There’s a lot to like about Tony Dean Smith’s Volition, which had a festival run last year and is now available on major digital platforms. That being said, if you’re a veteran genre film fan, you might be able to predict where his script, co-written with brother Ryan, is heading. Considering the premise and the tight plotting, that didn’t make it a deal-breaker for me, though.
Adrian Glynn McMorran plays James, a world-weary man who exists on the fringes of society. He’s behind on the rent for his shabby apartment, he earns a meager living on sports gambling, and he’s not above a little petty theft. His life seems to be the sum of a series of bad choices, which is strange, as James is clairvoyant. His visions of the future aren’t fully formed, though. They’re more like fragmented glimpses. While he’s often used this ability to his advantage, it feels more like an affliction to him. See, they always come true, try as he might to change them. As a cog in a deterministic machine, he’s become resigned to his fate, though he doesn’t know all of the particulars of what’s ahead of him. Destiny comes calling when he accepts a job involving millions of dollars in stolen diamonds from a gangster named Ray (John Cassini), even as love arrives in the form of the troubled but resilient Angela (Magda Apanowicz). There’s more to James’ prescience than meets the eye, as we soon discover, and both James and viewers will be forced to reevaluate all that we’ve seen. Other notable supporting roles include Frank Cassini as Ray’s ex-con cousin Sal, hulking Aleks Paunovic as the murderous Terry, and Bill Marchant as James’ foster father Elliot.
As I stated above, the Smith brothers tread some familiar ground with their basic story. However, they keep their cards close to their chest in the first act, eventually providing an interesting reveal that changes our notion of what type of film this is. It’s a double-edged sword though, as it delivers a legitimate surprise that also locks down the narrative. I wouldn’t say this is a Noir flick, but there are some Noir inflections that do add some flavor. The writing itself is tight and polished, spiraling toward a seemingly inevitable conclusion. The dialog is naturalistic and fits snugly into the street level sci-fi aesthetic. Characters are interesting and relatively well fleshed out. Only Angela’s role seems slightly underwritten, even as she’s pivotal to the plot.
I enjoyed the performances quite a bit. McMorran is warm and authentic as our slightly roguish lead. His vulnerability colors the piece throughout and it’s easy to root for him. The Cassini brothers make for believable gangsters and don’t go over the top even as they exude differing shades of subtle menace. Despite Angela not getting that much to do, Apanowicz grounds McMorran’s work by being the audience surrogate, filtering some of the larger ideas at play through the common person’s perspective. Paunovic is fun as the beastly but not particularly bright Terry, and Marchant is engaging as the gentle but sad Elliot.
Though it’s more of a thriller than an action piece, the action is competently staged. DP Byron Kopman gives us clear views of fistfights and moments of introspection while obscuring aspects essential to the story’s sleight of hand. Shot on location in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, urban rooftops and suburban idyll provide a quietly realistic background for the characters and events to play against. Editing, credited to a group of folks, carefully pieces the story together, making complex continuity fairly easy to follow. Makeup effects are nicely done, with various wounds looking legit and wince-inducing. There’s one major moment of CGI that’s gratuitous, even if I understand its intent. It brings a certain weight to the scene, but it’s pretty ostentatious in a film that’s otherwise pretty low key. Matthew Rogers’ score is downbeat and trippy, staying in the background while hitting on appropriate emotional beats.
Tony Dean Smith’s Volition gets a little predictable once we get to its central conceit. However, it’s not without its merits including tight writing and game performers. At 91 minutes, it tells a surprisingly complex story that touches on mind-bending topics like the idea of free will and the nature of time. Though it’s best not to dwell on the rules the film makes for itself, I found it to be entertaining overall. I also think the Smith brothers have a strong grasp on genre mechanics and I look forward to future endeavors, even as I hope they make an effort to color outside the lines a little more. Recommended, with caveats, for fans of grounded, low budget sci-fi, hard-luck heroes, and philosophical determinism.
Michael Cavender