Brian Smrz
24 Hours to Live

Some films, rather than being outright bad, are characterized by a lack of content or because the story is told insufficiently: in such cases, there may be a lack of a main idea that supports the film, or it is poorly developed, often due to 'cutting' operations done for strategic reasons, which can result in gaps that are either incomprehensible or will never be filled.

In this particular case, we probably have both a base idea that is itself quite weak because it has been overused in both science fiction and action films, and a development of the film dynamics that is deficient and lacking in adequate emotional and adrenaline-fueled content for what is supposed to be a sci-fi action movie.

Directed by Brian Smrz, '24 Hours to Live' is a new science fiction film made in the USA, entirely built around actor Ethan Hawke, who has become a constant in Hollywood sci-fi productions, and this is also because he has honestly shown over time that he can perform well in productions of the genre at all levels.

In this case, he plays the role of Travis Conrad, a former commando who, after his discharge, embarked on a career as a paid assassin for important international clients. At the beginning of the film, we discover that his wife and son were killed under unspecified circumstances the previous year, and we find him on the west coast fishing on the beach with his father-in-law Frank, played by another genre icon, actor Rutger Hauer.

Despite deciding to quit, unable to forgive himself for his absence while his family was being killed (numerous flashbacks show his wife inviting him to stop and stay with them rather than continue that type of activity), Travis, once contacted by his friend and former comrade Jim Morrow, agrees, enticed by a very large payment, to complete one last mission for a mysterious company operating in Africa called Red Mountain, which is interested in eliminating two Interpol agents in possession of a dossier about the company.

Travis then travels by plane to Hong Kong where, under a false identity, he contacts one of the two agents, the beautiful Lin (Xu Qing). The two spend the night together and the next morning, Travis cannot kill her because he is emotionally involved and also because he knows she has a child the same age as his. So he decides to leave the hotel and quit, but as he walks away, he is killed by Lin, who had guessed his initial intent and, clearly unaware of his 'redemption', shoots him in the street.

At this point, however, the sci-fi aspect of the film intervenes. Travis indeed wakes up from death unexpectedly after undergoing a special procedure by Red Mountain specialists, who give him another 24 hours of life to interrogate him and learn what he knows about Interpol's findings, but Travis not only refuses to cooperate, he practically turns against them and escapes captivity, determined to spend those final hours of his life getting revenge on those who used him all those years.

Having discovered the true nature of Red Mountain, a paramilitary organization conducting experimental surgeries on human guinea pigs, especially children, kidnapped from African villages at the borders of Namibia, Travis, despite his precarious health and increasingly frequent hallucinations, will spend those last 24 hours allowing the person who killed him, Agent Lin, to save herself and her son and to deliver the dossier to Interpol's top officials before Red Mountain can seize it. The rest of the plot is a succession of action scenes that are for the most part quite predictable and not very exciting. In my opinion, shot in an overall unconvincing manner.

'24 Hours to Live' offers an idea, that of an action movie where the hero has limited time to complete a determined mission, which is certainly not original. As stated, the theme has been widely overused. But the problem, however, is not really this because I believe this is a formula that will continue to work for 'indefinite time' in the history of films of the genre, but rather the too many elements introduced within the plot that are never fully developed and in any case the lack of a certain pathos in the acting from the actors, perhaps only notable in Paul Anderson’s role as Travis's friend and former comrade, Jim Morrow, but who is given a limited role.

The acting of the main actors, instead, Ethan Hawke primarily and Xu Qing, is not exactly poor, but certainly flat and lacking in special sparks like the whole film, which really isn't worth dedicating your time to.

The only cult scene worth mentioning: in the frantic finale where Red Mountain tries to eliminate Travis at all costs, a couple of agents sneak into father-in-law Frank's house, but instead of being caught off guard, he takes them out with gunshots in front of his doorstep with the coolness of a veteran. A little scene made especially for Rutger Hauer and a fitting homage to a 'champion' of B science fiction films who, as they say, still has a few bullets left to shoot.