To Hell With a Bullet (2015)
Starring Trenton Rostedt, Danielle Vasinova, Ronnie Gene Blevins
Directed by Vick Wright
A singer makes a deal with a very shady individual in order to keep his voice pristine… yet, it comes with a price. Hold up, I’ve now figured out how all those kids on “American Idol” pull it off! All joking aside (wink, wink) – director Vick Wright delivers the audience a VERY oddball tale of a man who is on the brink of losing it all and, with one signature, sets in motion a series of events that could run what he’s fought so hard to get back.
Billy Quantreaux (Rostedt) is a rock and roll wanna-be to the core: His lifestyle echoes some of the headbanging-est greats that have blazed a trail before him. He drinks, he snorts blow, he lays around, and he is looked at by his bandmates as an afterthought. He’s lost that moneymaker of a voice, and even his stripper-girlfriend, Dallas (Vasinova), has reached her limit with his endless array of crap.
Just when things couldn’t hit the wall any harder, they take a most horrific tumble… actually, it’s Dallas who takes a tumble when she and Billy get into an argument and he shoves her away. She falls onto one of her spike-heeled shoes, killing her instantly. Now this isn’t the kind of thing an irrational, coked-out miscreant like Billy can handle, so he does the “responsible thing” – he stuffs Dallas into the bathroom tub until he can get his head together – smart move, indeed. As this little slice of drama plays out, he receives a call from a very prominent record producer willing to give him and his band a listen – problem #2 on Billy’s growing list.
Reaching back into his frazzled mind, Billy remembers a chance encounter with a mysterious doctor (Timothy V. Murphy) who offered him the opportunity of a lifetime: to get his singing voice back in full power. All he has to do is sign a teensy-weensy little contract on the dotted line. Now, sober minds would spot the red flags from a mile away, but Billy has a body in the bathtub that occasionally comes back to life (or so he believes), a building manager breathing down his neck, and an overly nosy redneck neighbor (Blevins) that has an idea of what’s going on in Billy’s apartment and will only keep his trap shut if Billy makes it worth his while. Long story short, the contract gets signed, Billy’s pipes are sounding “A” class, and that’s when all hell comes a-knockin’.
I’d love to say that I was riveted by all the actions here, but this was simply one of those movies that acted like a tired hamster in an exercise wheel: No matter how hard the fat little furball runs, the wheel spins much, MUCH faster, and with all of the inane actions piling on top of each other time and time again, you’ll want to hit “stop,” then “replay,” and hope for a different outcome.
Rostedt’s performance makes me think that if Bill and Ted had a long-lost cousin, he would be it, and the acting all around is fun to watch, but don’t expect anything mind-blowing in complexity. Everyone seems to be reading off of cue cards at one point or another, and if not, then their lines were Sharpied on their forearms…WHEW. Murphy, who can play a bad guy like no one’s business, brims with sinister intentions but sadly isn’t used nearly enough to kick this mess up a few notches. I will, however, offer up serious kudos to the Aussie rock group Airbourne for supplying a killer hair-metal soundtrack – it’s got 80’s sounds written all over it, and I loved every minute.
Overall, I can only offer this: Maybe if upon rental or purchase of this mind-bending rock star dive into hell, you could imbibe heavily (or engage in other activities), and possibly this film will come into focus once all the smoke clears… that smoke IS from the fires of Hades, correct?
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
