Day 2 of the film festival started with The Archer. The film features a some young talent and Bailey Noble does a solid job with the script provided. It’s a thriller, but a lot of the tension is slightly less intense than it wants to be. The film feels like a cross between the movie Holes and Hunger Games.
Archer doesn’t hit the bullseye…yeah…
Lauren Pierce (Bailey Noble) is a highly skilled high school archer who is sentenced to a girls reform camp called Paradise Ridge after beating up the boyfriend of her best friend. The camp is run by a former Olympic archer, Bob Patrice (Bill Sage), who wants to train Lauren to be better. When she finds out she’s going to be sentenced far longer than she thinks is necessary she plans on trying to escape.
Director Valerie Weiss and writer Casey Schroen take a feminist stance with this film. Every male character is an absolutely awful human being, and the audience wants Lauren to dish out punishment. There is the abusive boyfriend, a perverted guard, allusions to an ex-wife being too domineering, and a corrupt judge. It’s definitely noticeable that the men in this film are all seeking to keep women down or control them.
That’s where Katni…Lauren’s role really plays into the plot. She doesn’t need a man to be successful and the ones she’s encountered are not good examples. Her archery skills play a factor, but felt slightly contrived as it’s an unlikely pairing with Bob Patrice. An odd story choice that leads to a predictable outcome in the climax.
Final thoughts…
The film felt mediocre with Jeanine Mason and Bailey Noble being the only real highlights. Bob Sage felt like a knock-off Gary Busey at times, but a less entertaining one. The suspense did kick in well a few times, but really left no big surprises as the film plays out. The Archer earns the Decent Watch rating.
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