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With: Luke Evans, Rory Culkin, Alex Pettyfer, Stephanie Leonidas, Rudy Pankow, Savannah Steyn, Zac Adams, Lorraine Burroughs, James Oliver Wheatley, Julee Cerda, Gary McDonald, Charlie Rawes, Laura Hopper
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Written by: Phil Allocco
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Directed by: Phil Allocco
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MPAA Rating: R for drug use, violence, pervasive language and some sexual material
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Running Time: 109
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Date: 03/08/2024
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Squeeze Slay
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
An ambitious multi-character piece with strong messages about the nature of violence, Phil Allocco's crime drama 5lbs of Pressure often bites off more than it can chew, but enough of it works to make it worthy of a viewing.
Adam (Luke Evans) is released from prison on parole, after serving sixteen years for murder. He wants very much to start fresh. He finds a place to live and a job as a bartender, and begins trying to make contact with his teen son Jimmy (Rudy Pankow), whom he hasn't seen since infancy. Adam's estranged wife Donna (Stephanie Leonidas) is not very excited about a reunion.
Meanwhile, the brother of Adam's victim, Eli (Zac Adams), is angry about the news of the murderer's release. Eli occasionally does drug deals with his pal Mike (Rory Culkin), who works for his sadistic, abusive uncle Leff (Alex Pettyfer). Little does Eli know that Mike is having an affair with his girlfriend, Lori (Savannah Steyn), and that they are planning to leave town. All these threads converge one fateful night in Adam's bar, and nothing will be the same again.
Written and directed by Allocco, 5lbs of Pressure — the title references the force required to squeeze a trigger — is likely a low-budget affair, and it sometimes feels like it has been forced to take short cuts, especially as it hurtles towards its solemn ending. But it's wise enough and heartfelt enough to spend some time setting up its characters and this complex situation that involves violence, and its opposing responses, revenge and forgiveness.
Its yin-yang characters Adam and Mike both seem a little intellectually challenged, blundering through life the best they can, trying but often failing, and sometimes making wrong choices. Yet these behaviors feel organic, springing from the characters themselves, rather than from the filmmakers' mistakes.
Meanwhile, Allocco is confident enough to handle the intertwining plot-threads deftly and clearly, leading up to its sad, vicious-cycle denouncement. 5lbs of Pressure may feel a little lacking at times, but its good intentions and ambitious execution put it over the top.
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