An Act of War
DIRECTED BY: Ryan M. Kennedy, WRITTEN BY: Ryan M. Kennedy, STARRING: Russ Russo, Natasha Alam, Doug E. Doug and Robert Miano, GENRE: Drama, Thriller, War, RUN TIME: 99 minutes, RELEASE: 2015.
SYNOPSIS: An Act of War is a 2015 war drama written and directed by Ryan M. Kennedy, which serves as his début feature film and a powerhouse flagship for his career launch. It is the recipient of several awards including 'Audience Choice Award' at Amelia Island Film Festival (2014), 'Best Director' Award (Ryan M. Kennedy) - Take Two Film Festival - NYC - 2014, 'Best Film' Award (Atit Shah and Ryan M. Kennedy) - Take Two Film Festival - NYC - 2014 and 'Best Leading Actor' Award (Russ Russo) - Take Two Film Festival - NYC - 2014.
The film centres around Jacob Nicks, a war veteran who returns home from an extended tour of duty in the Middle East, only to discover a new enemy far greater than any that he has faced before. Battling insomnia & undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, Jacob finds a job as a projectionist, working the night shift at a ramshackle theatre. As he struggles to adapt to civilian life, Jacob quickly finds himself tangled in an inescapable web of seduction, addiction, & violence. His disdain for those around him reaches a boiling point, and he embarks on a new war against society, vowing to take drastic action against it in an attempt to defend the country he loves.
Taking on the role of Jacob Nicks is accomplished actor Russ Russo, whose credits include feature/short films and TV series such as A New Wave (2006), Donner Pass (2011), Revolution (2012), Blue Collar Boys (2013), Heat Wave (2015), and The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (2016).
An Act of War takes a brilliant and hard-hitting approach in its delivery. This is not an action packed thrill-ride of psychological breakdown and mayhem, but a masterful slow-boiling character piece that sits you firmly in Jacob's tormented world and demands your undivided attention from start to finish. Though An Act of War has opening and closing segments of colour, it is filmed predominantly in grey-scale. This is one of the best uses of black and white filtering that I have ever seen. Not only does it give the film a classic 'Noir' feel, but it also detaches the viewer from having any great sense and realization of a specific era (even though we know that this is set following the events of a modern-day conflict) and instead allows the viewer to experience Jacob's dark, troubled and unbalanced mind as he struggles against the demons of his past horrific experiences in battle that look set to destroy him. Whether this was designed with inspired intent, or just a wonderful result of personal viewer interpretation, this is certainly the effect that it had on me, and it enhanced the films affect and authenticity brilliantly. It is impossible to watch An Act of War with any sense of emotional detachment. Whether you have had personal experiences with mental health issues such as depression, PTSD etc. or not, An Act of War will hit you hard and take you on an intentionally emotional roller-coaster that has an amazing claustrophobic feel to it, as you take the haunting journey with Jacob and feel as locked into the struggle with the same lack of escapability as the character himself.
So let's talk about the character. As I have already stated, An Act of War is a character piece, and any film that centres around the experiences of a particular individual requires an actor of a certain calibre to carry the films message and engage its audience from the very start until the closing credits. To that end, the casting of Russ Russo was a flawless decision. The character of Jacob is undeniably unhinged deep down, but trying to get through life as good as he can, with as little social interaction as humanly possible. He is quietly inoffensive and likeable loner, and every thing he does seem to be the act of a structured routine to help him to get through each day whilst trying to avoid the trigger that might see him descend fully into the mental breakdown that threatens to torment his every moment and destroy him completely. There is an arguable awe of sadness and desperation about him, and you get the feeling that Jacob has been completely abandoned by society. Firstly, this is the work of obvious great writing, but it is Russo's exceptional performance that really brings it home as a viewer.
Russo's softly spoken and gentle approach to the role is multi-effectual. You really do feel for his character and experience his internal battle with him, but it also produces a frightening intensity that has you gripped firmly to the edge of your seat. Although he outwardly comes across as a quiet, respectful and gentle man, there's no escaping the feeling that he is a coiled spring waiting to unravel and explode, and you just sit there waiting for it to happen, taking in all the factors that look set to send him spiralling out of control and falling foul to his serious mental health issues. It is an Oscar-worthy performance that deserves a wealth of world-wide recognition and critical acclaim.
There are also some great stand-out supporting-role performances from the likes of Natasha Alam as Ivana, Joseph R. Gannascoli as Jacob's thoroughly dislikeable boss Frank and a marvellous turn from the much-loved Doug E. Doug. He really does bring his character to life.
An Act of War is certainly not the first film to tackle the matter of PTSD, and it won't be the last, but it is without a doubt one of the greatest and most influential out there. Sadly, there is a handful of films out there that take this very real and traumatic subject and use it for nothing more than artistic creation and profit. Fortunately, An Act of War is not one of them. This is a story told with painfully emotional realism, that perfectly highlights the silent struggles of those suffering this terrible illness. An Act of War is haunting, emotional, terrifying and truly stunning in its delivery. The thought-provoking performances from the lead (Russo) and the supporting cast is beautifully framed by great and focused direction and sensational cinematography. If you haven't seen this film already, then go and watch it right now, but be prepared for the emotional ride that it will take you on.
Check out the trailer below.