First things first, once in a while the world of the straight to dvd can throw up some nice surprises (perfect example is "Undisputed" directed by Walter Hill) and "Hero Wanted" falls into this realm...

Taking a classic one man's revenge tale and flipping it on it's head, this film hits the mark more often than it fails (it does have it's flaws...) Starting with the hero of the title (played very well by Cuba Gooding Jr.) who is not the clear cut guy you first think he is and throwing in a few bad guy's who are also not quite the characters you expect. It also helps that the script and structure of the film are nice and ambitious (yes the budget shows through as does the fact that East Europe is standing in for America!), though a few plot points are a little hard to swallow. Debut director (and ex-stunt man) Brian Smrz shows a fair bit of flair with the camera, the fights been brutal and the camera work in the climax been very cool, it show that he could well be a name to… more »

First things first, once in a while the world of the straight to dvd can throw up some nice surprises (perfect example is "Undisputed" directed by Walter Hill) and "Hero Wanted" falls into this realm...

Taking a classic one man's revenge tale and flipping it on it's head, this film hits the mark more often than it fails (it does have it's flaws...) Starting with the hero of the title (played very well by Cuba Gooding Jr.) who is not the clear cut guy you first think he is and throwing in a few bad guy's who are also not quite the characters you expect. It also helps that the script and structure of the film are nice and ambitious (yes the budget shows through as does the fact that East Europe is standing in for America!), though a few plot points are a little hard to swallow. Debut director (and ex-stunt man) Brian Smrz shows a fair bit of flair with the camera, the fights been brutal and the camera work in the climax been very cool, it show that he could well be a name to watch!

Dvd wise you get just a bunch of trailers (can't wait for Starship Troopers 3 though) and a decent com from Gooding Jr., Brain Smrz and co-writer Chad Law...