Powerful

Let's be realistic.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Now, I understand that this is a low-budget flick....but it's underwhelming.. even with the understood curve. On the cover there were words like, 'Masterpiece', 'jaw-dropping', and 'Dynamic'. It's not terrible....but to call this a masterpiece is one serious stretch. After the rather exciting opening action sequence....this movie goes into super-slow motion. I look for good 'b'/low-budget/independent films.....I have a 'b' movie suggestion list over 1000 strong and this IS NOT going on it. I appreciate the success of making an average film on a shoe-string budget....but this movie is about as bland as an under-ripened avocado. I was led to believe by the critical reviews and the cover that this film had something special to offer....well.....it doesn't. Keep in mind that, if not for the fact that this WAS A low-budget independent film....I'd probably be in the 1or2 star range... If your not going to 'act' ...then give me the action baby....rented this at the same time as 'District B13'......they should have put those reviews on THAT cover. Also...the lead character makes zero sense whatsoever...he's too much of a 'smart good guy' to work with the slime gang....it just doesn't work for me...at all! The real question is....is there anyone NOT DIRECTLY CONNECTED WITH THIS FILM....that thinks it's a masterpiece.....I mean aside from these friends they have that are these 4 critics on the cover. Speaking of the DVD cover....that is easily the best thing about this. Note:I write many reviews... Sometimes these 'B' flicks can offer exceptional scenes that stick in your mind(like the Hallway scene in 'A Better Tomorrow')...but there wasn't a single moment here where I went 'WOW'..... I rented this with a 1.99 coupon and I still feel cheated. I believe some of those involved in this film are 'obsessed with this average piece of crap'....they're sitting here writing great reviews on it and sniping all the negative one's. Take it from an outsider....this movie stinks! There's a difference between a movie that takes nothing and makes it into a fairly cohesive low-budget success(stepping stone)....and a good movie.... 27/100

I was in Belgium this week and get a chance to see this movie (The Prodigy). I was visiting a friends home and watched the movie on DVD.  All I can say is this, Wow!  I was dumb struck from the beginning.  In the first 15 minutes there was more action than most movies have in their entirety.  The gun battles and fist fights were like no other ever filmed before.  The directing and acting was total quality. I never heard of these actors but they all did an amazing job.  I was really taken with the star of the film Holt Boggs and I really liked the female lead Diana Lee Inosanto.  Can't wait to see what they do next, hopefully a prequel or sequel to this movie. Also, your really going to like what the director Will Kaufman and his DP did on this film. They gave this movie both, a beautiful look and it was creepy all in one. Do yourself a favor and check this one out. I can't wait for the US release.

When I first heard of this film, I was afraid that it would just be some vaguely action-oriented slasher flick. Fortunately, my fears were baseless: what I found was a well-shot action-thriller. The cliché's I feared never appeared, and when they seemed about to, my expectations were turned upside down.I was surprised by the sheer number of images that have stuck with me. Oddly, such great images are not inside their trailer, so I was caught totally unaware by the talent of the Director of Photography.Also, and this is a concern in many movies, there are not many strong women characters. There is one woman, memorably, in the film that puts up a really excellent fight. I was surprised, and I wish that there were more women in these kinds of film that are more than window dressing and bad-guy fodder.Highly Entertaining.

I am amazed at the multi-star reviews this film is getting. With 3 friends (2 guys, 1 girl) i watched this at the Edinburgh Film Festival and all of us said it was terrible. Not 'the' worst film ever but in the top 20 stinkers i have seen. Where to start? On paper it looked good, dark gritty action - according to the blurbs anyway. What we got was a film i would expect an adolescent boy and his school pals to make. The dialogue was useless, camera work & lighting were terrible, acting wooden in extreme & the characters totally unbelievable. I didn't recognise many of the people in it, but a bunch of actors from a cheap porno could have done as well. I would advise the makers of this to maybe keep the same camera angle for more than 3 seconds, instead of constant rapid fire changes. Maybe use some lights? i know its meant to be 'dark' but this is ridiculous. Also massive amounts of gunfire & death don't make up for lack of coherent storyline & bad acting. Two other problems - the bad guy is supposed to be tough? why when he is unmasked does he look like a weedy corporate lawyer? Does the suite he wears make him an ultra ninja-terminator only while he wears it? Was this deliberate? He was seriously unscarey. Secondly, Scottish accents. Americans just cant do them, please don't even try. When the main character's sidekick first spoke there were audible gasps & laughs from the audience. We turned to each other in total disbelief & amazement how this could happen in 2006? It was like Brigadoon all over again. So the summary from this 'Scotch-lander' is : don't see this unless you are a teenage gun nut who doesn't mind bad acting, poor lighting, incoherent comic book story lines, unconvincing characters & the worst Scottish accent in 50 years in your movies. Instantly forgettable a D-minus. (PS. My 3 friends would have given this an even worse review!)