Apparently, the worst thing to ever happen to Venezuela was “discovering the oil underneath it.” Yes, Long Gone Heroes has arrived in a blaze of glory to proclaim loudly that oil mining is bad, and corruption runs deep. Writer/director John Swab leans into every gritty action cliche in the book, collecting an ensemble of rugged actors in peak form. This title certainly may connect with all the dads who were once obsessed with Call of Duty, but its slow pacing could be problematic. Lacking a compelling focal point and too drawn out, Long Gone Heroes still manages to pack a few brutal punches to the action/crime genre.
As crime rates soar in Venezuela, Senator Olivia Peterson (Melissa Leo, The Fighter, Prisoners) approaches Gunner (Frank Grillo, The Purge: Anarchy, Kingdom), a special forces soldier. His niece—Olivia’s daughter—has just been kidnapped, and the journalist may have been snatched for getting too close to something juicy. Perhaps she pissed off the wrong people? Whatever the case, Olivia thinks Gunner would be perfect for the job. Those hoping Leo plays a big role in the proceedings will probably end up disappointed, as Olivia is merely relegated to bookending the action after doling out her “assignment.” Hey, at least we get Frank Grillo’s bulky arms instead, so who could complain?
Certainly, if on the hunt for eye candy, Long Gone Heroes offers plenty in that regard. In addition to Grillo’s Gunner, The Hunger Games and Future Man heartthrob Josh Hutcherson plays the nerdy tech dude, David. As Gunner crafts his team, he recruits David to build a satellite jammer, and a mission for “civilian extraction” has been launched. They traipse through the Venezuelan jungle, casually wandering across mini-bloodbaths as they attempt to infiltrate enemy territory. Finally, over an hour deep, the film finally gets to the explosions and frenetic gunfire action we have been expecting all along. The best visuals come during this long stretch, with a brawl between Gunner and baddie Moreao (Mekhi Phifer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, 8 Mile) being perhaps the biggest highlight of the entire runtime.
As the central Big Bad, Roman (action crime mainstay Andy Garcia, The Godfather Part III, The Untouchables) leaves much to be desired. Long Gone Heroes is never as gritty or fun as it could be, and does not feel like Swab’s hollow script has anything all that deep to say. As such, the film will be a typical time waster that wanders from one’s mind the second they either leave the auditorium, or once the credits begin to roll. The underwhelming ending evokes a shrug, calling into question why the first half was such a slog to get through. Predictability on principle does not always necessarily indicate a poor product, and there are certainly glimmers of a decent movie hiding below the surface here. Namely, David has a deeper subplot about his missing father that goes nowhere fast. While far worse actioners have popped up over the course of the year, it is difficult to recommend Long Gone Heroes when indies such as Boy Kills World or Marmalade are flying under the radar.
Try hard to find the point behind Long Gone Heroes, exclusively in theatres on Friday, September 20th.
