Castle Falls

''Castle Falls'' is a 2021 American action film starring and directed by Dolph Lundgren in his first film as director since 2010, who produced with Andre Relis and Craig Baumgarten. The film co-stars Scott Adkins, Jim Chandler, Kim Delonghi, Dave Halls, Scott Hunter, Robert Berlin and Lundgren's real life daughter Ida Lundgren.

Plot

Mike Wade, a former MMA fighter who’s down on his luck and barely scraping by. He's working on the demolition crew for Castle Heights Hospital, an abandoned facility scheduled to be blown up in just a few hours. Unknown to most, the crumbling building hides a dangerous secret, $3 million in cash stashed away by a now-imprisoned gang leader who intended to retrieve it one day. With the building due to be demolished, that secret is about to come to light along with plenty of chaos.

While preparing the site, Mike accidentally discovers the hidden money. Seeing it as a chance to change his life, he decides to take it but he’s not the only one who knows about the cash. Richard Ericson, a corrections officer whose daughter is battling cancer, also learns of the money’s location. Driven by desperation to save her, Richard heads to the hospital to secure the cash before the building comes down.

To make matters worse, the gang that originally hid the money has gotten word of its impending destruction. They send a team of armed men to recover the loot before the entire place is leveled. As Mike tries to sneak the money out, he and Richard cross paths, and what starts as a tense standoff between two desperate men slowly shifts as they realize they must work together to survive.

The hospital becomes a battleground as Mike and Richard fight their way through gang members who will stop at nothing to reclaim the cash. With only 90 minutes left before the demolition, the clock ticks down as the two unlikely allies navigate the maze-like corridors, fend off attackers, and make tough decisions about morality, survival, and family. As explosions begin to echo in the distance, it becomes a brutal race against time to escape the building alive with or without the money.

Utilizing their combined skills and determination, they manage to defeat the gang members. With time running out, the duo escapes the building just before it collapses in a dramatic explosion. Ericson uses his share of the money to pay for his daughter's medical treatment, while Mike finds a renewed sense of purpose and hope for the future.

Production

In early press junkets for the film, The film was to be set in a condominium with Lundgren playing "Shea", one of two rival gang leaders and Adkins playing an ex-fighter working as a janitor who then accidentally stumbles upon the cash. This original synopsis can still be seen on some streaming services.

Cast

* Dolph Lundgren as Richard Ericson
* Scott Adkins as Mike Wade
* Jim Chandler as Foreman
* Kim Delonghi as Kat
* Dave Halls as Vince
* Kevin Wayne as James
* Scott Hunter as Deacon Glass
* Luke Hawx as Inmate #2
* Billy Culbertson as Inmate / Busted Lip
* Leslie Sides as Mayor's Assistant
* Melanie Jeffcoat as Doctor
* Ida Lundgren as Emily
* Evan Elise Owens as Cop
* Justin B. Wooten as Duke
* Bill Billions as Walsh
* Evan Dane Taylor as Fighter
* Eric Gray as Lando
* Meagan Bown as News Reporter
* Robert Berlin as Damian Glass
* Vas Sanchez as George
* Alicia Roye as George's Wife
* Meg Deusner as Social Worker
* Nathan Harris as Construction worker
* Ethan Melisano as MMA Fighter
* Samuel Puccio as MMA Coach
* A. Todd Baker as Mayor Lloyd Holmes
* Hassel Kromer as Construction worker
* Edward Hall as Security Guard
* Bruce Cooper as Mayor's Security
* Kourtney Harper
* Derrick Goodman Jr. as Prisoner

Release

Theatrical

The film has a limited release in the United States on December 3, 2021.

Home media

It was released on Blu-ray and video on demand on December 28, 2021.

Reception

Critical response

Debopriyaa Dutta of Screen Rant gave the film a positive review and rate it 2.5 stars out of 5 stars and she wrote: Sporting skilled choreographed action sequences, ''Castle Falls'' offers a mildly satisfying viewing experience despite a weak and muddled storyline. Jacob Walker of Starburst rate the film 3 out of 5 rating and praised the film's thrills, decent action and the chemistry of Lundgren and Adkins and he wrote: Once the action kicks off in the last third of the film, however, it’s loads of fun. Adkins delivers his modern blend of taekwondo kicks and MMA techniques with gusto, and the gunfights and battles are relentless until the end. Lundgren and Adkins work really well together, Dolph’s world-weariness complimenting Scott’s energy and determinism. You will be cheering this bromance on until the credits roll, they just needed to be on-screen together a little earlier.

Phil Hoad of The Guardian satisfied at the film and gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 and he wrote: Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins make a fine odd couple in this meatily satisfying action film - once it gets moving.

References

External links

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{{Dolph Lundgren

2021 films
2021 action films
2020s American films
2020s English-language films
2020s prison films
American films about revenge
American action films
American prison films
Films about orphans
Films directed by Dolph Lundgren
Films set in Alabama
Films set in hospitals
English-language action films