RENEGADES
US/Germany, 2017, 106 minutes, Colour.
J. K. Simmons, Sullivan Stapleton, Charlie Bewley, Sylvia Hoeks, Joshua Henry, Diarmaid Murtagh, Dimitri Leonidas, Clement Schick, Ewen Bremner.
Directed by Steve Quale.
This is a film for action fans, produced by the European Europacorps, co-written by its director, Luke is on.
There is an elaborate opening in France, with the Nazis taking as much art and treasure as they can, leaving a deserted Paris, travelling east, wanting to store the treasures in Bosnia but the Resistance bursting the wall of a dam which covers the treasure and destroys the Nazis.
The film then makes a transition from 1944 to 1995 and the war in Bosnia, in Sarajevo.
Two journalists are held up by the hostile forces, stripped and interrogated, but then allowed into interview a significant general, enemy of NATO. Actually, the journalists are members of a group of SEALS, others coming by boat, burrowing under the interview room, exploding the floor, abducting the general who has been drugged, a lot of shooting in fighting off a boat full of military attacking, but finally getting the general to headquarters by commandeering a tank, driving recklessly through the town and the countryside, clearing the way and all before it but, trapped by the enemy on each side of the bridge, going over the side, underwater, escaping.
Sullivan Stapleton plays the leader of the SEAL team. They are hauled over the Coles by their severe commander, J. K. Simmons, perennially blunt in his attack, but, of course, approving of what they have achieved. However, they are to be returned home.
The group meet a waitress at a bar, one of them in love with her, she revealing a brick of gold from the hidden stash, persuading her lover that the men should rescue it and donate the $300 million proceeds to the cause of Bosnia.
Since they are skilled SEALS, they are able to make the arrangements fairly quickly as well as work out the engineering logistics for going underwater, finding the gold, mechanisms to raise it. They have an ally in a helicopter pilot who has helped them, Ewen Bremner.
The latter part of the film shows in some detail the whole process of finding and recovering the gold.
Once again, they are commandeered by their commanding officer, with half of the gold officially being returned to the French government. However, the officer does not reveal the other half of the gold which is then presented to the waitress for the Bosnian cause. Each of the SEALS has received a couple of thousand dollars – but, when they see what has happened with the big cheque for Bosnia, they make their contribution!
Gung ho Americans – and, one hopes, their hearts and consciences in the right place.
