Hell Hath No Fury (2021).
Directed by Jesse V. Johnson
Written by Katharine Lee McEwan and Romain Serir
Starring Nina Bergman, Timothy V. Murphy, Andrew Bering, and Daniel Bernhardt
The Stage.
Branded a traitor by her countrymen, French national Marie DuJardin is rescued by American soldiers on one condition: to survive, she must lead them to a cache of gold that’s buried in a cemetery. Unfortunately, the Americans aren’t the only ones after the booty.
The Review.
This is an interesting war film. It’s like a low budget, one location version of Three Kings. Right from the start, you know what kind of grimy, bloody ride you’re in for as Marie and a Nazi commander Von Bruckner (played by Daniel Bernhardt) come upon a roadblock that’s set up as an ambush that does not go well for the attackers.
We then fast forward three years and the rest of the film takes place in a German graveyard as a small group of American soldiers tries to find the gold that Marie hid. The American soldiers aren’t particularly interesting, but the setting is neat. As the action unfolds, we’re treated to squibs and practical blood, which was a nice change from the CGI blood seen in so many films today. It really makes a difference. The sound design is quite good as well, and you really feel the gunshots as the World War II-era guns spit hot lead. There’s a knife fight between two soldiers that’s really brutal as well, and you feel the knife slowly entering skin.
Outside of the well done action, Hell Hath No Fury suffers from a weak script. During the graveyard action, we’re shown flashbacks that are to the film’s detriment, particularly a late reveal that’s shot in a way that feels like Jesse V. Johnson wants you to experience as a surprise, but due to what we’ve already seen in the film, you already know exactly what’s coming. Hell, the poster art gives it away. They’re clunky and don’t really add much to the film that couldn’t have been said in dialogue between the characters in present time. That late third-act reveal also leads to an ending that is really quite dumb and kind of left me rolling my eyes.
The End.
Hell Hath No Fury is a low budget, DTV action flick that delivers on what it advertises. It’s not a great movie, but it’s much better than the IMDB rating of 3.3 that this flick currently has. I’m not sure why it’s so low - this feels more like a 5 or a 6. Arbitrary ratings aside, the film is shot well and has some good, pulpy action, so if that’s what you’re in the mood for, this should hit the spot - just don’t expect a story that’s going to blow you away.
