It’s been a while since we had a good, old fashioned action movie, but Bushwick looks like it might be just that with a setup that sees the world alight and everyone fighting for survival. Dave Bautista (Blade Runner 2049) and Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect) take on the lead roles in the cast and while Bautista is the big brawling bruiser, Snow will be into the fight too from the look of the trailer.
It could well be this year’s equivalent to John Wick, despite the release of John Wick 2 earlier in 2017, and with a story that looks a little like the movie equivalent of computer game, The Division, it’s got a lot going for it. Bautista is shaping up to be one of the biggest action hero movie stars in recent years thanks to his roles in Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, Spectre and Riddick. With Blade Runner 2049 and Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 still on the cards, he could well finish the decade as the modern day equivalent of Arnie.
Release date
Cinema:
Bushwick has been given a UK release date of the 25th August 2017, the same date as its arrival on the big screen in the US, following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. It’ll be out on the same weekend as Tom Cruise action flick American Made, riot biopic Detroit and odd crime caper Logan Lucky in the UK, so there’s a lot of competition, but no big hitting blockbusters, so it could do well.
DVD, Blu-ray and digital download:
We’re expecting the film to get a UK DVD release date in December 2017, so it could well be a decent Christmas stocking filler for any action movie fans. It will be available to buy on digital first, with the Blu-ray coming out at the same time as the DVD.
Story
Bushwick takes place in New York City as a military force descends on the Big Apple, causing absolute chaos on the streets with gang members fighting each other as attack helicopters light up the skyline. In the thick of it all, Lucy (Brittany Snow) walks out of a tube station with the melee all around her, but when she’s saved by army veteran Stupe, the two team up to survive the nightmare.
Cast
Brittany Snow takes her first steps in an action role as Lucy, one half of the unconventional survival team, and Dave Bautista takes on yet more movie mayhem as the stoic Stupe. The cast also includes Angelic Zambrana, Jeremie Harris, Myra Lucretia Taylor and Arturo Castro.
Production
Bushwick has been directed by Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott from a screenplay by Nick Damici and Graham Reznick. Adam Folk, Nate Bolotin and Joseph Mensch have produced the film with director of photography Lyle Vincent and music from Aesop Rock.
First impressions
The finer details behind the plot for Bushwick seem a little outlandish, but when has that ever really stopped an action film impressing. It’ll all come down to how well it delivers the intensity of the situation, playing on the human story to draw viewers into the film. Review scores following it’s premiere at Sundance have been positive, but not glowing, averaging around 3.5 stars out of 5.
You can tell from the trailer that the budget wasn’t huge for the film, but with Dave Bautista in the cast it’s got every chance of winning over action movie fans. His upcoming roles in Blade Runner 2049 and Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 should add to his significant credits, but it may just be films like Bushwick that really make his name as an action hero star in a leading role.
