Aggression Scale, The

Released by: Anchor Bay Entertaiment
Released on: May 29, 2012.
Director: Steven C. Miller
Cast: Ray Wise, Dana Ashbrook, Jacob Reynolds
Year: 2011
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The Movie:

Described as a cross between Home Alone and Rambo, editor-turned-director Steven C. Miller's The Aggression Scale is a pretty entertaining little action/suspense film.

The film begins with a series of brutal murders at the hands of a gang of thugs comprised of the little bald guy (Jacob Reynolds from Gummo), the big bald guy (perennial bad guy actor Derek Mears) and the psychopath, Lloyd (Dana Ashbrook from Twin Peaks). The reason for this brutality is soon explained in a brief flashback where these thugs get their marching orders from their fresh-from-bail boss (Ray Wise). Apparently he had a large stash of cash that has disappeared and he now needs to flee the country. The thugs are given 48 hours to find the cash and so they act rather harshly and quickly.

The movie shifts uncomfortably then to a family moving to a huge house in the country. Mom, Maggie(Lisa Rotondi) and her typical teenage daughter, Lauren (Fabienne Therese), are moving in with Mom's new husband, Bill (Boyd Kestner) and his quiet son, Owen (Ryan Hartwig). Lauren is quite put out with the whole situation and sighs/pouts her way through this setup. The film spends a lot of time on her, setting her up as the probable central character for the inevitable events that are sure to come.

And, sure enough, the film becomes a home invasion film as the thugs descend upon the family the morning after they've just moved in to their fancy new country digs. The parents are quickly disposed of, despite resistance, and Lauren would be as well if it weren't for what becomes quickly evident is her step-brother's capacity for violence and creativity. Thankfully, the film shifts focus from bad actor-parents and whiny teen girl to the relentless survivalist Owen. And that's really for the better as this type of story hasn't really been explored much, where the young boy is able to fight back, to use his surroundings/environment to not only survive but to attack his hunters.

The thugs soon find Owen's medical records in an unpacked box and see that he has a history of this kind of violence - mostly against school bullies whom he lures into seclusion and then literally disables - and try as they might they're unable to fully overcome this kid. So as Owen picks them off one at a time (with Lauren's help and Lloyd's anger) the film moves quickly and efficiently at a good clip to its final showdown. And none of the action feels forced or gimmicky but, rather, within the realm of possibility of what a young kid could come up with potentially and pull off.

Video/Audio/Extras:

This BD from Anchor Bay comes with a marvelously thunderous Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack that rumbles and shocks along nicely. It even captures what I'd term as the “action swoosh” noises, when someone turns a corner with a gun or such. It's a nice touch and accompanies the film quite well. The only other audio option is for Spanish in Dolby Surround 2.0 which still rings through pretty good, too. Likewise, the widescreen (2.40:1) aspect ratio remains intact and shows off some slick camera work and cinematography which allow this film to rise above the usual type and style.

A :14-minute making-of short film is included which mostly features the film's producers and Dana Ashbrook praising the production and crew. The mood is casual and fairly genuine.

Summary:

The Aggression Scale is a smart little film that doesn't redefine the genre but doesn't really need to. It has something new to say and handles it very well in an entertaining, well-paced film. And this disc from Anchor Bay sells it successfully.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!