Shakedown (2002)

NOTHING NEW BUT SHAKES!!!!

Director Brian Katkin delivers an over the top action thriller, that not only has a devastating earthquake, but a bank robbery and a mad religious fanatic set to release the deadly Pandora virus on the world because his son was killed in an FBI raid. While the CGI earthquake effects are far from great, the movie's fierce pacing and some neat performances from Ron Perlman, Erika Eleniak and Wolf Larson combine to make this a lot better than it should have been. There's so much chaos going on it's hard to keep up with. What's really "amusing" is that even after the earthquake all but levels the bank, the robbers, SWAT team and terrorists continue shooting like nothing happened.
Far-fetched and implausible, SHAKEDOWN nevertheless delivers an earthshattering experience! October 7, 2004

A Rumble in the Rubble ...

Welcome to B-movieland!! For that's what Shakedown unfortunately turns out to be. Billed as a disaster/bank heist/raving loony-type-terrorist kindova of movie, poor Shakedown doesn't really succeed at being anything at the end of the day but a bit of a mish-mash.

The cast isn't bad though, with a nice well-rounded performance by the good-humoured Wolf Larsen and Erika Eleniak doing her best to keep up, the action trips along very nicely, thank you very much.

But the real star of the movie is Ron Perlman, whose scene-chewing performance as the deadly-dangerous religious nut St Joy steals every scene he is in. In a part that could be hammed to death, Perlman plays it straight - and turns in a creepy, chilling performance that is waaaaay too good for a film like this. If the producers could have put him in every scene the result would have been a godsend in a film full of stock footage and very shaky (if you'll excuse the pun) CGI work.

But if you like lots of maniacal gunfire, a nonsensical plot and some pretty personable acting, then Shakedown may just be the film for you. July 14, 2002

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