“In the wrong place”: the weak and predictable film by Bruce Willis that sweeps Netflix | REVIEW

Almost with the fingers of one hand you can count the characters of “in the wrong place“…happily! This low-budget thriller, released in US theaters in the middle of last year, is one of the last films that Bruce Willis recorded before retiring due to a serious illness, and has just arrived on the Netflix streaming platform.

“Wrong Place” –as it is titled in its original language– tells the story of Frank Richards (Bruce Willis), a man notoriously scarred by two family tragedies. The first, the cancer suffered by his only daughter, Chloe (Ashley Greene), just over a year ago. And the second, perhaps even worse, the violent death of his wife in a car accident that occurred precisely the night they were talking in a restaurant about the unfortunate medical diagnosis of his daughter.

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Haunted by both, Frank, as if that weren’t enough, lost his job at the local police station after being framed indirectly for the death of his spouse. For the latter, he makes a living as head of security at a pawn shop, where he receives sympathy from his boss, Jerry (John D. Hickman).

So far we have described the framework under which the argument of “in the wrong place”. Problems begin to arise when we move from description to action.

At the close of one of his working days, Frank Richards hears noise outside the pawn shop. When he decides to go check – and here is the reason for the title of the tape – he ends up witnessing an attempt to settle accounts by a drug dealer and his son against a distributor who, apparently, did not do his job properly. And at some point, when the ‘boss’ has already subjugated his future victim, the ex-police officer makes his appearance to, with dramatic parsimony, intervene in the situation.

The mention of parsimony does not have to do exclusively with the character of Frank Richards. “in the wrong place” has a generally slow development. From ‘vehicular’ movements focused through the skies (with the help of drones), to dialogues, through interrogations, fist fights, and even shootings.

Parallel to the story of the ex-policeman who came face to face with a crime scene, “in the wrong place” introduces us to two secondary characters who little by little are gaining presence. The first is the aforementioned Chloe, a young woman who finds reasons to be happy in little things. She decided to visit her father, Frank, at her lakefront house. While the second is Jake (Michael Sirow), the son of the drug dealer who now has the task of exacting revenge against Richards, who is responsible for his father’s imprisonment.

Although neither of them has an overwhelming presence, as the characters of Chloe and Jake get closer, their differences in profile become more noticeable to us. Frank’s daughter, who is on her way to his house with his girlfriend Tammy (Stacey Danger), shows ease and self-confidence. At the opposite extreme, the son of the drug trafficker is introverted and seems very attentive to the validation that his imprisoned father can give him. That’s why he decides to go look for him in prison to offer him all his support, receiving in return recriminations like “Your mom made you who you are” and demands like “she acts smart and fast out there.”

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As we anticipated, at some point in the plot, Chloe and Jake meet because the former is going to visit her father and the latter goes to the same place to kill him. At this moment, not only does the action begin, but the film’s weaknesses begin to emerge dramatically.

If at any time we think that “in the wrong place” was the story of a man tormented by an unfair fate, at this point we are already in a thriller where two women try to repel the attack of an armed lunatic. And if Chloe is skilled, brave and strong, Jake seems to have the opposite, showing himself as a rabid villain, but slow and clumsy.

To the already mentioned slowness of the movements, to the use and abuse of redundant dialogues, the film directed by Mike Burns adds a series of external elements that only subtract more points in the final analysis. From hidden ‘pits’ where villains hide and burn their victims, to policemen who, due to their inexperience, make unusual mistakes.

This last point precisely reveals a missed opportunity in the plot. Officer East (Texas Battle), Frank Richards’ successor as Pelham police chief, doesn’t feel ready to succeed him, so at some point during an interrogation he seems to implore him for advice, to which our protagonist barely responds with “It doesn’t matter what I believe”, “Now you rule” and “Let me know what you need”.

Now, does everything show “in the wrong place” it is bad? Maybe not. When Chloe affirms and reaffirms that “being close to death has taken away her fear” (although it is not a 100% original phrase in the cinema) it is convincing. Along the same lines, the affective relationship between Frank’s daughter and Tammy certainly works to dispel the permanent police aura. Perhaps both strengths basically respond to Ashley Green’s performance as the ex-cop’s daughter. Without a doubt, we are facing the best input in the midst of a weak and predictable story.

Finally, maybe it’s time to take a license and not be so drastic with Bruce Willis’ on-screen performance. Not only because it is about a man fallen from grace by the vicissitudes of fate, but fundamentally because of his undeniable contribution to cinema, an industry that when it saw him in his best roles (“Sixth Sense”, “Armageddon”, “The Fifth Element”, ”, “Pulp Fiction” or “Die Hard”) was diametrically different from the one that survives today facing the comfortable wallets of Netflix, Prime Video, HBO and others.

IN THE WRONG PLACE/NETFLIX

Director: Mike Burns

Cast: Bruce Willis, Ashley Greene, Michael Sirow

Synopsis: A drug lord makes a mistake with dire consequences when he threatens the daughter of the former police chief, who is going to testify against him.