2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
'Soul' pain ..., November 5, 2001
Dreary Canadian hybrid of the gangster and stranger-in-strange-land themes that doesn't work either as a shoot-'em-up or as a more straightforward innocent abroad story.
Judging by the intelligent interviews he's given, neophyte director/writer apparently has a lot more going on in his head than ever reached the screen in this disappointing and disjointed debut.
The story (what there is of it) is underdeveloped to the point of anorexia, the dialogue's banal and the unsteady cinematography ---which should have opened up Toronto's thriving expatriate Jamaican community --- conceals far more than it reveals.
The only redeeming points are Peter Williams' performance in the lead role --- with his chiselled good looks, magnetic screen presence and raw physicality, the writer/director's brother is a *noir* Brando in the making --- and a soundtrack that consists largely of some great reggae oldies.
Director Williams hoped to follow Soul Survivor with a sequel to the raw-edged Jamaican cult classic The Harder They Fall. Given that his grasp so obviously outstrips the reach of his talents, it's perhaps best for all concerned that this plan fell through.
That Stephen Williams is now toiling on bland, Canadian made-for-TV movies comes as no surprise. However, why his brother Peter hasn't gone on to much better things is a mystery that Sherlock Holmes would be hard pressed to solve.
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