Into the woods

The Deer Hunter starring.....wait a sec....

Every once in a while, I come across a few films that instead of trying to do things differently they play by the books and retell old plots with a few twists added. In this case, Big Game, a hybrid between a coming-of-age story and an action thriller, plays it safe and while it feels like every other movie we've seen before, the film makes for a memorable trope through the woods story; helping it create its' own charm. In the backdrop woods of Finland, a young boy named Oskari (Onni Tommila) is about to embark on a rite-of-passage as per tradition in his homeland: he must spend a day in the wilderness and return with a prize; relying only upon his instincts and knowledge without anyone's help. Meanwhile, the U.S. President Moore (Samuel L. Jackson) comes under attack on the Air

Force One and is forced to jettison the plane in an escape pod, crash landing in the wilderness of Finland. Oskari finds the President's escape pod and after a brief "communication" relay between the two, Moore entrusts himself in Oskari to not only help him navigate through the forest but to also evade the terrorists that are in pursuit of him. From its' opening title to the closing scene, Big Game feels like a long-lost 80s action film, taking the premise and turning it on its' head. Simple in substance but clever in execution, the film accomplishes being sweet in nature but most importantly entertaining as well thanks to the film's lead actors; although Samuel does what he does best, it's Onni Tommila that steals the show, and in some cases even one-ups Sam in a few scenes. Although it's on the short side, Big Game is an enjoyable movie to kill an afternoon and even if you're not the biggest of Sam L. Jack, this movie still definitely deserves a rental.

-Reviewed by Razor, 8/27/15