The Workout, co-written and directed by James Cullen Bressack, is a found footage movie. By which I mean the characters themselves are recording what they are doing/what’s happening, and the entire narrative is presented that way. This isn’t a video recovered from a crime scene or some such; think more Chronicle, less The Blair Witch Project or the first-person stylings of Maniac and Grace: The Possession. Does this high-octane revenge action-thriller, co-written by David Josh Lawrence, work in such a format?
Wyatt (Peter Jae) and his wife, Becca (Galadriel Stineman), are making a video to promote their gym and workout routines. Becca’s brother Levi (Josh Kelly) is helping out the expecting couple with the filming. Unfortunately, a few ruthless gang members break in and, despite valiant efforts across the board, beat them all to a bloody pulp. Wyatt wakes from his coma a month later and learns that Becca died, though their baby girl survived. Wyatt, a martial artist, decides to hunt down everyone involved and make them pay. Unfortunately, the injuries he sustained mean that seeking revenge could prove fatal to him. Why was Wyatt and his family targeted, and by whom?
The major drawback of The Workout is its editing. The transition from one person’s camera to another character’s video can feel jarring. It is not every edit that feels this way, but enough of them do that some sequences become hard to follow. For an action film that specializes in gunfights and hand-to-hand combat, this does detract from the atmosphere.
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“…learns that Becca died, though their baby girl survived. Wyatt, a martial artist, decides to hunt down everyone involved and make them pay.”
But when the action works, it is a full-force blast of fun. This is primarily due to Jae’s mastery of martial arts and screenfighting. It is evident throughout that the actor did his own stunts, or at least, the majority of them. This allows all watching to buy into the emotional journey and brutal intensity of the main character. A capable cast surrounds Jae, and each actor delivers good performances and engages in the action scenes with the right amount of energy.
The narrative is also quite involving. There’s a twist that hits one in the feels in a big way. The big bad’s motivation makes sense, as does Wyatt’s desperate need to avenge his family. By keeping the daughter alive but potentially slowly killing Wyatt, Bressack and Lawrence instantly gain audience sympathy and have an emotional throughline that remains engaging and heartbreaking for the entirety of the swiftly moving 83-minute runtime. Wyatt and Levi get a few scenes that feel so grounded that it is a wonder the two aren’t actual in-laws in real life. The dialogue is pedestrian on occasion, mainly when the villain and his/her lackeys are involved, but never flat or dull.
Overall, The Workout tells an emotionally dramatic story through some (mostly) brutal and high-energy action sequences. Jae is a great lead, emoting believably and beating people to a bloody pulp with ease. While the “found footage” aspect makes some of the editing difficult to follow, this is still an entertaining ride and proves Bressack’s chops as a visual storyteller with a focus on character development.
"…an emotionally dramatic story...brutal and high-energy action sequences."
