Final Score (2018) Review

“Final Score” Theatrical Poster

Director: Scott Mann
Cast: Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan, Ray Stevenson, Julian Cheung, Alexandra Dinu, Lara Peake, Amit Shah, Bill Fellows, Aaron McCusker, Martyn Ford
Running Time: 104 min.

By Martin Sandison

Not to be confused with the Chris Mitchum-starring Indonesian actioner Final Score – a movie Paul’s review completely sold to me (and doesn’t disappoint in its batshit anything-goes way); this 2018 Final Score is a pretty different beast. Very encouragingly, both this film and Nightshooters are British productions, and they bring the action. While the latter was made for nothing, and delivers one of the best film experiences of last year, Final Score has some more money to play with. Producing and starring is none other than Dave Bautista (Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy), in a role which finds him using hand-to-hand combat more than most other films he’s made, and producing some very convincing acting chops. Oh, and Pierce Brosnan (Goldeneye) is in it too.

Mike (Bautista) is ex-special forces, whose brother was killed in action. His brother’s widow Rachel (Lucy Gaskell, All the Ordinary Angels) tends a bar in London, and Mike visits often and thinks the world of her daughter Danni (Laura Peake, The Marker). The two take a trip to see West Ham United football team play where a gang of Russian terrorists led by Arkady (Ray Stevenson, Thor) infiltrate the stadium to demand the release of Dimitri (Brosnan), their former leader who is attending the game. Mike loses Danni during the game and then learns of the villains scheme, and must save the day.

Final Score unabashedly steals from Die Hard to the point of complete derivation; ideas such as the terrorists demanding the release of Dimitri, the protagonist contacting the goodies and baddies via walkie talkie, the climax featuring Danni being captured by the villains… I could go on. It’s obvious the film-makers are having a lot of fun with this, but unlike the invention of Nightshooters the film doesn’t play with these tropes very cleverly. What the film does have on its side are a blistering lead performance from Bautista, an amusing extended cameo from Brosnan (his accent is a thing of beauty) and a second half that includes full on brutal fights, a motorbike chase that continues out on to the roof of the stadium, and a good turn of Brit wit.

Bautista part produced the film, and you can see why he believes in the material; it’s a good opportunity for him to take the lead in a film that plays to his strengths of action, humour and stretching out with his acting. There are a few scenes in which he deepens as an actor and shows he can carry a film. In one of these he has a huge outburst, impressive in its lack of restraint, then a dialogue scene with Brosnan that sees the two give and take sweetly. Brosnan’s dialogue here is absurdly amusing, and a glint in his eyes seems to say: “I’m here for the pay day, and I’m gonna have some fun”. I’m sure, despite the schmaltzy music, the film makers know how ridiculous this scene is.

To the action. Each duel is choreographed differently, but with Bautista using modern martial arts moves like those in Krav Maga. There’s an authenticity to the depiction of combat that speaks volumes of the commitment of the film makers, and Bautista himself. A highly anticipated fight comes midway through, with man mountain Martyn Ford (Accident Man) taking on our hero. It’s a high impact sequence in which you really feel Ford’s punches, but unfortunately doesn’t last too long. I guess I’m used to, and love, Hong Kong movie fights that go on forever. Come the end we get some neat kicking from Alexandra Dinu (Bullet Head), she even does Cynthia Rothrock’s signature scorpion kick. There is some brutal violence throughout, with fingers sliced off to fall in to a frier, heads submerged in the frier, plenty of heads blown off. For the most part the framing, form and editing of these scenes is above-average, but occasionally there are line breaks and illogical editing that took me out of the film as a viewer.

As a lower budget British production, the film can be forgiven for some dodgy CGI, especially in the motorbike chase, and on a whole the effects work is decent. Director Scott Mann helmed an earlier film featuring Bautista, Heist, which also starred Robert De Niro. That one, like Final Score, garnered mixed reviews, but I would catch it now I think the guys got some talent. His directorial debut The Tournament I remember hearing about at the time (10 years ago) and will definitely check out. Any film with a cast that combines my homeboy, Scotsman Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting), Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction), Kelly Hu (Maximum Impact) and the one-and-only Scott Adkins (Incoming) must be worth a watch. Final Score has a nicely consistent aesthetic and tone, plus a good line in knowing humour that rises above most straight-to-DVD fare, even though it seems to exist in an alternate universe wherein West Ham United are doing well in European competition.

Final Score lacks the creative spark and is too unoriginal to make a mark beyond lovers of action cinema, football and Bautista and Brosnan, but there is much to enjoy in its tension-filled narrative. One to put on with a bunch of mates, stuff pizza in to your mouth and drink your fill of beer. It’s not memorable, but consistently entertaining, and will fill 100 minutes of your time nicely.

Martin Sandison’s Rating: 6.5/10