The President of the United States relies on a 13 year old Finnish boy for survival in the action/adventure Big Game. Oskari (Onni Tommila) is a boy in Northern Finland, who is sent out into the wilderness on a coming-of-age hunting trip. He comes across the escape pod of US President William Allen Moore (Samuel L. Jackson), who was forced to eject from Air Force One, after it was attacked by the terrorist Hazan (Mehmet Kurtulus), with the help of traitorous secret service agent Morris (Ray Stevenson). While the Vice President (Victor Garber) tries to locate Moore with the help of a CIA expert (Jim Broadbent), Oskari sets out to guide the President to safety. Big Game is the type of film that doesn't get made too much anymore. The film is reminiscent of the adventure films that came out all the time in the 1980s and 1990s. While best classified as an action/adventure, there is also quite a bit of comedy in Big Game. Much of the comedy comes at the expense of Samuel L. Jackson, who plays the President as a bit of a wimp, who is more about looking tough than being tough. Of course, the film also features many Jacksonisms, including a very crowd-pleasing line towards the end. Even though Samuel L. Jackson receives top billing in the film, the film is all about Onni Tommila as Oskari. It is sort of amazing that a 13 year old Finnish boy is able to stand on equal footing with a star as large as Jackson. While Oskari and the President's wilderness adventure was a joy, the scenes of the Vice President and CIA searching for them came off as little more than exposition. Still, Big Game ended up being a very enjoyable and crowd pleasing action/adventure/comedy. 8 | LIKED IT Screenings:
-
Saturday, September 6, 9:00 pm – Scotiabank Theatre 12
-
Saturday, September 13, 2:30 pm – Scotiabank Theatre 12
