Movie Review: "20ft Below: The Darkness Descending" (2014; Blue Dragon/Vertical Entertainment)

...yeah, yeah...I know; go ahead and say it..."...sheesh!! Another Danny Trejo flick??" Well, far be it for this viewer to diss ol' Danny...clearly the hardest working character actor, working today, as well as the most formidable, reputable and dynamic...even in his most minimal presence, in some of his films. And yet, far be it for this viewer, in beating a dead horse, with repeated commentary about that very thing; in brief, just check out Danny's work to date, over at the IMDB website...what he has done, what he is presently doing, and what still waits in the wings (...your jaw will assuredly drop). Anyways, 'nuff said about that, right??...

...speaking of 'wings', this viewer cannot help but appreciate having initially viewed a screener of Danny's latest direct-to-video entry, "20ft Below: The Darkness Descending"...once again, he's headlining, but making minimal presence, here; the advance screener comprised of just the disc, bearing the cover art, as depicted here, and did not include anything else...and for anyone out there, haunting the dollar-rental obelisk, just outside their local convenience store, 'anything else' might well be manipulatively deceptive, as "20ft Below..." is most assuredly something different...dare I say, something perhaps better, on a genre or exploitation film level, than what is seemingly promised in the sensationalist synopsis, on the DVD cover, which this viewer was later privy of (...yep, bought this one outright, myself). In short, there's no denying that this Trejo entry has bite, but at the same time, it also has something important to say...and to the fine advertising folks, who scribbled the synopsis, this viewer cannot help but say, "...hey, let the film stand on it's own merit, OK?? A respectable force unto itself, the film didn't need any help from the sensationalist peanut gallery..."...

...so, what are they alluringly waving out to the hapless 'suckers'...the viewing masses, here exactly?? Like a teasing circus barker, they're barking out, "...hurry, hurry, hurry...step right up folks!!" Let's see...wha'do we got?? Um...there's talk of rumors & myths & legends...a demonic apparition with flaming crimson-red eyes, living in the deep dark bowels of the earth...a cold and bloodthirsty, demonic angel...amidst a shadowy, abysmal labyrinth...sustaining on the flesh of rats...possessing supernatural powers, and seeing in the darkness, as easily as one sees in the daylight...the leader of 'amysterious' and dangerous cult...those speaking of this 'creature' above a whisper, don't speak much longer...a horrifically fearful presence...or something else. Uh, that's it, right?? Nothing more than that?? That's what's gamefully offered, herein, eh??...

...oh, please!! Enough of the sensationalist clap-trap...sell that stuff to the Redbox tourists, OK?? I'm the one plugged in, folks...lookie here...

...hoping to 'blow the lid' off, and shed some light on social degradation, and the homeless, go-getter investigative journalist Chelsea (Kinga Phillips) braves the depths of the dangerously dark, damp and dingy New York subway tunnels...armed with only a video camera...in search of an exclusive story, and ends up getting far more than she expected, when she encounters a cult of concrete-burrowed and easily-led revolutionaries, commandeered by a crazed and skew-visioned overlord (Danny Trejo), named Angel, who is instigating a diabolical plan to 'punish the corporate and materialistic devotees of the system', living 200 FEET above...even going as far as drawing in and executing the occasional WASPy businessman, or rookie cop, just to get his 'message' out...to gather his blindly obedient masses, soldier forth, and lay deadly & destructive siege upon the very city, which he claims has plagued or forsaken them...

...standing in the way of this siege...the local law enforcement, who despite being morally bound by the law to serve and protect the innocent, have their own unscrupulously unconventional & unorthodox methods of handling the unstable and escalating situation, which they have come to be privy of.....as well as a desperate population of innocent, unaffiliated and vulnerable homeless folk...for various reasons, voluntarily and involuntarily tied to a miserable life, underground...some heartfully duty-bound to help the needy masses...most, scraping for themselves, the very essence of survival...including a rogue derelict ex-cop, Jake (Frank Krueger), who finds new drive and purpose in his life, as he fights to protect those caught in the middle of this inevitable clash...

...clearly, a lot more poignant and 'down to earth', as opposed to the 'oh wow' suggested DVD cover synopsis, "20ft Below..." is an interesting piece of viewing diversion, which...although it transitions waywardly and rampantly to and from it's subjects of study...hardly needed the sensationalist and exploitative exposition, which might compellingly draw the unsuspecting status quo masses, in the onset. As appealing and 'today's headline-reflective' as the film might seem to most, it ultimately becomes a bit exhaustive, watching the transpire of events, bounce to & fro and back again...from idealistic views on homeless life, to rock 'em-sock 'em fist fights, to diabolical meanderings of proposed 'punishment', death & destruction...to good cop/bad cop entanglements, and all parts in-between. It's almost as if the film was desperate to find it's identity, and in failing to find a singular sense of identity, attempts to assume them all...

...despite the rampant waywardness of the story, there is a respectable amount of character, to embrace here. Torn asunder by the death of his wife, the justice-driven Jake character (...again, actor Frank Krueger, who also wrote and produced these proceedings) seems the most intriguing of the lot, in having given up on a normal life, yet seems to have found new life and purpose, resignedly assuming the role of juxstapositioned 'protective guardian of innocence', in these dark and crumbling catacombs. Then, there's the fearless and plucky investigative reporter Chelsea (Kinga Phillips), who in braving these harrowing and shadowy depths, in search of that revelating news scoop, instead finds herself drawn to cause of the underground community. And of course, there's Danny Trejo, as the crazed and unstable Angel (...once again, a headlining 'starring' role, which pretty much amounts to something just a tad bit more than his typically minimal appearance)...himself, as dark, shadowy and enigmatic as the endless maze of decrepit tunnels, around him...shouldering his own personal cause...a psychotic 'visionary', with a most deadly and destructive agenda...

...on the whole, a respectable and poignant, albeit explosively entertaining little diversion, wrapped around a cause and a message...just don't judge this book by it's cover. Much like the film's investigative reporter's intended unveiling of what lies below, this film harbors something more beneath, than what the irresistibly compelling, teeth-gnashing & fist clenching, horror-themed home video cover art, rendered on a seemingly National Enquirer overly-elevated sensationalist fanfare level, might suggest. Looking beyond the alluring, though generic ad blurb, this one might genuinely and pleasingly surprise unsuspecting viewers; in the end, it's a shame that the distribution and advertising powers-that-be, didn't have faith in this film, in having it stand on it's own...