BRAVEN

Canada, 2018, 94 minutes, Colour.
Jason Momoa, Garrett Dilahunt, Jill Wagner, Stephen Lang, Sasha Rossof.
Directed by Lin Oeding.

This is a tough action adventure in beautiful Canadian settings. It is winter, Joe Braven is a logger working in the forest, at home with a loving wife and daughter, caring for his father who has been involved in an accident which has affected his mind and memory.

The film might be called predictable but, that is the intention, offering audiences action, sure what the outcome will be, but interested to watch how it develops.

One of Joe Braven's drivers is involved in transporting bags of drugs along with the logs. His truck crashes and a decision is made to hide the drugs in the Braven house out in the mountains. Joe Braven has to rescue his father (Stephen Lang) from a squabble in the local bar and decides to take him to the house, his daughter stowing away in the truck.

The setup is clear.

Jason Momoa, post-Conan, pre-Aquaman, is a strong hero. Garrett Dilahunt is the head of the drug syndicate. He rounds up a number of his thugs and out they go to the house, laying siege, plenty of weapons, Joe and his father firing back. There is in danger with the young daughter having to run off to a high place to ring her mother to get the police. There is dangerous pursuit with Joe, riding a bike, fighting, going over a cliff, returning. And his father has to fend off attackers.

It is all familiar, full of basic human values of family, love, as well as highlighting the inhumanity and brutality of the drug criminals.

1. An action adventure? For the action audience, even knowing how it is going to turn out?

2. The beauty of the Canadian scenery, the logging, the forests, the mountains, the tracks? Homes in the city? Bars? The musical score?

3. Ordinary life, the logger and his truck, the accident? His carrying the drugs?

4. Braven, the logging, his family, family love, the domestic scenes, his father and the beginnings of dementia, the accident, the father going to the bar, mistaking a woman for his wife, the fight, Joe coming to save him?

5. The driver, the dealer, the crash, the decision to hide the drugs?

6. Joe taking his father to the house, Charlotte stowing away?

7. The drug dealers, the attack, their weapons, the siege of the house, the snipers? The shooting, the deaths? The father and his warding off the attackers? Joe, the bike, the deal with the drug chief, keeping half the drugs in a bag? The fights, going over the cliff, the return?

8. Charlotte, going to the mountain, making the phone call, her mother contacting the police?

9. The police arriving, the shootout, Joe and a fight with the dealer? And order restored?