Standoff

It keeps you tensed and anxious and never sure of how anything will turn out. You get your money's worth.

To give credit where it's due, this lukewarm mess of a movie delivers what its title promises.

This overly talky, slackly executed game of cat-and-mouse comes off as cheesy rather than chilling.

Big-budget action epics might be the current norm, but there's something to be said for the slow burn. Enter Standoff, which delivers pretty much what its title advertises.

It's both cleverly written and directed.

The concept might have worked better as a short, where the bookend action sequences would have had more impact and the extended middle stretch wouldn't have included so many silly twists and misguided stabs at moral complexity.

Thomas Jane and Laurence Fishburne in a very different sort of faceoff, of post-military conflict damaged souls in this PTSD psychological crime thriller. As one struggles against his inner demons, and the other succumbs to the mental ravages of war.

Histrionics aside, Standoff still has a lot to offer, with Thomas Jane giving a grounded performance to clash with Laurence Fishburne's own over the top one.

A shoot 'em up with surprises and style to spare.

What should be a simple genre piece is overly complicated by the unfocused ambitions of its director.

Plays like the faintest copy of a copy of countless superior films.

Perhaps the feature isn't dramatically explosive or inventive, but Alleca keeps it lean and captivating, giving "Standoff" an enjoyable energy with healthy bursts of action and antagonism.