When it comes to family, it's all or nothing for Frank Grillo in this intense extraction thriller. Gunner, a special forces operative haunted by the horrors of war, is thrust back into action when his niece goes missing in South America. As he leads his team on a rescue mission, they uncover a sinister plot—a corrupt private operation with deep ties to his own family. Long Gone Heroes is the fifth collaboration between director John Swab and his favourite leading man Frank Grillo and it shows. The star seems to be enjoying himself with Swab allowing him the freedom to act, rather than just brood and smack people around. The trust and respect between the director/actor pair is a joy to see on screen and the director surrounds his star with a strong cast of familiar faces including Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games), Andy Garcia (The Godfather Part III), Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and Eden Brolin (Yellowstone)
The story, written by Santiago Manes Moreno, doesn't bring much new to the table, especially within the world of extraction action films. Julia, a young gung-ho journalist played by Eden Brolin, daughter of Josh Brolin, digs up more than she bargained for in Venezuela and is kidnapped. Her mother (Melissa Leo) is a senator and the sister-in-law of Gunner, an ex-Special Ops guy played by Grillo brilliantly.
She asks Gunner to ‘go get their girl' and once his team is assembled, including Josh Hutcherson and another long-time Swab collaborator in George Carroll (Gone Baby, Gone, The Running Man), they head off from the US to South America to save Gunner's niece.
Things don't quite go according to plan, and those holding Julia captive have a history with Gunner – not the good kind. The rest of the film follows the team trying to complete their mission and get back home whilst facing a whole slew of adversaries (including Mekhi Phifer and Andy Garcia) in a country overrun with political difficulties and where no one seems to blink an eye at a group of people running around with firearms. Those native to South America may notice the location move from Venezuela to Columbia, a result of some issues during production. But the majority of viewers will likely just enjoy the ride. There are some good fight scenes and great set pieces and despite the solid cast around him, Grillo enjoys the lion's share of the screen time, allowed to do the thing he does best – kick some ass. With his favourite actor in tow, John Swab proves himself a name to look out for.
Long Gone Heroes is available on Digital Platforms 24 March and DVD 7 April. Distributed by Signature Entertainment.
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