20140603: Thriller Review--20 Feet Below

20 Ft Below: Darkness Descending

1. Fundamentals, reception.
1. American live action feature length film, 2014, rated R, 96 minutes, thriller, crime.
2. IMDB: 2.8/10.0 from 175 audience ratings.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 'No reviews yet,' and 'no score yet.'
4. Directed by: Marc Clebanoff.  Screenplay by Frank Krueger.
5. Starring: Danny Trejo as Angel, Frank Krueger as Jake, Kinga Phillips as Chelsea, John Hennigan as Razor, Tiffany Adams as Gabriel, Kristoff St. John as Smitty, Louis Mandylor as Lockeheed.


2. Setup and Plot
1. Naive documentary film maker Chelsea goes into the underground of NYC to investigate the homeless people living in abandoned subway tunnels.  She encounters senile former military, a strange artist, teen run aways, crazed former drug addicts, a disgraced ex-cop (Jake), and a self-righteous gang (the Chosen) of violent cretins led by Angel.


2. Chelsea interviews a few of the cops (whose leaders want some action against the Chosen), Angel himself, the artist, two teen runaways, and Jake.  The Chosen have it out for Jake and the teens.


3. So, what happens in the inevitable show down?


3. Conclusions
1. One line summary: Vanity film sinks despite Danny Trejo's presence.
2. One star of five.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 7/10 Usually clear enough.


2. Sound: 3/10 Bad leveling.  The music played during intervals often seemed irrelevant.


3. Acting: 3/10 Danny Trejo showed his usual screen presence.  Louis Mandylor was competent with the few lines he was given.  The rest, not so good.


4. Screenplay: 1/10 Were there any points to this film?  Not that I saw.  Also, the clothes worn were too clean, the people looked way too clean and too healthy.  How is it that Jake has a new, spotless bottle of expensive looking booze?  How does he have brand new candles in perfectly clean holders?  One of the women in the tunnels has a new looking guitar; what are the chances that would not be stolen?  The preaching (from Angel and from the group who hang with the artist) seemed out of place, as did the spouting of statistics.