Corrective Measures Review

It's impossible to review a recent Bruce Willis movie without thinking of the actor's recent aphasia diagnosis. It is a shame too, because even at his worst, Bruce has a screen presence like no other action star. But to my surprise, his "Corrective Measures" is far more entertaining than it has any right being. It's elevated by its script, not wrecked by it, leaving only the shabby production values to remind you that, yes, this is a Tubi Original.

Actually I misspoke there- our "Die Hard" star actually two new movies coming out today, the other being "Fortress: Sniper's Eye," and sorry direct-to-video fans, I passed on that one.

Don't get me wrong, "Corrective Measures" is in desperate need of polish, from what the actors say to where they stand (and how the stand too, but whatever), but writer/director Sean O'Reilly plants the seeds of something far better than what ends up onscreen, and I gotta commend him for that. There is an overwhelming feeling that everyone involved saw this as a chance to tell an actual story and not just to make a paycheck. And it's this a sense of passion here (not to mention a slight sense of humor) that gets the moderate recommendation out of me.

But it doesn't start out well; a clunky fight scene leads to the arrest of Payback (Dan Payne) for murder, and he's soon brought to a supposedly maximum security prison. You know, the kind with like three guards at any given time.

Oh I forgot to mention; it's a prison for supervillains. How's that possible? The "Pulse," if the notes I took are accurate, a nebulous event involving radiation. If there are supervillains, are there superheroes? The film never really answers that, but I guess it also depends on your definition of "hero."

Anyway, as I sat on my couch, wishing for a bowl of popcorn, I sank deeper into the cushions during the opening minutes. Payback is dreadfully uninteresting, and consists of him thrusting his chest high in the air and talking "tough." Fortunately, he is hardly a secondary character; in fact, there barely anyone who'd I classify as a lead.

If I had to, I'd vote that our real protagonist is fellow jail newcomer Diego, played by Brennan Mejia. His reason in the plot is to have a natural way for everything to be explained, prison life, inmate introductions, that sort of thing. But is there anything we're really rooting for with him? I don't think so. He's a wallflower, and someone forgot to water the plants.

Michael Rooker is my only other choice for a lead, playing the corrupt warden Delvin (only he prefers "Overseer"). Most of what he does involves sitting behind a desk, straining dialogue as if that alone makes it memorable. He does give it his all though, washing down popcorn (I was jealous) with alcohol during riots and acting aloof as he plans for his retirement. Looking at some of his more recent IMDB credits, I wonder how it must have felt going from a big Hollywood picture to working on something I'm sure was "bring your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch."

What about Willis? He plays "The Lobe," a "most dangerous criminal," talked about by the others as if he's this mysterious figure seldom seen. A sly jab at the performer's famously limited days on set? I'm not so sure. I prefer to think of it as a clever role for a man struggling to cope with his ailment, though it is not possible to say whether or not he was suffering at the time of filming. Picture this reduced screen time as a take on Hannibal Lecter, asking nothing except to provide the occasional cryptic response and looking around bored. He appears fatigued by the cardboard walls caging him instead of being disinterested with the fact that he's in a low-budget production; If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's a pretty decent performance.

There is the infrequent "breaking news" interruption, "PulseWatch," where bland reporters provide vague backstory on life outside of our motely incarcerated crew. There's a touch of humor too, reminding me of "Starship Troopers," only with nibbles instead of biting satire.

Any more on what actually happens in the story would be a spoiler, so instead I'm forced to talk about the production values, which are hilariously low. This is supposed to be where the worst of the worst are sent, but the set looks like leftovers from an 80's sitcom. The gym is less impressive than a hotel's fitness center, and I'm convinced the cafeteria scenes were filmed at my middle school.

Then there the logistical issues, including an inmate breaking off his shackle without nary a concern about cameras or guards looking his way. How is it secure!!? Oh I'm sorry, "nullies," an ankle bracelet that nullifies their powers. How does one crack a piece of seemingly advanced tech? A broken fork. I mean it's no screwdriver but I think that voids the warranty. Later on, all the prisoners are set free, and yet instead of trying to, you know, escape, they roam around and beat up each other.

But "Corrective Measures" remains a hoot, if not always for the right reasons. You can do a lot worse than this, even and especially on Tubi.