AMERICAN BADGER (2021) Reviews of hitman thriller – with new 4K trailer

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‘There’s a thin line between redemption and revenge’

American Badger is a 2021 Canadian action-thriller film about a seemingly cold-blooded hitman assigned to befriend a call girl… All hell breaks loose when he is forced to kill her.

Written by, directed and starring Kirk Caouette (Promiseland; Hit ‘n Strum), the Real Fiction Productions movie also stars Andrea Stefancikova, Michael Kopsa and Milan Stefancik.

Reviews:

“Casting himself as the troubled protagonist, there’s a self-indulgence in Caouette’s work that feels unearned. He gets to beat up the bad guys and get the girl, but delivers lines like he’s reading the shipping forecast. The spark is non-existent between him and Stefancikova who portrays the poorly written prostitute Velvet…” Cinema Perspective

“The gangster stuff is grim but not particularly well developed because for the most part we only see events from the Badger’s point of view. If you don’t connect with him as a character, you’ll be lost. Though it functions as a good demonstration of directorial skill in some areas, American Badger is ultimately a film that we’ve seen many times before.” Eye for Film

“As far as vanity projects go, Kirk Caouette’s is far from the worst and might prove entertaining to the right people (action junkies) in the right context (very, very drunk). But it’s much too nasty and poorly strung in its drama to make a stronger impact than any one of its bargain bin brothers and sisters.” HeyUGuys

” …it’s a well-worn approach, going back to Oldboy for a corridor fight (has any other sequence in recent cinema been so influential?) and tapping into some John Wick stylings. It’s more of an issue that the storyline is so thin and the depiction of a protagonist who’s dead inside mostly involves many scenes of the Badger sitting in his small, dark flat brooding.” The Kim Newman Web Site

“Caouette does a decent enough job of staging John Wick inspired action scenes, and the cinematography (by three listed DoPs; make of that what you will) gives the movie an attractive, colourful comic book aesthetic. Had Caouette hired a couple of humans to rewrite his script and play the lead role, this could have been a decent enough piece of straight to VOD action filmmaking.” The Movie Waffler

“An eccentrically layered agenda and credible desire to entertain keep American Badger from being the disjointed elongated fight reel it could have been. Brashly confident and artistically adventurous it will not disappoint those with a craving for the cinematic craft of choreographed chaos.” The People’s Movies

Cast and characters:

Kirk Caouette … Dean
Andrea Stefancikova … Marcella Horvathova / Velvet
Michael Kopsa … Vasily
Milan Stefancik … Velvet’s brother
Zak Santiago … John / Voice of cartel leader
Sean Kohnke … Thug
Mark Skip Schilperoort … Vasily’s man
Watermelon … Brother prostitute

Technical details:

82 minutes

Trailer:

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