Story: A bank heist has just been pulled off, executed at a high level and for a rich payoff, though some innocent people were harmed and even killed in the robbery. Jacob (Frank Grillo) was the on duty bank manager at the time and while he is still coping with the trauma from the event, the police seem to think he was involved. The heist crew not only made off with the ill gotten gains, but they wiped out the bank’s video console and disabled all cameras. As such, the authorities believe it had to be an inside job and that makes Jacob the central suspect. Now he needs to clear his name and he will need help to do so, which has him reach out his neighbor, ex-cop James (Bruce Willis). But with both the police and the real crooks on the hunt, can Jacob make sure justice is served?

Entertainment Value: Reprisal is another in the Bruce Willis direct to video universe and while it isn’t an unpolished gem, it does have some bursts of fun at times. The story is passable and while predictable, stays on track and even throws in some twists, so for the Willisverse, Reprisal at least gets some point for effort. The fun happens when the movie either falls flat and there’s unintentional humor, or when some b movie magic sneaks in, neither of which is that often. But we do have some fun moments and Reprisal remains at least watchable in even its more dire stretches, so I was never tempted to bail or let sleep overtake me. I will say this feels more like a crime thriller to me than an action movie, so keep that in mind as well. The action scenes are minimal and to be honest, even when the action does pick up, it is cheap and more humorous than impressive. But the pace isn’t bad and the movie overall is watchable, so for Willis fans, you could do much worse.

This one has several familiar faces from the Willisverse, including Frank Grillo, who carries the lead role in Reprisal. Grillo is a competent action performer, but here he has to rely more on his dramatic skills, since the action is infrequent. I didn’t mind his effort here at all, but it wasn’t that captivating and I think he would have done more in a supporting role. He is passable, but the script doesn’t do him a lot of favors, so his performance was a little hamstrung in that regard. Even so, actors can sometimes find little ways to spice up a role and by turn, the movie, though Grillo comes up empty handed in that aspect here. Bruce Willis has a smaller role of course, on par with his usual screen time in these direct to video flicks, so his fans should be pleased. He doesn’t have a lot to do, but his presence brings weight and of course, his star power will pull in some viewers. The cast also includes Tyler Jon Olson, Johnathon Schaech, Natali Yura, and Olivia Culpo.

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