Dark Asset review
Dark Asset has some narrative flaws and at times struggles to overcome its budgetary limitations but is an entertaining enough film.
Set in the not-so-distant future, a group of scientists have established a technology that allows them to influence anyone via a microchip. While it’s not outright mind control, the chip wearer becomes more open to suggestions like how watching a pizza commercial might make you hungry.
Dr. Cain (Robert Patrick, Peacemaker) envisions the chip helping the user — more specifically their handler — to access more brain function than possible than with the mind alone. With his crack team of Vivian (Sabina Gadecki, Entourage) and tech whiz Alex (Merc Winnick), Cain is ready to usher in the next phase of evolution.
The tech team is showing off their latest upgrade (and if it’s anything like iOS it’s only the newest in a never-ending rollout of minor fixes and patches) to the mysterious Agent Wilds (Shani Rigsbee). Wilds isn’t sold on the program but becomes intrigued when the latest subject John (Byron Mann, Arrow) shows some impressive, advanced processing skills.
But that quickly becomes a problem when John decides he doesn’t want to be a show pony and breaks out of the lab while racking up an impressive body count. Mann is a credible looking combatant and some of the best scenes feature him wailing away on some nondescript opponent.
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Director/screenwriter Michael Winnick then takes the film down an interesting path reminiscent of Lucky Number Slevin where a character shares his backstory with an intrigued stranger.
John meets a woman, Jane (Helena Mattsson, Surrogates), enjoying a drink at a restaurant and makes an offer too tempting to resist. All Jane has to do is listen to his story.
Winnick navigates the long-form recap format of the film relatively well. It helps that Mann has a smooth delivery and serves as the narrator with no trouble.
Mann and Mattsson play off each other well cultivating a nice chemistry that’s easy to see advancing to the bedroom. Mattson has a snappy delivery and presence that works wonderfully in this scenario where Jane isn’t sure what to make of this charming stranger.
John recaps his experience in the program and how he was sold on being of service to the country but learns Cain’s ultimate plan for the program. And that John isn’t the only one.
Winnick lays out the film well with smart transitions from the restaurant conversation to the recap. The back and forth with John and Jane comes off like a friendly game of tennis with playful interaction.
He does struggle at times with pacing. There are too many instances where Winnick replays sequences. That technique works better in sequels or TV shows when viewers might have forgotten important sequences. It’s more of an annoyance in a film that only runs around 95 minutes.
One weird aspect of Dark Asset is how the armed henchmen are mostly all clad in masks. This seems like a savvy method to keep recycling the same seven or eight stuntmen and stuntwomen from one scene to the next.
The budget isn’t high end, so Winnick has to get creative with the sets, which are mostly sparse with minimal decoration or extras roaming around in the background. Muzzle fire from the guns looks like it needed another pass with the CGI work and blood sprays even from full left to right side throat knife slashes are generally too neat and tidy.
In most instances, Winnick would have been better off just letting Mann punch and kick his way out of scrapes instead of worrying about shootouts that couldn’t look as good.
The final act does make good on the premise making the time invested in Dark Asset feel worthwhile.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Photo Credit: Saban Films