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★★★★
Directed by: Tim Earnheart
Written by: #TimEarnheart
Starring: #GiannaMarie, #CorrieFleming, #SJoeDowning, #KatelynAnderson, #AyubaAuda
Slick and fully cranked, short film Ricochet from filmmaker Tim Earnheart is a case study in action #filmmaking. Taking a no-holds-barred approach to blood and gore, this movie's Panic Room meets The Strangers meets Kick-Ass dynamic is a refreshingly bold outing for short cinema.
Gianna-Marie plays Ana, a seemingly typical girl when we meet her asleep after a Mardis Gras party in her house. What is most definitely untypical about this situation is the giant vault in her house where Corrie Fleming stands gagged with tape. Add further chaos to the proceedings when three masked intruders turn up laden with a plethora of weapons.
Tinged with a comical tone and a garish aesthetic, Ricochet is a short film that isn't trying to reinvent the wheel or take itself too seriously. That's not to say what transpires is not excellent filmmaking, just that audiences can go into a viewing knowing that Earnheart has done his #cinematic homework. The spills and thrills come thick and fast, with slow-motion utilised in case you need a longer, voyeuristic look at the violence. The sound design is thumping in case you dare think of drifting away from the action into a reverie.
Where the short movie does have an added and distinct difference is the use of a #scifi element, which I won't spoil. Crossing genres like this is an ambitious endeavour and one that, sadly, needed a feature length running time to do justice to. That being said, hats off to Earnheart for packing his film with so much content.
The performances are uneven. Gianna-Marie does superbly with the physical requirements of her character but struggles to elevate the Action Movie 101 dialogue. Some awkward and throwaway one-liners, whilst humorous, stole any real sense of peril or investment from the viewer. The same goes for Corrie Fleming, who needed a few quieter moments to do some actual acting.
It was excellent to see two females take the lead with ass kicking sequences. The novelty does get referenced several times (“Daddy wanted boys”), however, this didn't take up huge amounts of time or get delivered with condescending exposition. Instead, Earnheart just lets his gals go through the familiar and entertaining motions of home invasion brutality.
Visually and atmospherically supercharged, Ricochet is unapologetically action cinema at its most comfortable. However, the addition of a few cinematic nuances make it a noteworthy piece in 2019’s short films list and mark Tim Earnheart as a filmmaker to watch.
Watch the official movie trailer for Ricochet below.
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