FILM INFO:
An ex-convict attempts to escapes his violent past in a small town, only to find that karma is a bitch.

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The Meek
( 2017 )
Written by: Harold Jackson III   |   Directed By: Harold Jackson III   |   Genre: Action   |   Length: 99 minutes.

Feature Film Review

  It's hard to escape your past. Past actions, past feelings, and of course - your past life. Sometimes no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you want to bury something, sooner or later the inevitable simply demands your company. "The Meek" is somewhat like that. It starts out all dramatic and anything but an action flick of sorts - feeling like it's trying to be something else completely. Maybe a life drama? Maybe a love story or a film about dealing with grief? Yet you've watched the trailer. You know what's coming. Harold Jackson the third has created an action movie. No matter how much that first act of the film tries to be something different... you know what's coming. It's inevitable. As much as you want to think our main character Josh may just escape his past life, you know that wouldn't make a good film. It can't be that easy. Can it? Then, concluding that first act of the film, with an ominous knock on the hotel door, you immediately know what's coming next. This is where the proverbial shit is going to hit the fan. It's at this point when "The Meek" begins to let it's true colors shine through. What was that? You thought this was a boring dramatic love story? Think again.
  There's no new formula here. No ground breaking story arc or technical elements that make "The Meek" something completely spectacular. This is the tried and true narrative we've seen variations of forever. You know what? That suited me just fine. There's something comforting and entertaining about a familiar story, with a new set of characters. You know what to expect - and go into the film using those expectations like your bag of popcorn. "The Meek" however, has something else going for it. An interesting look and feel to the film I was not expecting. On one hand, Harold Jackson presents a movie that "looks" like an independent film. It just has that feeling to it, visually. Maybe a slightly less than perfect shot, or an image that feels a little dark or blown out. Done well? Yes. Independent? For sure. Then you realize that at the same time, "The Meek" clearly has a larger budgeted studio look and feel as well. The way it presents itself and flows. The cinematic qualities that clearly separate it from the indie universe. You begin to realize that those qualities you thought belonged in the micro film world, actually do justice to the onscreen action in front of you. It all fits, and clearly you've been mistaken this whole time. It's actually quite hard to articulate, but "The Meek" has the best of both worlds, co-existing on so many levels. For myself, it was a good mix and really helped draw me into this dark little world.
  It also happened to be no surprise to me that the cast did a fantastic job. Having seen other works from Jackson, producing a film featuring some excellent acting was a given. He seems to have a knack for getting really strong performances from his cast. The directors gift... if you will. Writing down individual names is lately feeling a little insulting to me. Unless I name every single cast member. Let me just write that "The Meek" didn't feature any corn-ball moments from anyone. Nobody felt out of place, and the overall performances are a highlight of this film.
  If I did happen to have any complaints, it would be with the structure of the movie. Sort of. I wrote above, about the first act of the film feeling like something different than what I was expecting. Maybe it even came across as me praising this aspect. I did not. Not really anyway. "The Meek" almost feels like two films at first. Before anything "really" started to happen, it was over thirty minutes into the movie. Here's the real kicker... even though "The Meek" is really slow to start... it's not boring. It's just different than I was expecting, and different from the second half of the film. I understand the importance of character introductions. The importance of getting the viewers invested into these peoples lives. I just felt it was a little much. Clearly not all that bad, considering my personal rating for the film, yet noticeable none the less. The redeeming quality was that it wasn't a "crappy" first act. Just a long feeling one. I feel a few cuts, especially to some of the montage feeling segments, would fix this problem. The reduced length would also help achieve and maintain a faster pace. Again, not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Just something I happened to notice.
  "The Meek" is not yet ready to be taken in by the masses, but the premier is getting close. As of this writing, I have no date on when this film will become available to the general public, but do have their links and trailer posted within this write-up. As for the film itself, there are many elements that would be considered universally entertaining. This opens the film up to almost anybody who simply loves a good film. To Harold Jackson himself, along with the cast and crew, congrats. "The Meek" is something to be proud of. An entertaining adventure through-and-through - and a solid four out of five.

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