The Channel
July 21st, 2023
MOVIE: THE CHANNEL
STARRING: CLAYNE CRAWFORD, MAX MARTINI, NICOYE BANKS, JULIENE JOYNER
DIRECTED BY: WILLIAM KAUFMAN
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)
In 2023 we have seen the return of the action movie. The only question is if we can keep it going. Director William Kaufman’s newest film The Channel is the kind of movie you get behind to keep the momentum, but also the kind of movie you support, where the passion for the genre shows on the screen and an audience needs to see it. It’s a standard heist movie, a tale of two brothers, both disillusioned by the world and making the terrifying decision to rob a bank. And although it may be a plot that has been done before, sometimes those are the movies that hit just right. The Channel is an intense and non-stop piece of action, continuing to remind us that when a heist movie is done right, there is nothing else like it.
The morning begins with Jamie (Clayne Crawford), a former Marine, now home in the New Orleans neighborhood of the Irish Channel, working odd jobs, and hoping to provide for his wife Ava (Juliene Joyner) and newborn. He wakes in the morning, grabs his coffee, waits for his mother-in-law to come watch the kid, and then he is picked up in a white van. Inside is the heist crew, including his brother Mic (Max Martini), hockey masks on, heavy artillery, and a rundown of how it’s all going to go. And then we are off. We arrive at the bank, employees are slammed to the ground, hands are put up, and the group proceeds to get their cash. What they didn’t know is that someone has already alerted the FBI and they wait outside for a wild firefight.
One of the fascinating facts about The Channel and the work of writer/director William Kaufman is that the pace is quick, yet he still finds time to develop characters. Jamie is the well-rounded one, someone who is only in this because he loves his brother and wants to provide for his family. Mic, however, is an absolute wild card. He’s unhinged and when the robbery goes south he takes the gloves off. After the heist itself, the story turns to the three FBI agents hunting the brothers. We meet Special Agent Frank Ross (Nicoye Banks), Agent Nicotra (Jaren Mitchell), and Agent Mike Hayes (E.K. Spila), all of which Kaufman displays their expertise in the field and the process of capturing the perpetrators on the run. What it equates to is a heist, a constant chase through the streets of New Orleans, in a neighborhood we rarely see, with two opposing sides merging towards a final showdown. It’s sharp and incredibly intense.
It’s no surprise either that The Channel was obviously inspired by films such as Heat, The Town, and Hell or High Water, but Kaufman is making the best of his budget. It’s not that this is groundbreaking new cinema, but it’s not what you expect either, which is a low-budget action film with high-quality intensity. I was never bored and although some performances are a bit wooden and lacking, it’s not from the man behind the camera. The direction from Kaufman is the highlight, with Crawford and Martini both playing opposites stuck with one another, where the blood becomes thicker than a wad of cash.
The Channel is in a word: solid. It’s equally impressive to see director William Kaufman creating a film that has the intensity of higher budget shootouts, the creativity and cinematography from Matt Rutledge, and a story that keeps you sweating till the very end. This is one of the rare action movies that won’t be as big as Mission: Impossible or John Wick 4 but it belongs in the pile of strong action movies in 2023. I hope this trend only continues and The Channel deserves to be among the collection.
THE CHANNEL IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS AND AVAILABLE ON VOD FRIDAY JULY 14TH, 2023.
3 STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
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