Written and directed by leading actor Daemon Lee, a hitman who comes out of semi-retirement for one last hit, only to discover the guy he’s hunting isn’t the real target. Also starring Matt Sproit.
It’s difficult in this day and age to create any sort of film or television surrounding a hitman which can break new ground, it’s a character choice that has been used countless times. That then becomes even more of a challenge when you’re dealing with short film and having to create something unique with very little time. So, unfortunately, Reckoning finds itself falling foul of that obstacle, its story isn’t one that can escape the history of hitmen who have existed before it.
However, going over familiar ground isn’t always an issue but it requires a lot of other touches to compensate for that and sadly, Reckoning can’t quite bring those together. The pacing is slow, it feels as though it’s repeating itself initially rather than pushing forward. Daemon Lee still manages to build a decent tension, especially in the moments where the score is used more sparingly and subtly. It just needed a quicker, sharper progression to keep that going, as the direction itself is simple and solid.
Another issue is the clarity of the dialogue, when attempting to deliver pointed, threatening dialogue, it needs a crispness to let it land and the sound mixing misses the mark here. At times it can feel mumbled which undercuts the heavy consequences that Lee is attempting to lay upon the later dialogue. There are similar stumbling blocks with the lighting, set dressing and editing they’re lacking a cleaner look and flow. With a few errant frames, some continuity issues and blocking that can hinder the detail of the shot.
Although, you can more clearly see the intentions with Lee’s performance. He attempts to capture that classic hitman persona of not too serious but deadly whenever they need to be. His delivery feeds into the tension, but can be a touch over casual at times, which is at odds with the attempt to have a tougher edge.
Reckoning is missing a bigger attention to detail and individuality to take it where it wants to go. The story is treading over very familiar ground, particularly the choice of ending which feels like something we’ve seen a few too many times. The issues with the sound mixing, lighting and editing hold it back from building a sharpness. The writing can also feel as though it’s leaning towards a comedic edge but not committing to it which plays against the tension.
FilmCarnage.com 