Section 8 (2022) Review

“Section 8” Theatrical Poster

Director: Christian Sesma
Cast: Ryan Kwanten, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Dermot Mulroney, Scott Adkins, Robert LaSardo, Maurice Compte, Geoffrey Blake, Tracy Perez
Running Time: 98 min.

By Paul Bramhall

The world of the Hollywood DTV movie has become an increasingly eclectic one in recent years. The home ground for talented action performers like Scott Adkins and Frank Grillo to take on starring roles, the way the action B-movie has thrived in the DTV world has also seen an increasing number of TV actors that were once the hot topic of yesteryear enter the fray. Remember Chad Michael Murray, the main guy from One Tree Hill? Chances are the answer is no, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a frequent Bruce Willis co-star in a plethora of his more recent DTV flicks. How about Desperate Housewives heartthrob Jesse Metcalfe? Still no, don’t worry, he’s also jumped on the Bruce Willis co-star bandwagon, not to mention the disastrous sequel Escape Plan 2: Hades. The latest member to join the ranks of Murray and Metcalfe in the world of DTV action is Australian actor Ryan Kwanten with 2022’s Section 8.

Once a mainstay of Australian soap opera Home & Away, Kwanten’s biggest claim to fame remains his role in the US crime drama True Blood which ran from 2008 to 2014. Since then he’s featured alongside Nicolas Cage in his 2019 DTV staple Kill Chain, and in 2022 he also headlined the Hong Kong shot Australian sci-fi flick Expired. Much like his peers, the production company appears to understand that promoting Kwanten as an action star is a tough sell, so the cast is filled out with the usual roster of B-movie action stalwarts who pop up for varying amounts of screentime (none of which amounts to more than 10 minutes). 80’s action star Dolph Lundgren is present and accounted for, Mickey “I’ll turn up in anything if you pay me” Rourke also shows his face, and even DTV action king Scott Adkins himself makes an appearance, likely in an attempt to give the ‘action’ label some credibility.

The story is typical genre fare. In the Afghanistan set opening from 5 years ago we meet Kwanten’s soldier and his team tensely facing off against a suicide bomber. After neutralising the threat, his commander (Dolph Lundgren – Castle Falls, Black Water) insists he returns to base, however in what appears to be a scene to establish Kwanten’s character as overly confident and reckless, he stays behind and attempts to disarm the bomb, leading his entire team to get killed in an ambush. Facing zero consequences for his actions, Kwanten quits the military and becomes a family man with a wife and kid, working as a car mechanic in a garage run by Mickey Rourke (War Pigs, The Courier). The first time we meet Rourke he’s sitting in a chair with his feet up, a scene which is representative of the energy level he puts into his entire performance regardless of posture, and as expected all said scenes with Rourke take place in the garage.

Although it’s never really articulated, apparently the garage is in some kind of hood, so when a handful of local gangsters try to shake it down Kwanten fends them off, leading to a retaliation that leaves his wife and kid murdered. After seeking revenge he’s given a life sentence, however after a visit from shady guy in a suit Dermot Mulroney (Stoker, The Grey), Kwanten finds himself recruited into a “small private task force” who are “sanctioned to eliminate any threats anywhere in the world.” Soon he’s off assassinating Mexican drug lords, however his hesitancy to carry our certain kills eventually sees him become the target of the very team he’s been recruited into. Despite being the least experienced of the elite group, Kwanten turns out to be quite tough to get rid of, so cue Mulroney giving a call to super assassin Scott Akins (Debt Collectors, Avengement), finally giving him an excuse to clock in a few minutes of screentime. 

Helmed by director Christian Sesma, it was a little over a year ago that he released the lamentable Take Back, and since then he’s already cranked out a couple more titles in the form of action flick Every Last One of Them (also from 2021) and the thriller Trophy Wife (also from 2022). What’s perhaps most disturbing about his future filmography though is that it implies Section 8 could be the beginning of a new partnership with Scott Adkins, with the British thespian also set to feature in Lights Out and War Paint, both due out in 2023. Let me make it clear, Sesma is no Isaac Florentine or Jesse V. Johnson, in fact he’s not even a Roel Reiné (although in fairness, Adkins mercifully only worked with him once). A director-for-hire on quickly shot, uninspired DTV fare, Section 8 will do little to change that perception, even if it does manage to hit the lofty peaks of being an unintentionally amusing minor diversion.

Structurally the narrative is a mess. The opening scene in Afghanistan does little to endear the audience to Kwanten, however it becomes clear the feelings the scene evokes aren’t the ones the script intends, which reads like it didn’t go beyond a first draft. The issue is exasperated by the fact there often seems to be a disconnect between what’s said and what’s onscreen. In one scene a character walks into a bar Kwanten is drinking in and exclaims “That’s a lot of empty bottles”, despite there only being 2 (one of which he’s drinking). In another it’s explained they’re bringing in Adkins to find Kwanten who’s laying low, however when contacted Adkins asks, “Where can I find him?” Umm, isn’t that his job!? The script is full of these odd little quirks, a highlight being when Kwanten is first recruited, Mulroney unleashes a lengthy exposition dump explaining everything we’ve just seen in the movie so far for no reason whatsoever.

Kwanten himself never really feels like a particularly likeable or relatable character, with the mix of constant soft-focus flashbacks to happier times with his wife and kid feeling increasingly intrusive the more they crop up (and they crop up frequently). His relationship with Rourke as a kind of adoptive father figure doesn’t help, coming across as both bizarre and strangely bewildering in equal measure. Many of Rourke’s lines sound like they’ve been written with the intent of being delivered with some level of passion or grandeur, however he mutters them in a disinterested drone, my favorite of which has him waxing lyrical about “the block” they’re on and his love for it. With Steven Seagal’s last movie being 2018’s Attrition, I’d daresay that Rourke has taken on the mantle of being the master of DTV low frequency mumbling, and to that end he does it well.

Thankfully for the last 5 minutes Sesma seems to completely give up on Section 8 altogether, and decides to direct a deleted scene from Accident Man, as Kwanten returns to his apartment only to find Adkins sitting in a darkened corner waiting to take him out. If there’s one thing Sesma does right then it’s bringing onboard Luke LaFontaine to handle the action, a fight choreographer who was involved in all of the Jesse V. Johnson and Scott Adkins collaborations. There’s something mildly gratifying about watching Mike Fallon beat the crap out of Kwanten for a couple of minutes, especially since they didn’t even try to make it look like Kwanten would stand a chance. Sure, the inevitable defeat may well induce a groan from fans of the British martial arts maestro, but as far as cameos go, I think I may prefer his appearance here to his one in Day Shift.

With that said, for those thinking that seeing Adkins in action would be the only reason to check out Section 8, in this case you’d be right, and he’s not in it nearly enough to compensate for the rest. There’s admittedly amusement to be had from the amateur like nature of various parts of the production – the scene where Kwanten attacks the gang with a monkey wrench appears to have various usages of the word “F*#k!” playing on an ADR loop in the background which was a hoot. It’s also a non-spoiler to say that there’s an abysmally attempted triple (yes triple!) plot twist involving Dolph Lundgren’s character that abruptly gives up on committing to the last twist which is hinted at, leaving the whole scenario pointlessly blowing in the breeze. With a closing scene that suggests we may just see a Section 9 at some point, here’s hoping that if we do it at least entertains for the right reasons. I won’t hold my breath though.

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 4/10