Displaying items by tag: Jesse V Johnson

THIEVES’ HIGHWAY

US, 2025, 83 minutes, Colour.

Aaron Eckhart, Devon Sawa, Lochlyn Munro.

Directed by Jesse V. Johnson.

Contemporary Western about cattle rustling. The director, Jesse V. Johnson, has made a number of action films, especially with Scott Adkins. His film prior to this one also starred Aaron Eckhart, Chief of Station.

Aaron Eckhart plays a tough lawman, taking stock of the local situation, the complaints about cattle disappearing, a lot of detail about farmers and their predicaments and a certain helplessness in stopping the rustling. He is assisted by a local officer, a family man, played by Lochlyn Munro, who is killed by the rustlers. The brains behind the enterprise, the villain, is played by Devon Sawa.

The focus is on the cattle, the method used to steal, to disguise, to pass off the cattle on the trucks as legitimate, making for the Mexican border.

There are quite a number of rustlers involved, young and old, in fear of the boss, in dangerous predicaments and wounded, confronted by the authorities.

Aaron Eckhart’s character is stern, within the law, but very much a vigilante attitude towards the criminals, culminating in quite a number of confrontations, violent deaths, and the challenge of the chief criminal and the lawman seemingly in the situation of defeat.

For fans of small dramas, Western settings, aspects of the old Western in a film of 2025.

CHIEF OF STATION

US, 2024, 97 minutes, Colour.

Aaron Eckhart, Olga Kurylenko, Alex Pettyfer, Chris Petrovski, Nick Maureen, Daniel Bernhardt, James Faulkner.

Directed by Jesse V. Johnson.

Chief of Station is an easily enjoyable espionage thriller, 21^st-century style. He has quite some exotic settings, especially in Hungary as well as Croatia and, of course, in Washington DC.

In more recent years, Aaron Eckhart has been acting in films like this, for instance, The Bricklayer. And he has a reliable supporting cast including Olga Kurylenko and Alex Pettyfer.

A great deal of intrigue, a marriage, seeming betrayal, and assassination, from Russia, Eastern Europe, and the threat to the hero’s son.

And, some twists, and an exposure of a friend as a villain.

Seen many times but, of course, easily enjoyable.

1. 21^st-century espionage, the CIA, Eastern Europe? Clashes between East and West? Russian intervention?
2. The locations, the atmosphere of Budapest, Hungary, Washington DC? The musical score?
3. The credibility of the plot, espionage and international plots, greed, betrayal is?
4. Ben Malloy, his experience, his status in Eastern Europe, CIA? The relationship with his wife, the wedding anniversary, the dinner, the bomb, her death? The relationship with his wife, her work, not communicating details with her husband?
5. The return to Washington, the deputy chief and relationships with him? His work, information about his wife and her death?
6. The return to Hungary, work with his colleagues, John Branko as a longtime friend?
7. His son, IT expert, his relationship, living in Croatia, the plan for the meeting in Paris, his being abducted?
8. Evgeny, the clashes in the past, tongue in cheek friendship and collaboration? The thugs? The fights? Information about his wife? The attack on Malloy, Evgeny, the assassins?
9. John Branko, saving Malloy, the boat, the truth, torture, abduction of his son?
10. The role of Christine, a character, information, working with his wife? Interventions, helping?
11. The laptop, the information, the bribes, Malloy’s wife having the information about Branko and the official? The deputy director?
12. Nick, the kidnapping, the trade?
13. The buildup to the confrontation, and the expose?