Directed by: Jeff Chan
Written by: Chris Pare, Jeff Chan
Cast: Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Kari Matchett, Kyla Kane
Swift shot: It’s basically Bright meets Sicario meets Heat. The filmmakers tried to inject a social message about illegal immigration, drugs, and sex trafficking in a cleverly hidden Sci-Fi heist film. But where they lost me was the premise. They would have you believe that those with powers would be subservient to those without. Essentially, the power-enabled people are relegated to glorified power tools. In every sense of the word. Just tools with power.
Thing is, these are some pretty damned impressive powers. It would be like if someone made a movie where vampires were somehow second-class citizens to humans. Not bloody likely!
So let’s just suspend all disbelief right away and judge the movie on its merits, of which there are actually more than you might think.
I am a story-driven critic, so I like to connect with the characters and root for them. Code 8 makes this hard, intentionally, as the hero is someone who breaks the law. I get tired of hearing the label anti-hero, and it doesn’t really apply here with Connor Reed (Robbie Amell). Connor is just an average guy trying to navigate a difficult life. He loves his mom, who is dying of cancer. And even though she is power-enabled, it doesn’t protect her from cancer. Fuck cancer!
Oh, speaking of fuck, I hope you like hearing it a lot! This was rated NR, and it was starring the Arrow, and Stephen Amell is a family man, basically a wholesome guy by all accounts. So, I stupidly let my twelve year old watch this, thinking it was NR, because it was one of these crowdfunded, straight to home viewing movies. Holy fuck was I wrong. This movie is an R. Not NR, an R! I should have looked at the IMDb Parents Guide. Lesson learned.
I really enjoyed the world-building in Code 8. It was incredibly well done. The opening credits immediately immerse you in this bizarre world, where somehow the power-enabled are treated like dirt. The music was perfect for this movie, it has a techno edge that plays perfectly with each scene and is not so great that it takes you out of the story, it complements each scene nicely without being too powerful.
The acting was on a level that surpassed my expectations, given that these are TV stars and are usually held to lower standards. But, Stephen and Robbie have always brought their best work to any screen. The standout performance has to go to Kari Matchett who played Connor’s mom. She conveyed her pain in a way you would expect from master actors.
I was a little lost on the big bad, Marcus (Greg Bryk) and why Stephen Amell’s character, Garrett was beholden to him and some nefarious criminal syndicate just called “The Trust.” But, honestly, that wasn’t important. Basically, Marcus is a scumbag who takes advantage of weaker people, and he employs Garrett to help him achieve that end.
Marcus deals in Pskye, a drug that is painfully siphoned from the power-enabled to give the normal people an escape. Marcus has himself a special “freak” that keeps close to him who attends to his needs. I won’t reveal what Nia (Kane) does for him here, but I will say it isn’t sexual in nature. He has plenty of cheap whores around for that.
Naturally with all these criminals running around, and many of them power-enabled types, the police force has to step up their enforcement game. They have robots called “Guardians” that were my favorite Sci-Fi element of the movie. They drop down from these drones and basically when they are called in, it’s game fucking over for any poor bastards in their way.
But, not all the cops are as ruthless as the Guardians. We get a glimpse of the caring cop with Park (Sung Kang) who has a soft-spot for Connor.
They cross paths, because Connor has fit the description of a wanted “Electric Class-2” that was spotted breaking and entering into a facility to steal some shit.
Once it’s revealed that Connor is doing all of this for his mom, both sides use it to control his fate. And in the end we get the age-old question, what would you do to keep someone you loved alive? Would you save your mom, even if it cost you your soul?
You won’t find any levity in this film. It is dark and unforgiving. But it is also highly entertaining and the production quality is not what I was expecting at all. This may be a crowdfunded film, but it sure doesn’t play like one.
The ending was really difficult to follow, and that is probably the biggest strike against an otherwise solid film.
If you want a high-energy (ha ha) Sci-Fi heist, action thriller, Code 8 is a good choice.
You can download and watch Code 8 today on Vudu and let me know if I was right.
