Rampage [DVD] [2009]

I sit here in shock, trying to come to terms with the fact that I've discovered a Uwe Boll film that is actually watchable - even, gulp, pretty good. I know, I know. I can't believe I'm saying it, either. What is the world coming to when I could actually enjoy a movie written, directed, and produced by Uwe Boll? Make no mistake, though - this guy is still the worst filmmaker alive today. I guess even a three-legged albino, mange-ridden mutt can get lucky once in his life. This is still the German director who dares his most vocal critics to duke it out with him inside a boxing ring, the same man who gave the world such films as House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark. In case you're wondering, Rampage is not just some clone of Falling Down. What distinguishes Rampage is its implicit amorality.

Bill Richardson is a 23-year-old loser apparently determined to mooch off of his parents for as long as possible. His parents are actually encouraging him to leave and start a life of his own, while his only friend is one of those annoying liberals constantly spouting off about how awful the world is. Whereas his buddy is all talk and no action, Bill is the opposite. Haunted by a stream of constantly rotating bad news headlines and an inability to get a properly-made cup of coffee, Bill decides the overpopulated world could use a lot less people. Thus comes the rampage, wherein Bill dons his very own Kevlar combat suit, loads up with automatic weapons and explosives, and sets out to kill as many people as possible, completely taking the "Tender" out of his home town of Tenderville. Naturally, I expected a boring and mundane ending that would leave young Bill lying in a pool of his own blood. That's not how the story ends at all. Boll actually takes the viewer down an unexpected path that actually makes the story memorable and causes the viewer to reevaluate the main character to some degree. It doesn't make Bill any less of a psychopath, but it certainly distinguishes him from your average mass murderer. This guy actually has some wheels still turning inside his head, and his plan definitely does not include suicide by cop.

Bill's motivations are open to question. He doesn't really seem to care about all of the bad news constantly bombarding his brain, nor does he seem to truly buy in to his friend's constant social commentary on the dire consequences of overpopulation. Apart from a verbal conflict over a cup of coffee, there's no event that really triggers his behavior, either. He doesn't hate his parents, who are very supportive even in their wish that he move out and begin to live his own life. Apparently, his rampage is just something that has been building up inside him for a long time. He may see himself as an agent of cleansing in the world, but he murders indiscriminately and without judgment. Perhaps the fact that Bill has no clearly discernible motives for his actions is supposed to represent the utter depravity of society or something. Then there's the bingo scene, easily the most memorable and surreal in the film, in which the clearly armed and dangerous killer walks throughout the building for several minutes without anyone even noticing him. Boll obviously means this to be some form of social commentary of a world increasingly losing its humanity and peopled by men and women who turn a blind eye to even the most obvious sources of evil out there. I guess Boll should know something about the subject, having personally made the world a darker and more depressing place with all of his previous movies.

I have not seen very many of Boll's films (only this one and Postal), so I cannot say if all the criticism he gets is deserved, but I can say this - Rampage is simply an awesome film. It's like "Falling Down" with the nihilism and brutality turned up to 10 (well, not really, but you get the idea of what kind of movie this is - guy "snaps" and runs amok). Uwe Boll certainly has my respect after seeing this.

I was at first put off watching this by the fact that Uwe Boll had written and directed it. Having endured some of his past appalling efforts, but the synopsis of a man building a Kevlar armoured body suit and going on a killing spree was just too good to not watch. (Does that make me sick?) I have to be honest but I have no idea what happen to the normally dreadful Uwe Boll. But this film is a real gem. Regardless of the simple set up the Boll has managed to add real depth to the proceedings. It had me gripped from the first minute to the last. Although very violent, the violence is never over the top or comic. Brendan Fletcher in the lead role puts on a spectacular performance. I can't really say too much else without spoiling the movie. If you think you know what to expect from this movie like I thought I did. I guarantee you will be surprised.