Name: Retro Film Review: Dad Savage (1998)
Item: Dad Savage
Rating: 50
Author: @drax

(source:tmdb.org)

Patrick Stewart used to be one of the most recognisable British character actors before getting the lead role of Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The series was immensely popular, but Stewart's career got sidetracked due to audience's unwillingness to imagine popular actor in any role other than Picard. Stewart, of course, didn't reconcile with this and tried to use any opportunity to show how versatile an actor he could be. One of such attempts was Dad Savage, 1998 British thriller directed by Betsan Morris Evans.

In this film Stewart plays Dad Savage, successful tulip grower whose lifestyle doesn't exactly fit the usual image of English country gentleman. Savage is great fan of country & western music and line dancing happens to be his favourite past time. The way he actually makes money is, on the other hand, much more interesting to Bob (played by Joseph McFadden) and Vic (played by Marc Warren), two workers hired by Sav (played by Jake Wood), Dad's son and their former school mate. When Dad's lieutenant H (played by Kevin McKidd) tells them about Dad's mistrust in banks and huge stash of money being buried in nearby woods, the two recently unemployed youths begin to get all kinds of ideas. But their plan goes terribly wrong and they have to find a way to escape Dad Savage's terrible wrath.

In its essence Dad Savage isn't very original film. Basic elements of the Steve Williams' script - criminal enterprise going bad, criminals having to figure out why it happened and how to get out of that mess - are taken from Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. Non-linear narrative structure, large body count and explicitness of violence also point towards Tarantino's film as major influence on the makers of Dad Savage. On the other hand, English countryside isn't the setting usually associated with Tarantino-inspired films. Because of that, Dad Savage doesn't look as derivative as most of Tarantino knock-offs. The film's greatest asset is, of course, dependable British cast with Stewart in truly memorable role of country gentleman turned into bloodthirsty vigilante. The acting alone, however, can't help Dad Savage to overcome limitations of its derivative nature. The film is entertaining, but even with formidable Stewart playing very un-Stewart character, many viewers would have to confront deja vu. RATING: 5/10 (++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on June 23rd 2004)