing department, but it's really a skillfully put together set piece. Several other action scenes are decently choreographed and entertaining enough for the purposes of this movie.

It's not a great movie, but a serviceable one. If you can look past the budget shortcomings, the obvious influences, some pacing issues and a bland supporting cast, it's a satisfying action flick, especially for the undemanding genre fans.

SCORE: 6/10