ROGUE
US/South Africa, 2020, 105 minutes, Colour. New paragraph
Megan Fox, Philip Winchester, Sisanda Henna.
Directed by MJ Bassett.
There is an ambiguity in the title. Who is the Rogue? The military force and the leadership? The Al Shebab terrorists and their leader? The fierce lionesses who will wreak vengeance and destruction?
This is the kind of film which was named in more recent decades, “Straight-to-video”. It is an action show, filmed on location in South Africa, with a more generic African setting, especially the Al Shebab terrorists.
For those who want a straightforward action show, a military group, an attack on the terrorist compound, mixed success, the necessity to escape, dangers and the escape, seeking refuge in abandoned farms, under siege for a night, getting a generator going and communicating a message to headquarters, assistance not being able to come until the morning, the siege becoming an attack and defence. More or less as expected.
There are complications in the initial attack on the terrorist compound, the discovering of young women, hostages in cages, daughters of international educators, taken for bargaining. They escape with the attacking force, pursued, having to leap from high cliffs, surviving in rapids – or not.
The leader of the expedition is, unexpectedly, Megan Fox who explains her situation, the years as a teenager in military school, highly trained. There are quite a number of people in the supporting force, many of them killed. There is the loyal supporter with his gun. Another member who encounters a herd of elephants going through the abandoned farm. There is also a local – a more interesting character than the rest, confronted with great hostility by the hostages, identified as Al Shebab but explaining the situation with his wife and children, his survival, his cooperation with the military force.
There are glimpses of the villains, Savage, building up to a confrontation between the arch-villain and Megan Fox.
But, especially with a message from the director at the end of the film, there is a focus on abuse of wildlife, an accusation against South Africa for confining lions and lionesses, ill-treatment, capture for their skins and trade. Which means then that there are minuses throughout the film, especially at the beginning when they are captured, and confined to cages. And, more at the end, when they are loose, viciously attacking their captors, and a final confrontation between the mainl liones and the archvillain.
Bloggers were not particularly enthusiastic – but, the film makers set out to make a lively action show, action and then lulls and suspense. And the continued question as to whether Megan Fox should have been cast in the central role.
