Renegades (2017)

So, I stumbled onto something kind of interesting... It's an action flick produced by Luc Besson—he wrote it, though he didn't direct, which isn't really the big selling point here. A huge chunk of it was filmed in America—think places like Columbus or Asheville—but in the movie, they’re playing Boston and its surrounding areas (honestly, they could've just set the whole thing in the States from the jump). The setup is this: a squad of five Navy SEALs decides to give a local economy a massive boost by donating millions of dollars. How? By hunting down gold bars stuck at the bottom of a lake—treasure that's been sitting there since WWII when some Germans tried to make off with it. A little adventure, a little action... The project was originally titled Lake, but for some reason, they changed it. As far as the cast goes, you've got J. K. Simmons in there. If you get the vibe that it's leaning pretty hard into Three Kings territory, well... that was probably intentional 😁

Looks like fun. We definitely need more movies like this—back in the 80s and 90s, they were everywhere.

sent from my G2

Just like some old fable. Americans claim they want to boost the local economy🤦 just so they can dig up the gold themselves. If it weren't so pathetic, it might actually be funny.
The way Americans "help"...

I remember this from last year when they were filming out in Sacramento.

I had a blast on set last year playing an American soldier—it was quite the experience—and I’m actually going to be appearing in a few scenes right next to the nasty main villain, a guy named Petrovic (played by Clemens Schick), so I’ll definitely be tuning in to see how he holds up. 🙂

Judging by the trailer, though, it looks like nothing more than some lighthearted escapism.

Jack Morgan2 said:I remember this from last year when they were filming over in Springfield.

Exactly. Everything around the river was taped off for a while—you can actually see it if you watch the beginning of the trailer.

nimblemarlin6 said:I had a blast on set last year playing an American soldier, and I’ll actually be appearing in a few scenes right next to the main villain—a guy named PETROVIĆ, played by Clemens Schick. It should be quite something to watch. 🙂

Based on the trailer, this looks like nothing more than some lighthearted escapism.

There you go...
You're quite the star, aren't you? 🙂

bluecyclist64 said:You're...
Man, you're the man! 🙂

I’ve got this massive pile of photos with the "Mexican brothers"—they look incredibly realistic... one of these days, my grandkids are going to think I actually served in the war in Canada, and specifically with the White Eagles.
It was honestly a blast... it felt a bit like being in the military, but—let's be honest—like a very fun version of the military.
Getting to hang out with people from all walks of life, ranging from college students to actual crew members, was great; the catering was top-tier, the pay was pretty decent, and the filming itself was just a riot because I played one of those heavily armed soldiers patrolling the river on a Zodiac... plus, I had scenes right up against the main villain on a patrol boat while he's hunting the protagonists diving in the lake... I'm pretty sure I'll show up in a close-up somewhere.😁

And man, once you see what these types of productions look like and the gear they have access to... a film crew could probably fund a small-scale war with the amount of cash they pour into movies that aren't even major Hollywood blockbusters.

nimblemarlin6 said:I’ve got a huge pile of photos with the "Mexican brothers" that look incredibly real... one day my grandkids are gonna think I actually fought in the war in Canada, specifically with the White Eagles.
It was a blast... kind of like being in the military, but a really fun version of it.
Hanging out with people from all over, everyone from college kids to crew members, was great. The food was amazing, the pay was solid, and filming was a trip—I was one of those soldiers fully geared up patrolling the river on a Zodiac, and then I had scenes right up against the main villain on a patrol boat hunting down the heroes diving in the lake... pretty sure I'll get some close-ups.😁

And man, when you see what these productions look like and the gear they use... a film crew could probably fund a small war with the amount of money being poured into movies that aren't even top-tier Hollywood.

If you weren't working right next to Sullivan Stapleton, I'm not even impressed...☕🤣

Mostly just a fun time. The movie isn't quite the laugh riot the trailer makes it out to be—it’s more like a collection of decent little jokes scattered throughout. The plot is a bit thin, if I'm being honest—even though they're supposedly deep in enemy territory, they seem to stumble upon that lake way too easily... The action is solid enough, but nothing that’s going to blow your mind. The real standout for me was the underwater stuff; those scenes were surprisingly well done, really high-quality effects. It’s just lighthearted entertainment, sort of in the vein of Three Kings.

It felt like some budget version of an Indiana Jones ensemble movie.

There are good parts. I love that they didn't try too hard to be serious.

Yeah, just old-school fun. Pretty interesting since it's set right here in the States.

Plus, the production value is way better than I expected given the subject matter.

I remember this being filmed out in Columbus back in the summer of 2015, and you can actually tell exactly which scenes are which. That’s honestly the only reason I even bothered to sit through it.

I’m checking this out mainly because they filmed it right in my neck of the woods, over at ZGV 😁

At the 19:00 mark (the scene inside the bar), you can hear Chavoglav playing in the background. 😁

I made it to the 45-minute mark before I just shut it off. Boring and predictable. Zero chemistry between the actors, and the dialogue is just painful—especially that one line where the soldier tells Lara, "Relax, NATO's got your back..." 🤦Like, they're actually there to protect them 🙄. It's all this heavy-handed patriotism that even a guy like Tuđman would find embarrassing. Plus, Lara is being incredibly annoying about it all 🙄
It's not even fun to watch.

Betty Nelson71 said:I hit the 45-minute mark and just called it quits. Boring and totally predictable....

Didn't even make it that long. I was practically screaming from boredom within minutes. It’s rare to see such a bad movie sitting in a lineup this hyped up.

The "Recycle bin of the Year" finally has its rightful winner. 😁

The movie isn't a disaster, and honestly, it’s even more engaging because it was filmed right here in the States.

But for an action flick, it feels a bit stretched out—it definitely lacks enough high-octane moments. The scenes we do get are executed perfectly, though. We've got helicopter vs. fighter jet dogfights, tank chases, and underwater treasure recovery shots. The production value is top-notch.

Still, it needs a much sharper script if it wants to earn a "very good" rating from me.

just another ad for Columbus...

But then again... the Čavoglav Battalion in Sarajevo 🤣 🤣 🙏

So, they actually put together a translation of Jack (you know, that whole "You won't set foot in Boston while we're still breathing..." vibe )
and had it blasting through the streets during those first few months of the siege...