Delivered

And that's only because I liked the poster design. The movie itself was incredibly confusing to watch. Okay, so you've acted in a few films, let's say, and you later in your career say to yourself, I want to make an actual movie AND act in it too! So you get your "act" together and actually make the film... And guess what? It's a doozy. Total lemon pie with no sugar. I felt it had no creative taste to it at all. Why make this film, why? Ugh... Where are the real indie films with real talent these days? Pass on this as fast as you can or you'll regret spending an hour of your life wasted for no reason. Just go for a walk or spend time with your kids, family. Or order in some Chinese food and have it "delivered". ;)

So, this movie was quite a surprise. I picked it up because it was a crime movie where a desert and a muscle car featured heavily -- so how bad could it be? Unfortunately, I wasn't sure about it in the first 10 minutes. What was surely meant to be an emotional and harrowing experience, both Shane's time in Iraq and his homecoming, felt kind of hollow and forced, and I was worried.

But it gradually gained steam. The acting kept getting better, the characters better realized. I think the best acting really starts when Shane runs into an old friend from a bar, whose teasing and jibing just rings hollow to someone who's really been in the thick of it. (Brian McGuire as Mooneyham is just brilliant -- it's as though he sets all the rest of the movie free, just to be as exciting as it wants to be, when it finally gets around to it.)

In the end it was all I wanted it to be -- wryly funny, a little heart- pounding, sometimes sweet and sometimes wicked. Michael Madison (who also directed) reminded me a bit of Chris Evans, with his all-American good looks and easy-going style. Jeanette May Steiner is terrific as the free-spirited Cindy, a young woman to whose aid Shane comes when she gets in trouble outside a truck stop and with whom he forms an instant connection.

So, give it a chance. It's a diamond in the rough and just needs an investment of a few minutes. By the time I finished it I found that I really liked it.

"Delivered" has a definite "Killing of a Chinese Bookie" vibe, with fine acting and surprising twists. I loved Michael Madison's brooding performance. As a war vet trying to fit back into society, he conveys quiet strength and inner struggle. As the director also, Madison's love of movies is obvious in the visual homages to noir classics.

Where do I start? First, the beginning act has the most in your face character exposition I think I have ever seen in any film. 2 minutes to show his war experience. 2 minutes to show his trouble returning to civilian life. 2 minutes to show his anger issues. 2 minutes to set up the so-called plot. Horribly edited and choppy. Moving into the action it is all so predictable. And why does this come off as something from the 70s? Cheesy dialogue, even cheesier background music, clichéd cinematography, lame acting. I think it's in the 3rd act now and I'm gonna bail, I can't take any more of this tripe. (as I write this, the background music just switched to a twang twang twang twang plucking of oriental music, LMAO!)

This is one of those films that rises to the occasion when you want an action-packed, tense piece of escapism – well paced and with a story-line that engages from start to end. One thing I was surprised with was that it was from an independent film-maker. When watching it I thought I was watching a film with far more resources that those that an independent film-making typically has to rely on. This high production value presence was fitting with the other markers that I would tend to use when judging whether a film is worth watching I was not surprised to see some of the other grudging reviews with low ratings as just about every film on IMDb attracts a bunch of these. I actually wonder if trolls read the description of a film before choosing it since they obviously did not seem much good at choosing what to watch (if they really watch it) or whether hating everything in the universe is their fun little hobby. I suspect both!