Growing up, we would always hear about the monster under our bed or the monsters in our closet. The boogeyman that scares us. Eventually, we learn that it is all in our heads and shadows are just shadows. Nothing more, nothing less. However, we do find out there is evil out there that is out in plain sight. I recently saw the film Narco Sub directed by Shawn Welling (An American Ghost Tail 2018) written by Derek H. Potts (Last Astronaut 2019) about a man will becoming a criminal to save his family.
Narco Sub’s current plot does not go into details on what to expect, which I am sure will be covered more on the back of the physical release. This is a shame because it features some immense talent: Tom Vera (Monstrous: Interview With A Killer 2021), Tom Sizemore (The Relic 1997, Atomica 2017 – read our review here), Robert Lasardo (Bloodthirst 2021 – read our review here), and even Lee Majors (Six Million Dollar Man TV series). I do admit that it’s a good thing not to reveal too much to the viewer and spoil the movie. I must give them credit for this, because in an age of accessible media, spoilers are a given for just about everyting.
There are some things that need to be addressed in this film. The action sequences do not hold up. They could have been a little more choreographed, but instead, appear to be that of bad wrestling moves in front of a live audience. There are also some plot devices that COULD work if they were focused more. At times, Narco Sub feels rushed or just not believable. The scenes just fall short where the actors do not really connect to the plot or have any chemistry together.
This is a shame, because Narco Sub does have some great actors. Robert Lasardo and Tom Sizemore have some great chemistry together, especially in one scene at the end where Tom is saved, but even then, it falls short of believable. We see this with Lee Majors as well, who is a great actor. It feels as though one of his scenes was filmed too quickly. The film could have been better as perhaps a miniseries where each episode could focus on the characters and the story giving the cast and crew time to work on the scenes more, especially focusing on character development for Sizemore and Lasardo, who deserve more credit and more time. Making a film is not easy. It takes a lot of work. Perhaps the film fell victim to time and money, but I have to give Welling credit for making a movie with some big names.