Film Reviews

A Man Apart

• Rating:
• Director: F. Gary Grey.
• Starring: Vin Diesel, Steve Eastin, Timothy Olyphant, Larenz Tate, Jacqueline Obradors, Geno Silva, Juan Fernadez, Jeff Kober, Mike Moroff, Emilio Rivera, Marco Rodriguez.
• Details: US /110 mins / (18).

DEA agents Sean Vetter (Diesel) and Demetrius Hicks (Tate) have been tracking the infamous leader of a drugs cartel, Guillermo 'Memo' Lucero (Silva), for the past seven years. A well orchestrated bust in Tijuana and a thrilling chase sequence leads to them finally getting their man. However, it isn't long before a group led by a man known only as Diablo emerges to annex Lucero's turf. When Diablo's men kill Vetter's wife (for no apparent reason), our hero swears vengeance. Starting out promisingly enough, for the first thirty minutes or so, A Man Apart appears to be a competent enough thriller, albeit one based around a thoroughly unoriginal premise. Unfortunately these foundations are swept aside the second that Vetter's wife is killed and bloodlust dominates. Indeed, the longer A Man Apart goes on, the messier it becomes, with narrative logic and cohesion becoming the first major casualties. Lurching from one gun friendly action sequence to the next with no sense of distribution, A Man Apart falls asunder under the weight of its own pretensions and limitations. On the plus side, Diesel's got charisma to burn and he makes this sorry mess bearable. Well, almost.

Review by Garreth Murphy