by Ed Travis
Meat and potatoes.
That’s all most direct to video films aspire to be, really. Get in, get out, entertain for 80 minutes or so, and don’t spend too much money. That’s why it’s so often disappointing when direct to video fare doesn’t even live up to this most basic “Redbox” of standards.
Fortunately director William Kaufman brings that meat and potatoes game to Jarhead 3: The Siege. If anyone follows my writing at all they’ll know I’m quite the Scott Adkins mega-fan, so Jarhead 3 was an instant request for me when the chance to review it came up. He’s not the lead here, but rather plays the older mentor figure to lead actor Charlie Weber’s titular grunt. And while I am a mega-fan, I’m not an unrealistic one. Watching virtually every Scott Adkins role on film doesn’t necessarily yield the highest success rate in quality entertainment. But there’s a magic element to what he does and the playing field he’s working in that brings me a certain amount of joy. Adkins doesn’t have a whole lot to do here, besides provide the needed tough love to bring Weber’s Even Albright around from a promising loner to a team player. Well, that and shoot a LOT of bullets. Constantly. For like 45 minutes of the film’s runtime.
The Siege is a perfectly accurate “post colon” subtitle for this third entry in a franchise literally no one asked for. I can’t say I’ve seen the second installment of the series which starred Cole Hauser and was directed by Don Michael Paul of Kindergarten Cop 2 fame, but I think it’s safe to say that this series isn’t big on continuity and either of these military tales are a far cry from Sam Mendes and Jake Gyllenhaal’s original film. Jarhead 3 can basically be boiled down to “Assault On Precinct 13 meets Benghazi” as our young and untested soldiers go head to head with a group of middle eastern soldiers hell bent on raiding the United States embassy. And that’s really what this film does with its runtime. Albright is portrayed solidly by Charlie Weber, and the character arc he’s given is not without value, if simultaneously unremarkable. There’s a female lead who becomes more and more integral to the story and ends up being a really effective and capable source of strength for our heroes, something remarkable in a story like this one. So kudos to writers Chad Law and Michael D. Weiss for the creation of an actual female character of strength and complexity in a genre where that doesn’t often exist. And congrats to actress Sasha Jackson for the portrayal.
There’s very little else in the film that’s remarkable, however. The siege itself is well captured and there’s a strong visual sense of the compound, where gunfights are taking place spatially, and who is shooting at who… all of which aren’t necessarily givens in this type of film. Albright steps up from “loner with something to prove” to “leader who puts no “i” in team” as the siege goes on. Dennis Haysbert spends his one to two days on set portraying a commanding officer who is inbound on a helicopter to bring backup amidst the siege and he’s almost entirely shot on his own apart from any of the other actors (a bit of a staple in these DTV films that can pay for name actors for only a day or two at a time). It all climaxes in a final desperate moment aped directly from Assault On Precinct 13 involving a propane tank and a long hallway.
There’s little of note that Jarhead 3 brings to the table, but it knows exactly what it is and does an efficient job of giving you a military siege film. There’s a constant barrage of automatic weapon fire for most of the film’s runtime, but it’s hard to call it an action film, per se. It’s really just a combat film that doesn’t have a whole lot to say, but at least says what little it intends to with dignity. Director Kaufman has done many of these types of films by this point and certainly seems to make the most of the resources at his disposal.
Jarhead 3 is a tough film to recommend because most any other siege film that comes to mind when you conjure up an image of a siege film is going to be a better watch. But for people prone to checking out DTV action movies or the oeuvre of Scott Adkins, there’ve been far worse films. There’s a real economy of story at play here with legitimate character arcs for at least 3 people. And the siege, while not thrilling or exhilarating, is competently staged. Hook fans may be excited to see Dante “Rufio” Basco show up, but they’ll quickly tire of his obvious comic relief schtick which provides some much needed levity but not in a way that ever so much as provokes a chuckle.
Meat and potatoes are a solid enough meal. No frills. No fat. Nothing to write home about. But it’ll fill you up when you’re hungry for it and tide you over until you devour that fancier meal you’ve had planned and happens to be directed by John Carpenter.
The Package
There’s one lone “making of” bonus feature here which seems to depict a cast and crew that got along well and were happy to crank out a feature film quickly and efficiently. On top of this bonus feature are just some of the standard amenities that accompany a studio Blu-ray release these days such as a DVD version of the film and a digital copy code.
There’s nothing about the package itself that inspires, so those interested in buying this film or even just watching it will probably be those who already know about it and are excited about it. People like me who blindly pop in every single Scott Adkins movie hoping for the lightning in a bottle that has struck more often in his career than it has for many others; and while Jarhead 3 has almost nothing truly bad in it, it’s serviceable at best and generic at worst.
And I’m Out.
Jarhead 3: The Siege hits BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK, DVD AND DIGITAL HD ON JUNE 7, 2016 FROM UNIVERSAL 1440 ENTERTAINMENT