Bushwick (film)

Last updated
Bushwick
Bushwick poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Jonathan Milott
  • Cary Murnion
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Jonathan Milott
  • Cary Murnion
Produced by
  • Nate Bolotin
  • Adam Folk
  • Joseph Mensch
Starring
CinematographyLyle Vincent
Edited byJoe Hobeck
Music by Aesop Rock
Production
companies
Distributed by RLJ Entertainment
Release dates
  • January 21, 2017 (2017-01-21)(Sundance)
  • August 25, 2017 (2017-08-25)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$67,880 [1]

Bushwick is a 2017 American action thriller film directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion and written by Nick Damici and Graham Reznick. The film is about a former United States Navy Hospital Corpsman (Dave Bautista) and a young graduate student (Brittany Snow) who form an unlikely alliance during the invasion of their city by a mysterious, heavily armed militia. After both are injured during the fighting, they have to work together to rescue family members and escape to the United States Army's extraction point for civilians.

Contents

Plot

Lucy, a second year graduate student in civil engineering, and her boyfriend Jose are exiting a subway in Bushwick (in Brooklyn) where they see a man on fire running down into the station. Jose runs out to see what is going on, but is immediately killed by an explosion. Lucy runs out to try to find help but gets chased by two men. They find her in a house, but the men are killed by Stupe, the owner of the house. Stupe, a combat veteran, leaves his home to try to reach his family in Hoboken. Lucy joins him as she tries to get to her grandmother's house. Along the way, Stupe gets injured and trains Lucy in giving first aid and shooting a gun.

When they reach Lucy's grandmother's home, they find her already dead because of heart failure. As mercenaries infiltrate the home, the two escape and retreat to Belinda's, Lucy's sister. Drugged up, Belinda does not realize what is going on until a mercenary breaks into the home. Stupe subdues the soldier and asks him at gunpoint to explain what is going on. The mercenary reveals that Texas is seceding from the United States and has partnered with other Southern states (Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Georgia with parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania also) to form the New American Coalition, with militias to infiltrate US areas, including Bushwick, for insurgency. However, they did not expect the armed resistance from the neighborhood. Stupe convinces the mercenary to reveal the DMZ, where the US Army is extracting non-combatants: Grover Cleveland Park. Stupe knocks out the mercenary and the trio begin to make their way to the park.

Along the way, they encounter James and his mother in their building. James' mother blackmails Stupe and Lucy into going to the local church where evacuees are hiding and convincing the parish priest to meet up at a local laundromat to arm everyone to fight back as they head to the DMZ. James and his mother keep Belinda hostage to ensure Stupe and Lucy comply. Stupe and Lucy make it to the church, but when they find the priest, he shoots himself. Lucy then tells everyone to meet up at the laundromat to get guns to fight back with.

As Stupe and Lucy wait for James to arrive with Belinda, they briefly talk about their lives before the war. Stupe reveals that his family had actually died during the September 11 attacks, and he had told Lucy he was going to Hoboken just to try to get rid of her but is glad she stayed with him. As Stupe heads off to the washroom, he is mistakenly shot and killed by a scared teenage girl hiding inside. James arrives with Belinda and they head out for the attack.

They reach the DMZ, but it is heavily guarded by the mercenaries. As the resistance fights back, Lucy and Belinda stick together and run towards the helicopters. Belinda gets shot in the leg and Lucy runs over to her, only to get shot and killed as she tries to drag Belinda. Belinda cries in horror as members of the resistance carry her away. The final shot of smoke shows that the rest of New York City has been under attack as well.

Cast

Production

On March 4, 2015, it was announced that Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion would direct the disaster action thriller film Bushwick based on the script by Nick Damici and Graham Reznick, while producers would be XYZ Films' Nate Bolotin and Bullet Pictures' Adam Folk. Jane Levy was attached to play the female lead role of Lucy. [2] On September 9, 2015, Dave Bautista also joined the film to play war veteran Stupe. [3] On November 4, 2015, Brittany Snow was cast in the film, replacing Levy. [4] The score was composed by rapper and producer Aesop Rock. [5] Lakeshore Records has released the soundtrack.

Principal photography on the film began early December 2015 in Brooklyn, New York City. [6] [7]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 47% based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 5.44/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Bushwick's sociopolitical subtext gives it more heft than the average action thriller, but those ideas are given short shrift in what amounts to a disappointing shoot-'em-up." [8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 44 out of 100, based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [9]

Simon Crook for Empire praised the film calling it a brilliant B-movie with a political punch and called for a sequel. [10] Geoff Berkshire at Variety wrote that "Even if the low-budget execution is uneven at times, there’s enough snap to the filmmaking, and enough raw power in the premise, to make for solid B-movie excitement. [11] Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine called it a "a genre film with a refreshing sense of political infrastructure". [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittany Snow</span> American actress (born 1986)

Brittany Anne Snow is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence after appearing in the CBS soap opera Guiding Light (1998–2001), for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress and was nominated for two other Young Artist Awards and a Soap Opera Digest Award. She then starred in the NBC drama series American Dreams (2002–2005), for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award and three Teen Choice Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vera Farmiga</span> American actress (born 1973)

Vera Ann Farmiga is an American actress and singer. Farmiga began her professional acting career on stage in the original Broadway production of Taking Sides (1996). After expanding to television and film, Farmiga's breakthrough came in 2004 with her starring role as a drug addict in the drama Down to the Bone. She received praise for starring in the 2009 comedy-drama Up in the Air, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India Eisley</span> American actress (born 1993)

India Joy Eisley is an American actress. On television, she is known for her roles as Ashley Juergens in the ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008–2013), Audrina in the Lifetime film My Sweet Audrina (2016), and Fauna Hodel in the TNT series I Am the Night (2019). Her films include Underworld: Awakening (2012), Kite (2014), Social Suicide (2015) and Look Away (2018).

<i>Eyewitness</i> (1956 film) 1956 British film by Muriel Box

Eyewitness is a 1956 British thriller film directed by Muriel Box and starring Donald Sinden, Muriel Pavlow, Belinda Lee, Michael Craig, Nigel Stock and Richard Wattis. It was Produced by Sydney Box for the Rank Organisation.

<i>Would You Rather</i> (film) 2012 American film

Would You Rather is a 2012 American psychological horror thriller film directed by David Guy Levy and starring Brittany Snow and Jeffrey Combs. It is based on the party game "would you rather", and centers on a woman named Iris as she attends a dinner party, where she must partake in life-threatening games to help her sick younger brother secure a donor after he contracts leukemia. The film premiered at Screamfest on October 14, 2012. It was released in the United States in select theaters and through video on demand on February 8, 2013, by IFC Midnight.

<i>Term Life</i> 2016 film by Peter Billingsley

Term Life is a 2016 American action drama film based on the graphic novel of the same name. It is directed by Peter Billingsley from a screenplay by A.J. Lieberman. The film stars Vince Vaughn, who also produces the film, Hailee Steinfeld, Jonathan Banks, Mike Epps, Jordi Molla, Shea Whigham, William Levy, Taraji P. Henson, Annabeth Gish, and Terrence Howard. The film was released on April 29, 2016, in a limited release and through video on demand by Focus World. The film received negative reviews.

<i>The Darkness</i> (2016 American film) 2016 American supernatural horror film

The Darkness is a 2016 American supernatural horror film, directed by Greg McLean and co-written by McLean, Shayne Armstrong, and Shane Krause. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, David Mazouz, Lucy Fry, Matt Walsh, Jennifer Morrison, Ming-Na Wen and Parker Mack.

<i>Two Lovers and a Bear</i> 2016 Canadian film

Two Lovers and a Bear is a 2016 Canadian drama film written and directed by Kim Nguyen and starring Tatiana Maslany and Dane DeHaan. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. The film was released on 7 October 2016, by Entertainment One. It is Gordon Pinsent's final feature film.

<i>Atomic Blonde</i> 2017 film by David Leitch

Atomic Blonde is a 2017 American action thriller film directed by David Leitch from a screenplay by Kurt Johnstad, based on the 2012 graphic novel The Coldest City by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart. The film stars Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, and Toby Jones. The story revolves around a spy who has to find a list of double agents that is being smuggled into the West on the eve of the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

<i>Mile 22</i> 2018 film directed by Peter Berg

Mile 22 is a 2018 American espionage action thriller film directed by Peter Berg and written by Lea Carpenter, from a story by Carpenter and Graham Roland. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Iko Uwais, John Malkovich, Lauren Cohan, and Ronda Rousey. It follows an elite top secret CIA unit composed of paramilitary officers from the Special Activities Division's Ground Branch, that has to escort a high-priority asset, a rogue police officer, 22 miles to an extraction point while being hunted by the government. The film marks the fourth collaboration between Berg and Wahlberg, following Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day.

<i>How It Ends</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

How It Ends is a 2018 American action thriller film directed by David M. Rosenthal and written by Brooks McLaren. The film stars Theo James, Forest Whitaker, Grace Dove, Nicole Ari Parker, Kat Graham, and Mark O'Brien.

<i>Final Score</i> (2018 film) 2018 British film

Final Score is a 2018 British action thriller film directed by Scott Mann and written by David T. Lynch and Keith Lynch, starring Dave Bautista, Ray Stevenson and Pierce Brosnan. The plot sees an American former soldier fight separatists from a fictional Russian republic, who threaten to blow up a packed association football stadium and kill his teenage protégée, unless an elusive spectator is turned over to them before the game ends.

<i>The Hurricane Heist</i> 2018 American film by Rob Cohen

The Hurricane Heist is a 2018 American disaster heist action film directed by Rob Cohen, written by Jeff Dixon and Scott Windhauser, and starring Toby Kebbell, Maggie Grace, Ryan Kwanten, Ralph Ineson, Melissa Bolona, James Cutler, and Ben Cross. It was released in the UK as a Sky Cinema Original Film. The film is about a maintenance worker, his meteorologist brother, and a treasury agent contending with a band of rogue treasury agents who plan to use a Category 5 hurricane to cover their tracks of a bank robbery. The film was released on March 9, 2018 to received mixed to negative reviews and was a box-office bomb, making just $32 million against its estimated $35 million budget.

<i>Death Wish</i> (2018 film) 2018 film by Eli Roth

Death Wish is a 2018 American vigilante action thriller film directed by Eli Roth and produced by Roger Birnbaum. It is the remake of the 1974 film of the same name and stars Bruce Willis as Dr. Paul Kersey, alongside Vincent D'Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Dean Norris and Kimberly Elise in supporting roles. In the film, Dr. Paul Kersey, a Chicago-based surgeon, sets out to exact vengeance on the culprits responsible for attacking his family.

<i>Gringo</i> (2018 film) 2018 Australian film

Gringo is a 2018 action comedy film directed by Nash Edgerton and written by Anthony Tambakis and Matthew Stone. The film stars David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Amanda Seyfried, Thandiwe Newton, and Sharlto Copley, and follows a mild-mannered businessman who is sent to Mexico to deliver an experimental marijuana pill. When he is kidnapped by a drug cartel, he must escape alongside a hired mercenary. The film was co-produced between the United States and Australia.

<i>Hotel Artemis</i> 2018 film by Drew Pearce

Hotel Artemis is a 2018 dystopian action crime thriller film written and directed by Drew Pearce, in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Charlie Day, Brian Tyree Henry, Jenny Slate, Dave Bautista, and Zachary Quinto. The plot follows Jean Thomas, a nurse who runs a secret hospital for criminals in futuristic Los Angeles. It was released in the United States on June 8, 2018. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its visual style, intriguing screenplay and acting but found the execution poor. It was a box office bomb, only grossing $13 million against a budget of $15 million.

<i>The Darkest Minds</i> 2018 film by Jennifer Yuh Nelson

The Darkest Minds is a 2018 American dystopian science fiction film directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, written by Chad Hodge and produced by Shawn Levy and Dan Levine. The film stars Amandla Stenberg, Harris Dickinson, Mandy Moore and Gwendoline Christie. Based on Alexandra Bracken's 2012 young adult novel of the same name, it follows a group of children who are on the run from the government after obtaining superpowers due to a mysterious infection.

<i>Superfly</i> (2018 film) Film by Director X

Superfly is a 2018 American action crime thriller film and a remake of the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly. The film was directed by Director X, written by Alex Tse and stars Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Michael K. Williams, Lex Scott Davis, and Jennifer Morrison. Rapper Future produced alongside Joel Silver, as well as writing the film's original songs.

<i>Becky</i> (2020 film) Film by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion

Becky is a 2020 American action thriller film directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, from a screenplay by Nick Morris, Lane Skye, and Ruckus Skye. The film stars Lulu Wilson, Kevin James, and Joel McHale. McHale and Wilson portray Jeff and Becky, a father and daughter whose vacation home is besieged by a gang of Neo-Nazis led by James's character, Dominick.

<i>The Killers Game</i> 2024 film by J.J. Perry

The Killer's Game is a 2024 American action comedy film directed by J. J. Perry and written by Rand Ravich and James Coyne, based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Jay Bonansinga. The film stars Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Pom Klementieff, and Ben Kingsley.

References

  1. "Bushwick". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  2. D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 4, 2015). "Jane Levy Signs On To Brooklyn Disaster Film 'Bushwick'". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  3. Pedersen, Erik (September 9, 2015). "Dave Bautista Joins Jane Levy In Indie Action Thriller 'Bushwick'; Clementine Nicholson Cast In 'Underworld 5'". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  4. Ritman, Alex (November 4, 2015). "AFM: Brittany Snow to Cross 'Bushwick' With Dave Bautista (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  5. Strauss, Matthew (December 18, 2015). "Aesop Rock To Score Upcoming Film, Bushwick". Pitchfork . Condé Nast . Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  6. Hybenova, Katarina (December 8, 2015). "Brittany Snow and Dave Bautista Are Filming Action Scenes in Bushwick". Bushwick Daily. Archived from the original on 2017-08-13. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  7. Christine (December 10, 2015). "'Bushwick', starring Brittany Snow, filming in NYC this week". On Location Vacations. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  8. "Bushwick (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  9. "Bushwick Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  10. Crook, Simon (August 23, 2017). "Bushwick Review". Empire . Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  11. Berkshire, Geoff (January 23, 2017). "Film Review: 'Bushwick'". Variety . Penske Business Media . Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  12. Bowen, Chuck (August 22, 2017). "Bushwick". Slant Magazine . Retrieved August 28, 2018.