Reckoning

In Reckoning writer-director-producer, Carl Monego stars as a minor league baseball player Kevin. At 35, Kevin feels that if he does not get called up to the majors now, he’ll never achieve his dreams, so he considers using steroids. Complicating matters is his daughter Colleen (Madyson Healy), whose mom just moved to the city with her significant other, and Kevin’s pregnant girlfriend, Laura (Sarah Matthay). And during practice, the injury that has kept him from being called up is giving Kevin grief, though his mentorship of up-and-comer Chris’ Hollywood’ Sanchez (Zack Beyer) seems to bring back his old spark for America’s pastime.

From the jump, Reckoning strains credibility. While an average retirement age for baseball is hard to pin down, most seem to agree that after 30, things begin to slip. While a great player, like Nolan Ryan, can last into his 40s, that is not the norm. So, the audience never buys into this being Kevin’s last shot, as it is clear, especially with the injury, that he’s well past that hill, even with the use of steroids. Switching it up a bit, and having Kevin receive an offer to be a coach for a huge team, say the Boston Orioles, which is still a cushy gig in the realm that’s his passion, instantly makes the story so much more palpable.

“…minor league baseball player Kevin…feels that if he does not get called up to the majors now, he’ll never achieve his dreams, so he considers using steroids.”

The movie also suffers from a multitude of audio issues. It sounds like the dialogue and ambient noises recorded on set, or location, were not ADR’d or put through any kind of post-production mixing at all. In one scene, as Kevin is fixing a sink, the dialogue between him and Laura is perfectly clear and fine. But, a scene between him and Colleen’s mom outside, near his car, is almost inaudible, as the dialogue is drowned out by all the ambient noises of the natural and human-made world. Sadly, the movie never finds the right balance, so some scenes are too quiet, others are far too loud. It makes for a frustrating watch.

The final issue with the film is its biggest one: the story simply ends. For all its build-up, for all the plot threads put forth, there is no payoff, Reckoning just stops. There is no resolution to Kevin’s steroid use. How did becoming the sole custodian to Colleen change his mindset on both the steroids and the world at large? What will happen between Kevin and Laura? Sadly, due to the way the movie ends, there aren’t any scenes establishing anything one way or the other. I would warn of spoilers, but there is literally nothing to spoil, as nothing is concluded. Even with the implausibilities and audio issues, there is something here in the drama that hooks the viewer, but because the credits abruptly begin rolling, the journey is hardly worth it.