Homefront (2013 film)

Homefront
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gary Fleder
Screenplay by	Sylvester Stallone
Based on	Homefront by Chuck Logan
Produced by	Sylvester Stallone Kevin King Templeton John Thompson
Starring	Jason Statham James Franco Winona Ryder Kate Bosworth Rachelle Lefevre Frank Grillo Clancy Brown Izabela Vidovic
Cinematography	Theo van de Sande
Edited by	Padraic McKinley
Music by	Mark Isham
Production companies	Millennium Films Nu Image Endgame Releasing
Distributed by	Open Road Films
Release date	November 27, 2013 (2013-11-27) (United States)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$22 million
Box office	$51.7 million

Homefront is a 2013 American action thriller film directed by Gary Fleder and written by Sylvester Stallone, who also produced the film with Kevin King Templeton and John Thompson. The film was released nationwide in theaters on November 27, 2013. The film is based on the 2005 novel Homefront by Chuck Logan. The film stars Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, and Kate Bosworth. Filming began on October 1, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The film follows retired DEA agent and father Phil Broker who gets involved in quarrels with the family of a school bully who was targeting his daughter, and once his past affiliation is discovered, the bully's mom, Cassie, sends crime boss "Gator" about the location of Broker responsible for his past arrest, forcing Broker to fight off Gator and his gang.

Plot

Two years after raiding a methamphetamine laboratory owned by biker gang boss Danny T, Phil Broker retires from the DEA and moves to a small Louisiana town with his daughter Maddy. One day, Maddy gets into a schoolyard fight with a bully named Teddy Klum, and Broker is called to her school. As they prepare to return home, Teddy's mother, Cassie, instigates a fight between her husband and Broker, which Broker wins easily. Enraged, Cassie later asks her brother Gator, who runs a meth lab, to intimidate Broker. Broker's friend Teedo warns him that the locals might engage in an old-school fight.

While Broker and Maddy go horseback riding, Gator breaks into their house where he finds old DEA personnel files; he discovers that Broker was responsible for Danny T's arrest, which resulted in the death of Danny T's son. Hoping to expand his influence, Gator tips off Danny T, who sends members of his gang to kill Broker. Meanwhile, Broker attempts to smooth over the situation with Teddy's family, and Maddy invites Teddy to her birthday party. As tensions between the two families slowly ease, with Teddy and Maddy even becoming friends, Gator warns Cassie to stay away from Broker.

Broker's DEA contacts warn him that Gator may be involved with Danny T. Broker then heads to Gator's meth lab and sets a booby trap, but he is subdued and tortured by Gator's thugs. Broker manages to escape and defeat his captors, but before he and Maddy can leave town, the gang members arrive. Though Broker ambushes and kills most of the gang members, Teedo is critically injured while helping Broker and Maddy escape. Meanwhile, Gator’s girlfriend Sheryl forces Maddy to leave with her; Maddy uses her cell phone to call Broker and from her descriptions, Broker realizes that she has been taken to Gator's meth lab.

Cassie arrives at Gator's warehouse after hearing news of the gunfight and is horrified to find Maddy there. She angrily confronts Gator and demands he give her Maddy, before accidentally setting off Broker's booby trap and causing the lab to explode. Disgusted with her brother, Cassie attempts to flee with Maddy during the chaos, leading to a struggle in which Gator accidentally shoots Cassie. Gator then flees with Maddy in his truck, with Broker in hot pursuit. When Broker crashes his car, Gator prepares to shoot him but is distracted by Maddy whom he then attempts to force back into his truck. Taking advantage of the distraction, Broker frees himself, and savagely beats Gator before reuniting with Maddy. Gator and Sheryl are arrested, while Teedo and Cassie are taken to the hospital. Broker later visits Danny T in prison, letting him know that he will be around when Danny T is eventually released.

Cast

• Jason Statham as Phil Broker
• James Franco as Morgan "Gator" Bodine
• Winona Ryder as Sheryl Marie Mott
• Kate Bosworth as Cassie Bodine Klum
• Rachelle Lefevre as Susan Hetch
• Frank Grillo as Cyrus Hanks
• Clancy Brown as Sheriff Keith Rodrigue
• Izabela Vidovic as Maddy Broker

In addition, Marcus Hester portrays Jimmy Klum, Omar Benson Miller plays Teedo, and Chuck Zito appears as "Danny T" Turrie.

Production

The screenplay was written by Sylvester Stallone and based on the novel of the same name by writer Chuck Logan.

It was originally intended as a starring role for Stallone but he passed on the role to Statham, staying on as producer.

Reception

Box office

Homefront grossed $20.2 million domestically (United States and Canada) and $31.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $51.7 million, against a budget of $22 million. It opened at No. 5 for its first weekend, and spent its first three weekends in the Top 10 at the domestic box office.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of 116 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "While it boasts a capable cast, the disappointingly dull Homefront hearkens back to classic action thrillers without adding anything to the genre." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 40 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Scott Foundas of Variety notes the reliable presence of Statham, but blames director Gary Fleder for "making an incoherent jumble of most of the action scenes". He calls Bosworth's performance the film's "greatest surprise", and Franco's performance as its "biggest disappointment". Foundas calls the film "surprisingly joyless" and "less than the sum of its parts."

External links

• Homefront at IMDb