Nerds That Geek Movie Review: 'Standoff'

​Written by Scott Edwards

When times seem tough and you don’t think that you will be able to get by, there are always people that are willing to help. Most of the time you turn to your friends for this kind of help, but sometimes they are not willing to have your back and strangers may be your only salvation. 

Sometimes the kindness of strangers is the only thing that you can depend upon, even when you may never see them again. Just a passerby with a big heart can be the one thing that you need to get yourself going again and while you may try to avoid them, the kinder ones will make sure that you are alright and making it through the day.

Visiting the cemetery with Roger, little Bird is taking pictures and checking out her parents' grave. Promising not to take pictures of the funeral that is occurring at the same time, something strange happens as gun shots rattle off. Watching as the funeral goers die, Bird does the only thing that comes to her mind and takes photographs of the killer without his mask on. Running back to the car to tell Roger what she has just witnessed, she finds out that he is in the graveyard looking for her. Seeing Roger get killed by the dark assassin, Bird makes a run for the nearest safe place she can find, but the killer is hot on her heels.

Yelling for help, Bird is stopped by Carter and he sees how distressed she is. Not having time to ask what is happening, Carter is shot in the leg and is forced to get Bird and himself into the house before the killer is able to finish the job. Being met by a gun blast of buck shot, Sade, the assassin, makes his way into the house and is ready to make a deal with the hillbilly, who is completely unaware of what is going on. With an offer to give up the little girl on the table, Sade tries to wear down Carter by being friendly, but he does not know who he is really dealing with. Exploring all of the opportunities being laid out for both sides in this standoff, Carter and Sade will not stand down from their positions and the life of little Bird is stuck in the balance.

I love movies that prove that less is more and feature only a couple characters that you actually get a chance to care about, including the bad guy from time to time. Trying to wear each other down, Carter and Sade show that no matter what, they will not bend to the others man's will and give up. While Bird is the prize for whomever wins, she wants to help and learns plenty about life while waiting to see what fate has in store for her. The interactions between all of the characters in this movie are just fantastic and even though you get to see a psychological game going on, you get a couple jokes as well to lighten the mood. Even though I expected a lot more action, there is enough to keep you entertained, but the mind games are what really sell this movie and make it one of a kind. 

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