In the bonus segment of the DVD, director Steven C. Miller described the film as depicting the deep ties and loyalty in a family. Indeed, the start of the film has good potential for the lifelong bonding of two brothers, Mikey and JP.
Mikey was the older brother always looking out for little JP. The boys had a rough upbringing and JP never forget the protection provided to him by Mikey. Now, as adults, the roles are reversed. JP is lending a helping had to Mikey, who had a drug addiction problem, financial burdens, and the pain of a divorce.
So far, so good.
But, the film suddenly lurches away from the human and family element into a predictable and excessively violent action picture. When Mikey is kidnapped and held for ransom, JP must find $350,000 (later awkwardly changed to $200,000) in a matter of days.
The vicious local don, played by Nicholas Cage, even plans to kill both brothers, as well as take the ransom money. This part of the film lapses into gratuitous violence. It also features a grotesque, over-the-top performance by Cage, who wears a black wig.
The promise of the relationship of the brothers was never fulfilled in a film that was a veritable arsenal of cliché characters, violent action, and a smarmy ending.
Mikey was the older brother always looking out for little JP. The boys had a rough upbringing and JP never forget the protection provided to him by Mikey. Now, as adults, the roles are reversed. JP is lending a helping had to Mikey, who had a drug addiction problem, financial burdens, and the pain of a divorce.
So far, so good.
But, the film suddenly lurches away from the human and family element into a predictable and excessively violent action picture. When Mikey is kidnapped and held for ransom, JP must find $350,000 (later awkwardly changed to $200,000) in a matter of days.
The vicious local don, played by Nicholas Cage, even plans to kill both brothers, as well as take the ransom money. This part of the film lapses into gratuitous violence. It also features a grotesque, over-the-top performance by Cage, who wears a black wig.
The promise of the relationship of the brothers was never fulfilled in a film that was a veritable arsenal of cliché characters, violent action, and a smarmy ending.