Homefront

In the opening of this crime melodrama, undercover Interpol/DEA agent Phil Broker (Jason Statham) leads a raid on a Shreveport meth lab, where ringleader Danny T (Chuck Zito) is arrested, but the latter's son is shot—prompting a vow of retaliation. Two years later, Broker—now a widower and resigned from government service—is living in rural Rayville, LA, with his 10-year-old daughter, Maddy (Izabela Vidovic). Much to the concern of her teacher (Rachelle Lefevre), Maddy has become a very feisty kid since her mother died—even punching out a schoolyard bully. Despite an apology, the bully's drug-addicted, menacing mother, Cassie (Kate Bosworth), dispatches first her husband (Marcus Hester), and then her brazen, meth-peddling brother, Morgan “Gator” Bodine (James Franco), to exact revenge. So Broker is forced to protect not only his daughter but also himself against sneering Gator and his skanky biker-turned-barmaid girlfriend (Winona Ryder). The backwoods ante is upped when Gator discovers Phil's former profession and offers to reveal his location to imprisoned Danny T in exchange for participation in a statewide meth distribution network. Based on a novel by Chuck Logan, director Gary Fleder's Homefront is a ferocious, profanity-filled revenge flick that fails to distinguish itself. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (9 min.), a “Standoff” production featurette (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for an unremarkable thriller.] (S. Granger)