A good film containing suspense, noisy action-packed, intrigue, thrills, shootouts, twists, turns and loads of violence. An action and violence thriller set in the underworld of Miami, in which Antonio Banderas plays Cuda a cold mafia hitman who's spent his whole life building up a criminal organization when he discovers a red line that he is initially unwilling to cross. So he will be forced to confront the people he previously worked for when he attempts to help a teen (Zolee Griggs), a young fighter called Stray (Mojean Aria) and his girlfriend (Alexis Ren). The enforcer has to sacrifice everything to save a young girl he has befriended from his femme fatale boss who is involved in prostitution and cybersex trafficking. As his boss Estelle (Kate Bosworth) is putting a young runaway's life in grave danger.
This an acceptable film made in ¨Death wish¨ style about a subject matter that we have already seen in many and better films, but thanks to the great Antonio Banderas, the inconveniences and cliche elements are disminished and the flick's elevated to important heights. It is a decent picture with Antonio Banderas in the wake of Liam Neeson, playing a murderer for hire who protects teens, while killing mercilessly nasties. Outside of the moral questions that this picture throws up, resulting to be an account of a society that can't protect the honest, as the film packs a searingly brilliant turn from Antonio Banderas. The Spanish actor plays Cuda, a thug who works for Estelle, who controls the city Miami's underworld. When Cuda meets a runaway teenager who reminds him of her missed daughter, her world will turn upside down. Banderas as Cuba and his companion Stray well played by Mojean Aria are two delinquent guardians , but as is well defined in the movie itself, "not all guardians are angels". Antonio Banderas is the complete spectacle as a hired killer who has one last chance to make up for his past and find redemption - both for himself and his family - before the mob hunts him down for his betrayal. In Banderas' latest films he has been playing tough, vengeful or vigilante characters in some decent films, such as: ¨Security¨, ¨Bullet head¨, ¨Acts of Vengeance¨, ¨Black Butterfly¨ and the lousy ¨Code Name Banshee¨. Dealing with an avenger, burning for revenge, hunts for his organization's murderers, as he decides to fight back against the rising tide of crime, one can't help but feel a sense of empowerment, making the film a whole lot of fun for viewers who will be on the edge of their armchairs, though ,at times, it looks increasingly passsionless and mechanical. It's certainly thrilling, though the morality may be questionable, even in this time, as the spectators were clearly on the Cuda/Banderas' side . It is strangely compelling and taps into some sensitive souls. Furthermore, a nice newcomer secondary cast shows up, such as: Mojean Aria , Alexis Ren, Zolee Griggs and Kate Bosworth in a brief but very villain role.
Despite to be set in Miami, Florida, it was filmed in Thessaloniki, well photographed by cameraman Greece Callan Green, as well as a moving musical score by Giorgio Giampà. The motion picture was well directed by Richard Hughes, although sometimes it feels a bit slow and flawed. Richard Hughes is an Australian born Writer & Director. With acclaimed success in commercials, short films & fashion campaigns, it was in 2015 he developed, directed & co-produced 'The Viral Experiment'. A series of 8 videos that fooled the world & mainstream media, all whilst garnering over 280 million views, and including: Red Hill: 24 Days of Adrenaline ,awarding him the prestigious 2016 'One Show Gold Pencil' award. This 'The Enforcer (2022)' resulted to be his film debut. Rating: 6/10. The flick will appeal to Antonio Banderas fans.
