david-sarkies Honestly, this movie is pretty bad. It is full of cliched characters and the plot is so unoriginal it literally made my eyes bleed. The only reason that I haven't given it a 1 is because the acting was half decent, which is somewhat surprising considering a bulk of the actors happen to be 'professional' wrestlers. Then again, they are wrestlers, and as we know, the whole wrestling scene are little more than scripted acts with no actual skill involved. Actually, I worked that out pretty quickly when one of the scenes was actually set at a wrestling match (and the sergeant was inordinately buff). Oh, and don't even get me started on the racial profiling. So, we have this cop that can't work with anybody else and likes to do things his own way (pretty cliched, I know), and he busts open a Russian gun smuggling ring but it put on suspension because he shot his partner just to prove that he was not a cop. Anyway, another Russian sends him a message with a video of a boy held hostage with a bomb strapped to him, and says that if he doesn't get millions of dollars he will blow the kid up. Oh, did I also mention that the bomb has a timer, so when they shoot the kidnapper, they then have to race against time to find the kid and defuse the bomb. Yep, pretty cliched. Oh, and there are some pretty unrealistic scenes in the film as well, particularly when he bursts into the Russian consulate, shoots up half the guards, and then not only beats up the ambassador but shoves a pen in his leg. Sure, the Russian crime boss comes after him later, but for some reason I don't think that has anything to do with the consulate because he had already upset him earlier in the movie. Oh, and not to forget that the Russian consulate happens to be a front for a gun smuggling operation - you see what I mean by racial profiling, the thing that I get from this film is that basically all Russians are crooks. Yeah, there really isn't anything about this film that sets itself apart from the multitude of other police dramas out there. Okay, I won't actually say that it is boring, but really, it certainly didn't suspend my disbelief. Oh, and need I mention that once the film is all done and finished, he actually doesn't get into any trouble, despite the fact that he beat up half the police in the station, and even kicked his captain in the nether regions. You see what I mean?

zardoz-13 "Turistas" director John Stockwell delivers an improbable but entertaining action thriller "Countdown" that qualifies as a genuine guilty pleasure. This WWF financed abduction opus concerns a mad Russian bomber who has strapped an explosives device to seven-year old child and demands a bundle of dough for his life. "Countdown" generates a sufficient amount of suspense and tension despite some uninspired performances. The derivative Richard ("Expendables 2") Wenk and Michael ("November Man") Finch screenplay manages to create some white-knuckled excitement as an iconoclast Seattle detective, Ray Fitzpatrick (Dolph Ziggler), scrambles against the clock—about five hours or so—to locate the adolescent against nerve racking odds. Stockwell proves himself a fair hand at staging the action with some competence. "Countdown" could have been twice as pulsating in the hands of a director like either "Bourne Supremacy" director Paul Greengrass or "Nightwatch" helmer Timur Bekmambetov. Make no mistake, Stockwell doesn't malinger, but "Countdown" should have been an exercise in white-hot mayhem. Indeed, towards the end, Stockwell succeeds in ratcheting up the pace. "Pound of Flesh" lenser Cliff Hokanson captures the action from evocative camera angles, while composer Claude Foisy accentuates the pace with a sizzling orchestral score. The cast struggles to convince us that they are the real thing. Given several years, Ziggler could develop into a capable actor. In the meantime, he handles the demands of the physical action with just enough verve to compensate for his superficial acting. Ziggler surpasses his pedestrian but attractive co-star Katharine Isabelle who isn't believable at all. Glenn 'Kane' Jacobs musters more credibility as Ray's superior. The opening scene is somewhat interesting because our audacious detective shoots his undercover partner to make a believer out of the arms dealer that he is trying to bust. Altogether, "Countdown" contains enough kick and tick to land somewhere between routine and above-average. The Seattle scenery is a feast for the eyes.

TJMBuddlake For DZ's first feature film, I thought he did a pretty phenomenal job, though I felt some moments he kinda felt stoic and not portraying enough emotion. The emotional backdrop of Ray Thompson's loss of his son was one thing I thought he shined with. He's a bit of natural, he's got it there but just needs to improve and show that he can take up a serious role. The story was absolutely intense, from the chases to the brawls to the crazy explosive escape. Everything was top there! It's no masterpiece but it's another great cop film with a very tense premise and real life atmosphere. My only disappointment was the WWE Live event setting, i thought it was going to be the main setting of the entire movie kinda like Sudden Death with Van Damme. All of the live action was just within the first act but the last half of the movie was just as intense as the beginning. Countdown is great but far from any action set masterpieces such as Die Hard. I give this movie a 7 out of 10.

nebk There are many words to describe this film, but the one I decided to use is goofy. The word cheesy would be equally as appropriate. It is an action flick brought out by WWE studios and stars Nick Nemeth as Detective Ray Fitzpatrick racing desperately against time to locate a kidnapped child before a bomb that has been strapped to the child goes off. In the process he must battle against Russian mobsters, corrupt Russian Embassy Officials and his own colleagues (surprisingly not Russian). As is often the case with such action movies there is a suspicion that the detective is in fact the one responsible for the child's kidnapping as his own son was accidentally killed by a drunk police driver and he never received compensation from the city. This accusation however gives him the chance to escape forcefully from a police station full of cops trying to stop him. Joining him on his frantic run through mayhem is officer Julia Baker (played by Katharine Isabella). She in fact is responsible for his suspension at the start of the movie and investigation into his barbaric tactics but obviously through the course of the film she realizes that Detective Fitzpatrick is an honest cop trying to do the right thing whilst evading his colleagues and the mob. In the process detective Fitzpatrick storms into the Russian consulate, overpowers the security and tortures one of the staff there who is secretly dealing explosives on the black market. And all that without causing an international incident. There are also gun fights, car chases and some wrestling moves thrown in for good measure. And at the end the hero obviously saves the day. The pros of this movie are that it's mildly entertaining In a leave your brain at the door type of way. There is action obviously and it's not too badly done. The cons however are the weak and clichéd storyline and the nonsensical flow of the movie. It seems to try to hard to insert various plot lines in order to make the movie seem deeper than it is. So overall a 4.5-5 out of 10. Could have been better though.