The Aggression Scale

Last updated
The Aggression Scale
TAS.jpg
Directed by Steven C. Miller
Screenplay byBen Powell
Produced byTravis Stevens
Shaked Berenson
Patrick Ewald
Starring Ray Wise
Dana Ashbrook
Derek Mears
Fabianne Therese
Ryan Hartwig
Jacob Reynolds
CinematographyJeff Dolen
Edited by Steven C. Miller
Music by Kevin Riepl
Production
companies
Distributed by Anchor Bay Films
Release date
  • May 29, 2012 (2012-05-29)
Running time
91 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Canada
LanguageEnglish

The Aggression Scale is a 2012 action thriller film directed by Steven C. Miller. It stars Ray Wise, Dana Ashbrook, Derek Mears, Fabianne Therese, Ryan Hartwig, and Jacob Reynolds.

Contents

Plot

Mob boss Bellavance (Ray Wise) is released from prison on bail, and discovers that $500,000 of his money is missing. With only two days to flee to a non-extradition country, he instructs four of his henchmen, led by Lloyd (Dana Ashbrook), to retrieve the money and send a “loud and messy” message to the thieves’ families.

The last house they visit is a rural property belonging to Bill Rutledge (Boyd Kestner), who has just relocated with his emotionally disturbed young son Owen (Ryan Hartwig), his new wife Maggie (Lisa Rotondi) and her daughter Lauren (Fabianne Therese). Breaking in, the men execute Maggie and torture Bill for the location of the money, whilst another, Chissom chases Lauren. She is rescued by Owen however, who uses a baseball bat and box cutter blades to injure the man, allowing the two to escape. Owen attempts to rescue his father, but despite injuring another hitman is forced to flee into the woods with Lauren whilst Lloyd kills Bill.

Inside the house, Lloyd and Freddie (Jacob Reynolds) uncover medical paperwork showing that Owen was institutionalised due to violent behaviour after permanently disabling three highschool bullies, scoring almost full marks on the aggression scale. His father was only able to get him discharged by using the money stolen from Bellavance. Chissom and Wydofski (Joseph McKelheer) follow the children into the woods, but the former is further injured by a booby trap set by Owen, whilst the latter is stabbed to death by Lauren when he gains the upper hand against her stepbrother.

Under cover of darkness, Owen and Lauren break into a local used car dealership to obtain transport, however they are ambushed by the three remaining men. Freddie is killed when Owen stabs him in the skull with Wydofski’s hunting knife. Lloyd shoots Owen and takes Lauren back to the house, believing she can tell him where the money is located. However, Owen survives when the bullet deflects off a stolen hub cap he placed in his jacket earlier. A badly injured Chissom returns from the woods, and is shot by Lloyd for his incompetence. Following Lloyd and Lauren back to the house, Owen uses ammonia and bleach to create a chloramine gas trap that incapacitates Lloyd in the basement, before killing him by throwing a dresser down the stairs onto his head.

The next morning, Owen and Lauren arrive at Bellavance's hideout as he prepares to leave the country. He opens an envelope that contains Polaroids of his dead men, and then looks up to see the two driving the family rental van right towards him.

Cast

Releases

The film premiered at South By Southwest where it was bought and distributed by Anchor Bay. It released on DVD and Blu-ray on May 29, 2012. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Home on the Range</i> (2004 film) 2004 American film

Home on the Range is a 2004 American animated Western musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was written and directed by Will Finn and John Sanford and produced by Alice Dewey Goldstone, from a story by Finn, Sanford, Mark Kennedy, Michael LaBash, Sam Levine, and Robert Lence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Ashbrook</span> American actor

Dana Vernon Ashbrook is an American actor, best known for playing Bobby Briggs on the television series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

<i>Halloween: Resurrection</i> 2002 film by Rick Rosenthal

Halloween: Resurrection is a 2002 American slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, who had also directed Halloween II in 1981. Larry Brand and Sean Hood devised the screenplay. The film is a direct sequel to Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later and the eighth installment overall in the Halloween franchise. It stars Busta Rhymes, Bianca Kajlich, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Ryan Merriman, Sean Patrick Thomas, Tyra Banks and Jamie Lee Curtis, with Brad Loree as the primary villain Michael Myers. This was the final installment of the H20 timeline of the Halloween franchise, which had just been rebooted with the previous film in 1998, before it was rebooted again in 2007 and again in 2018. The film follows Myers continuing his murderous rampage in his hometown of Haddonfield when his childhood house is used for a live internet horror show.

<i>Donnie Brasco</i> (film) 1997 film by Mike Newell

Donnie Brasco is a 1997 American crime drama film directed by Mike Newell, and starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, and Anne Heche appeared in supporting roles. The film, written by Paul Attanasio, is based on the 1988 nonfiction book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley.

The following is a list of players, past and present, who have appeared in at least one competitive game for the Boston Red Sox American League franchise, known previously as the Boston Americans (1901–07).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Beale</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Peter Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders who has been played by seven actors since being introduced in 1993. Francis Brittin-Snell portrayed the role from 1993 to 1996, followed by Alex Stevens from 1997 to 1998 and Joseph Shade from 1998 to 2004. James Martin took over and played the role from 2004 to 2006. He was played by Thomas Law from 2006 until 2010, when the character departed the series. In April 2013, it was announced that Peter would return, played by Ben Hardy who made his first appearance on 7 June 2013. Hardy announced his departure from the role in November 2014, making his final on-screen appearance on 24 February 2015.

The following is a list of players, both past and current, who appeared at least in one game for the Colorado Rockies franchise.

<i>Psych</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth season of Psych, consisting of 16 episodes, premiered on USA Network in the United States on July 14, 2010 and concluded on December 22, 2010. A DVD of the season was released on May 31, 2011. Production officially started in Vancouver, British Columbia on April 28, 2010. James Roday, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen and Kirsten Nelson all reprised their roles as the main characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dual Spires</span> 12th episode of the 5th season of Psych

"Dual Spires" is the 12th episode of the fifth season of the American comedy-drama television series Psych, and the 75th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matt Shakman and written by Bill Callahan and series star James Roday Rodriguez. It originally aired December 1, 2010.

<i>Psych</i> (season 8) Season of television series

The eighth and final season of Psych, containing 10 episodes, premiered on the USA Network in the United States on January 8, 2014. James Roday, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Corbin Bernsen and Kirsten Nelson all reprise their roles as the main characters in the series.

<i>St. Vincent</i> (film) 2014 film

St. Vincent is a 2014 American comedy-drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Theodore Melfi. The film stars Bill Murray as the title character and features Melissa McCarthy, Jaeden Lieberher, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, and Terrence Howard.

<i>Max</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film

Max is a 2015 American family adventure war drama film directed by Boaz Yakin, and co-written with Sheldon Lettich. The film stars Josh Wiggins, Thomas Haden Church, Robbie Amell, Lauren Graham, Luke Kleintank, and Jay Hernandez. The film was released by Warner Bros. on June 26, 2015.

<i>The Accountant</i> (2016 film) 2016 US action-thriller film by Gavin OConnor

The Accountant is a 2016 American action-thriller film directed by Gavin O'Connor, written by Bill Dubuque and starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Lithgow. The storyline follows Christian Wolff, a certified public accountant with autism who makes his living uncooking the books of criminal and terrorist organizations around the world that are experiencing internal embezzlement.

<i>Southbound</i> (2015 film) 2015 horror anthology film

Southbound is a 2015 American horror anthology film directed by Radio Silence, Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, and Patrick Horvath. Produced by Brad Miska and Roxanne Benjamin, the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 16, 2015, and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on February 5, 2016. The film was included on numerous Best Horror Films of 2016 lists including those by Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed and the Thrillist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Walker (actor)</span> American actor (1904–1980)

Warren Reynolds "Ray" Walker was an American actor, born in Newark, New Jersey, who starred in Baby Take a Bow (1934), Hideaway Girl (1936), The Dark Hour (1936), The Unknown Guest (1943) and It's A Wonderful Life (1946).

<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.

"Agua Caliente" is the eighth episode of the American crime comedy-drama television series Terriers. The episode was written by Phoef Sutton and Jon Worley, and directed by John Dahl. It was first broadcast on FX in the United States on October 27, 2010.

References

  1. "The Aggression Scale (2012)". Amazon. Retrieved 24 June 2013.