Released in 2019

Volition

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A victim of frequent precognitive flashes showing events yet to come, drifter James uses the advantages the flashes give him, to pull off petty crimes and cons.

 

However, when he ‘sees’ his own death, which is bloody and violent, at the hands of the current criminals he’s ensnared with, James knows that this time he must defy destiny, and find out the truth to escape his fate.

 

As he unravels the secrets of his own mind, he is pulled into an even darker, stranger web of different realities, where survival seems even more impossible.

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Imaginatively thought out, Volition is an original take on the multiple reality, mind-bending genre of thriller, so loved by Christopher Nolan, M. Night Shyamalan and Rian Johnson.

 

Going in blind, reading just a log-line, James’s flashes definitely give the film more of a supernatural feel than a Science-fiction feel and the first 35 minutes or so are intriguing, because of it. However, mid-way the audience is jolted from one movie, almost into another which is more Science fiction driven.

 

From here on in the plot lines twist and turn, with multiple story and plot strands until the final denouement, where all becomes clear…. or does it?  All depends on your stand point, and Volition certainly brings several to the table.

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The direction by Tony Dean Smith is good, and the actors are all pulling together really well. The vision for the film is ambitious and commendable, which is the film’s real strength. The score is minimalist and evocative, which helps to balance the film. As a poser, a nest of boxes and a cerebral exercise, Volition works, but the film struggles to engage and mesmerize as it could, due to so much emphasis being put on plot and not enough on the characters which feel cliched.

 

It is also notable that Volition, although fine visually, perhaps could’ve been stronger had someone employed a Director of Photography, which there doesn’t appear to be. For a 21st century Sci-fi/thriller, this was a mistake. Some of the shots do not sit well with the story, and there could’ve been a far stronger look throughout.

 

However, here is talent in the raw with touches of brilliance, and

The B Club’s pre-cognitive message is, watch this film and watch this space…... err, all of them!

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