Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Director: Michael Polish, Icon Film Distribution.
This is an unlikely scenario: an evacuation order is enacted as a Category 5 hurricane approaches Puerto Rico. A thief who goes by the name of John the Baptist (David Zayas) robs a woman at a bank of a painting in her safety deposit box and gets an address before killing her and his colleague.
Meanwhile, a burned out police officer, Cardillo (Emile Hirsch), who is cynical with no inclination to help anyone, reports to work as a lowly desk officer. However, he’s told to go out with a colleague, Jess Peña (Stephanie Cayo) and evacuate anyone who refuses to leave their homes to a shelter.
It appears as if the storm that everyone should be escaping is instrumental in keeping everyone in the apartment building. There’s a poorly, retired cop, Ray (Mel Gibson, Braveheart, Mad Max), who refuses to leave even though his daughter, Troy (Kate Bosworth) is a doctor and has a bed available for him at the hospital.
Ray and Cardillo get into an argument, reflecting on a police-related incident 12 months earlier. Paul Bergkamp (Jorge Luis Ramos) also does not want to leave. While trying to convince Bergkamp to evacuate, Cardillo witnesses the building superintendent getting killed.
Also in the building is another man, Griffin (William Catlett), whose in trouble for trying to buy meat at the grocery store so he can feed his pet cat; and a bunch of ruthless crooks who are up to no good.
Polish (Twin Falls Idaho, The Smell of Success) appears disorganised when it comes to moving characters around the building. There’s a lot going on in this complex with the inhabitants and visitors being engaged concomitantly in numerous activities.
Force of Nature is available on digital platforms.
