Rick Symons is a discontented man with a past he would rather forget. Never one to play by the rules, Rick’s luck finally runs out during an exercise at a reception for some of the forces top brass. With little else to do with him Rick’s commanding officer assigns him as a diver to the Air Force 40th Search and Rescue Squadron. The move brings him face to face with his past in the form of the team’s medic and his old friend who was crippled on a mission Rick should have attended if he'd not been in bed with his friend’s wife...

Stormforce (Windkracht 10: Koksijde Rescue 2006 - 1 hr, 56 min, 26 sec) is an action adventure story directed by Hans Herbots from a screenplay by Pierre De Clercq. The film was originally filmed in Flemish; however, the review disc had the English dub and nothing else, though the PR blurb does promise both audio versions on the finished disc. It also promises that the film will be presented in glorious 5.1 with a 16:9 widescreen picture instead of the odd letterbox version that they send out on the review disc. Also, apparently, the finished product will come with optional Spanish subtitles.

Even given that the review copy is presented with naff audio and a picture, with a black band all the way round, I still liked the film. In truth it’s a popcorn, no brainer, type of movie chock to the gills with clichés. So Kevin Janssens plays chiselled jawed Rick, the sort of man women want to be with, the sort of man other men envy, the sort of man dog like to lick. Sent to his new posting he is of instant interest to the female medic, but because of his past will she see past his rough exterior, will the men of his unit end up trusting him? Well, you get the idea. You could pretty much write this film after the first fifteen minutes. Even so, the cast play it straight, some giving pretty good performances, although the English dub is a little off-putting at times and holds two of the worst accents I’ve heard in a long time.

The director and his crew have done a sterling job at wringing every pennies worth out of their meagre budget and, notwithstanding the by the numbers script, they have produced an action thriller which stays this side of silly - a sort of Top Gun with helicopters. It’s pretty similar in its silliness to Top Gun and if you enjoyed that slice of testosterone then you should find this entertaining enough. With a better script this could have been a real winner.

6

Charles Packer