REVIEWS FOR INDEPENDENT FILM, LOW BUDGET FILM, SHORT FILM & WEB SERIES
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Cleo is your typical modern day professional. Devoted to her craft, willing to do the dirty work and maybe... just maybe a little bit on the lonely side. Who has the time to seek out a boyfriend when there's so much to be done? So, like many busy people, she turns to an online dating app and voilà! She has a date with Ryan. A charming photographer who seems to really be into her. Only - as luck would have it, this ends up being a working date. Cleo receives a last minute job that just so happens to be at the same place she was meeting up with Ryan. I did mention that Cleo happens to be a professional hit person right? You got it. She kills for cash and as I hinted at above, shes devoted and damn good at what she does. As Cleo excuses herself and takes care of business, so to speak, things get a little hectic. Nothing she can't handle - but when things go even more sideways after the fact, she wonders if her date will be able to handle the truth about her? They "had" a connection. She was sure of it. This type of work however, does not lend itself well to relationships. Will Cleo and Ryan get out with a second date? Considering this is a free short film to watch, there's no reason for you not to find out for yourself.
Now, I'm not going to lie and say things were perfect because some things - just were not. Yet this was overall, a really fun short film to watch. Production quality? Refreshingly good actually. The visuals were very clean and the audio was great. There was really no problem at all following along with the action, from a visual and pacing stand point. Francesca L White as Cleo nailed it. Owning the slightly lonely killer for hire on a blind date. Our other lead, Reuben Williams as Ryan, also had no difficulty with the demands of the script. That awkward feeling he, they, captured for the majority of this short film felt right. Believable. Sometimes it can be tough to get so much into a short film, but Daniel J Brant managed just fine. The dialog felt real and the pacing and direction was just what the doctor ordered. So what were my small issues with this piece? Well reader... mainly the blood effects during the final scene. "Dead Meet" comes across as a fun, comic-y short film... and it is. The blood however, just felt over the top comic book-y. I know some people will love it... I didn't. Personally, I would rather have seen no blood at all - than the cartoon splatters that looked remarkably like they came from an Andrew Kramer collection. Not that there is anything wrong with that - the action essential packs can look great if used properly. These just felt wrong for the film. For this film. In my humble opinion anyhow.
There's a lot of fun packed into this "under twenty minute" blast of action. It's a great blend of fighting, guns, and then the more normal side of life. Dating. Is that normal? This could easily be turned into a feature or series of some sort, the elements are all there. As a standalone short film it was fun and to the point. A solid three and a half stars. Why not set aside some time and see it for yourself? As I wrote above... it's a freebie and well worth the visit. |
