“Rampage: Capital Punishment may not have as much emotional punch as its predecessor, and there’s also a sense of deja vu, but it’s still another decent little flick to arm the Boll canon.”
by Nav Qateel
Back in 2009 writer-director Uwe Boll had more success than usual, both critically and financially, with Rampage, and the majority of his core fans hailed it as the filmmaker’s best movie thus far. Because of the subject matter it understandably caused a stir, especially with gun control being such a hot-button topic. It wouldn’t surprise me if Boll’s follow-up caused an even bigger stir. You can read our new interview with writer-director Uwe Boll here, as the filmmaker talks about Rampage: Capital Punishment and offers his thoughts on gun control.
Rampage: Capital Punishment sees the return of the disenfranchised and very angry Bill Williamson. Bill created a bulletproof suit of armor, then went on a shooting spree, ultimately killing a lot of people. After coming out of hiding and creating another bulletproof suit, Bill takes over a TV studio and using the employees as hostages, orders them to play a video he prepared earlier. Bill Williamson’s message is simple. “Kill the rich.” (See the attached trailer)
- Rampage: Capital Punishment
- Written & Directed by
Uwe Boll - Cast
Brendan Fletcher, Mike Dopud, Lochlyn Munro - Release Date
19 August 2014 - Nav’s Grade: C+
*****
Bill has decided to come out of hiding because he wants to have his latest rant broadcast to the American public. Murdering lots of people certainly got Bill tons of attention that last time so it’s no wonder he thinks if he repeats the act, and thanks to a bloodthirsty media, his message will go out extremely quickly. “I wanna give you the facts. The U.S. government is funded by the rich, and it keeps the people on the brain-level of children.”
Apart from sporting a new beard and bulletproof attire, Bill has changed very little since we saw him last. His anger is a bit more focused, but it also appears to have intensified. Five minutes into the film sees a casual Bill wearing his armor and holding two automatic rifles. Positioned in small side street, Bill seats himself in a folding chair then opens fire on all the passers by, killing most of them.
Lochlyn Munro plays one of the studio hostages, “Chip, the famous news anchor.” As the film opens and Bill is getting himself prepared, he’s watching TV, where Chip is talking about whistleblower Julian Assange. On TV Chip continues talking: “There’s nothing rational we can do about irrationality.” Did he really just say that?! Perhaps the reason Bill settled on Chip’s studio for his attack, was just Chip’s bad luck, but for whatever reason, Chip is chosen to play Bill’s recording then interview him.
I thought it was a great idea–as well as amusing–for Uwe Boll to play the US president in his movie Apocalypse Z. Boll rarely appears in his own films but he at least put in the effort this time. Boll plays Chip’s boss, a studio head who sees the potential for making serious money out of the hostage situation. When Bill came across the studio boss hiding under a desk with Chip, he ordered him out while calling him “baldy.” It was interesting that Boll wrote his character as one who practically epitomized what Bill was fighting against.
As far as the film itself went, it was pretty much standard Uwe Boll fare–with one exception. I felt Boll previously had a problem with pacing that didn’t seem to improve as every other aspect of his filmmaking had. But his last few movies have displayed a greater level of maturity, plus the issue of pacing has been fully addressed in this film. This feels like Boll’s most accomplished movie to date, and one hopes the prolific filmmaker continues to improve. For all a lot of people complain about Boll’s low-budget creations, he supplies affordable entertainment for the masses.
Rampage: Capital Punishment may not have as much emotional punch as its predecessor, and there’s also a sense of deja vu, but it’s still another decent little flick to arm the Boll canon. There were a couple of scenes that were powerfully written and worth mentioning here. The first involves a couple of bums Bill occasionally comes across, and the second arrives right at the end, and involves a short exchange Bill has with a little girl. Once you see the scenes you’ll know what I mean, but as I don’t want to give anything away, I’ll say no more.
Screener supplied by PHASE4FILMS
