I’d heard Landmine Goes Click is a brutal and tense thriller. The title gets bandied about as one of those movies that surely defies its dire premise. Director Levan Bakhia and screenwriter Adrian Colussi followed this up with a more recent 247°F about some people trapped inside a sauna. It’s not hard to imagine what sort of storyline goes along with either title, however, both turned out differently than I expected.
It’s safe to say, Landmine Goes Click has a small cult following. Many of the reviews online favor the brutality and depiction of moral depravity as a highlight. As though the point of the film depicting that violence begets violence is some sort of revelation. In addition, the film explains that sometimes revenge isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And with that out of the way, I can say I’m not averse to over-the-top shock in my movies either. I do like a jaw-drop moment of unexpected blood-spatter, maiming, or even the occasional machete to the head. But this movie doesn’t really encapsulate the idea of entertainment.
If you’ve not seen this film, it follows three besties as they travel on foot in Georgia. Daniel and Alicia are soon to be married so invite a third wheel along. Chris is a favored friend to both and also counts as the best man. Apart from that, we don’t know a whole lot about the dynamic between them. We do of course know they like to play hide the sausage from time to time but that’s neither here nor there. For me, some additional information might have helped underpin the bond between them.
What Happens in Landmine Goes Click?
Landmine Goes Click does not waste any time-escalating things extremely fast. Just as you start to warm to Alicia’s (Spencer Locke) airy and happy demeanor, Daniel is throwing the word whore around. He’s planned a completely different sort of vacation and orchestrated the ultimate payback for a betrayal. Nothing says you’re dumped like planting a landmine on a mountaintop. If you can leave your newly ex-best friend teetering on a bomb to die you’ve really no need to slash anyone’s tires in the future. As Daniel trots down the mountainside with the accomplice to his evil scheme, he figures together they will work out how to save Chris from being blown into a million pieces. A shovel for a trench ought to ensure there is a bit of Chris left when the bomb goes off.
What should be tense is instead frustrating as Chris and Alicia are left to dig a hole big enough to save him from an explosion. The concept of diving into a shallow pit in a bid to outpace a landmine going off did not seem like a good plan to me. But why provide substance when you can watch two people talk about the possibility of disarming a device they know nothing about? The film drags out for all the wrong reasons in all the wrong places. This fact was a sticking point for me after watching the filmmaker’s follow-up film which had much the same issue.
Movies Where People Blow Up
By the time Ilya comes along and is instantly unperturbed by the scene, it’s obvious what’s on the agenda. He physically puts himself in the way of Alicia digging the hole in between bouts of negotiating the removal of clothing in exchange for him doing the manual labor. After all, girls can’t dig holes, am I right? When Alicia is finally assaulted the act goes on for a very long time. Far too long and with no reprieve from Alicia’s tear-strewn face.
Landmine Goes Click is uncomfortable viewing but for all the wrong reasons. The final act tries to impart some sort of remedy. However, with the addition of implying that Ilya’s unflappable torment was the result of a previous drinking problem, it all falls very flat. Every point of impact is squashed by a lack of care toward the characters within the story and the inability to create the appropriate atmosphere.
I give Landmine Goes Click
2 Landmine does not go click out of 5
Where can I watch Landmine?
Landmine Goes Click is streaming on:
- The Landmine Goes Click cast includes Sterling Knight (17 Again), Spencer Locke (Insidious: The Last Key), Kote Tolordava (Taxi) as well as, and Dean Geyer (Glee.)
- Writer-director: Levan Bakhia. Story by Lloyd S. Wagner. Screenplay by Adrian Colussi.
