American Badger
American Badger
He goes by the name Badger because his real name is Dean, and that's the lamest name ever for a hit-man. But really, it was his ex-wife that gave him that name before she died. Since her death he has been a recluse; like all American Badgers. In fact he has hardly spoken a word to anyone except his Handler in 4451 days. But all that is about to change with his latest assignment. His job is to make friends with a call girl and extract information from her about the inner workings of an Albanian gang she works for. Her name is Velvet and she is the closest thing the Albanian mob boss Vasily has to family; she is like a daughter to him -- in the most twisted way - a sex trafficked daughter. The Badger isn't good at making friends, but he's excellent at following orders; so despite his initial objections, he finds Velvet and makes an awkward, yet heroic introduction. Even though he identifies himself as a hardened recluse, he quickly realizes that he is much more vulnerable than he thought he was. As their new friendship takes a sharp turn into an unlikely romance, his Handler tells him that it is time to kill the girl, Vasily's partners, and Vasily himself. What does a badger do when it is cornered on all sides? Badgers are very territorial and will fight to the death to protect the things they care about. The ensuing carnage was to be expected, but the freedom and confidence he gives Velvet was something that nobody would have seen coming.
jackmeat reviewedJuly 14, 2025
My quick rating - 4.3/10. The story in this one is extremely played out. Another hitman is assigned to take out a girl, but ends up having feelings for her and finds himself at war with basically everyone. For a low-budget flick, this one actually has some pretty nice fight and action choreography. It doesn't shy away from violence either, which I would assume would be common play when you kill people for a living. I wasn't a fan of the hooker turned target part of it. How they tried to bring that together was a stretch. Kirk Caouette as the hitman was an interesting take on a tried character. At least he gave it some originality to a standard persona. But unfortunately, that is about all the positives I can drag out of this. The villains are so stereotypical, and the acting all around is less than average. I wish they could've just come up with something that at least veered off the usual path a little bit to give it its own style ,but instead it is just a rehash. Not upset I watched it and I believe action movie fans will be fine with it (the fight scene with the knife on the floor is one I haven't seen since old school 70s kung fu flix), but it is a one-view and done entry.