In Reckless, action star Scott Adkins teams up with director Elliott Montello and writers Matthew Robert Kelly and Stu Small to bring this action comedy, in the vein of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, to streaming.
The film starts quickly with an armored truck heist by a band of robbers disguised in masks featuring the design of the British flag. The comedic tone is set when they need to figure out a numbered code to access a lock and settle on 007, which works! After the heist, an airplane hangar has been designated as the rendezvous point for the team. First to arrive is Devon (Adkins), along with his girlfriend Veronica (Kirsty J. Curtis), but it’s crickets — no one else shows up until the police suddenly arrive. Devon thinks on his feet and uses his phone as a prop gun while pretending to take Veronica hostage. However, Devon’s plans are foiled when the phone rings and he has to pick it up because it’s his mother calling, and he’s promptly arrested.
Five years later, Devon is released on parole. All he wants to do is get his share of the money, reunite with Veronica, and go live his life. His first stop is to see George (Jordan Long), one of his former fellow robbers. Meanwhile, at his office, George is making unwanted sexual advances toward his bookkeeper, Kimber (Nicole Deon), and during a struggle, he gets his throat cut by a vase. Unfortunately for Devon, this happens just as he arrives, and before he can get any answers, George dies. It now looks like Devon is on the hook for killing him.
The news of Devon’s release and George’s death gets back to the big boss, Trent (Vinnie Jones). He suspects that Devon is out for revenge over the double-cross during the heist, when in reality Devon has no clue about Trent’s involvement. Trent decides to send The Bishop (Mark Strange) to take out Devon. With George now dead, Devon makes his way to see Toby (Gavin Fraser), another ex-associate involved with the heist, with Kimber along for the ride. The clock is now ticking for Devon to get the answers he wants, and more importantly, his share of the money before The Bishop finds him.
“… an armored truck heist by a band of robbers disguised in masks …”
If I had to compare Scott Adkins to an actor from back in the day, it might be Michael Dudikoff from the American Ninja franchise. Dudikoff was a B-level action star, enough to put him in cheap action films and get them rented on home video, but not the kind of person to greenlight a theatrical film. I viewed Scott Adkins as the same type of guy. He’s managed to be the star of lower-budget action films suited best for streaming while relying on the strength of his martial arts skills to carry them. This might be the first time I’ve seen Scott Adkins stretch beyond that lane and show there’s a real comedic side to him backed up by some acting chops. I was impressed with how he delivered this role as Devon. At the same time, don’t get me wrong, the movie does have action in it, and he relies on that to help drive the film, but since there’s comedy involved, some of the fight choreography is allowed to be a bit sloppy.
If I’m giving props to Scott Adkins, then there definitely has to be a shoutout to the film’s director, Elliott Montello, for getting him there. Although the film has a simple plot, Montello manages to make it a lot of fun through fast edits and by adding visual flair with vignettes to introduce new characters. I had to look up his credits, and there’s a music video background that you can clearly see implemented here. Even the score and soundtrack fit appropriately during transition scenes and help the pacing of the film.
If you’re looking for a Guy Ritchie or Jason Statham-type film, for a B-level action comedy, this will do.
"…a lot of fun through fast edits."
