Being that they do so much direct-to-video stuff, it's hard to remember that both Cuba Gooding Jr., and Ray Liotta are award winning actors! Hero Wanted is one of those direct-to-video films. It follows the story of a man who tries to live the righteous life, but even the best of people have their breaking point. This was a really interesting story, with some unexpected twists and turns. It was a pretty good film that really fell under the radar. The story was great and the acting was top notch, but the way it was filmed really left a lot to be desired. The film is frequently jumping months ahead or to a flashback, without any notice or footnotes, it made parts of the film very confusing. There were also a couple of pretty big plot holes, that added to the confusion. This is by no means a classic, but the acting was terrific, the action was pretty cool, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I had high hopes for this film as I do like most of Cuba Gooding Jr and Ray Liotta's movies. However they both looked like desperate actors in the last throws of their careers trying to make a little extra cash. The story line showed some promise but it was executed so badly. For the first part of the film I had absolutely no idea what part of the story we were constantly being transported to. With Cuba Gooding's constant commentary droning on throughout the film to try and keep you updated. any film worth its mettle should never have to do this. It was if the writer was trying to make it something special by doing this but instead it just bores you to tears. Unfortunately I came to the conclusion that I did not care about anyone in the film.and therefore tried to enjoy the action- not even that delivered. So disappointed and if Fight Factory continue making this drivel I will not be watching any more.

This daft DTV effort benefits from the presence of the ever reliable Ray Liotta but has little else going for it. I wonder if this is the kind of future the young Liotta saw for himself when on the set of Scorsese's Goodfellas: a succession of mostly lame and formulaic crime thrillers with few redeeming features.Cuba Gooding takes centre stage as Liam Case, a garbage man who enjoys the kind of luck that would have most people reaching for the prozac; his wife and kid drown in a car crash from which he is unable to save them, and the new woman of his dreams ends up with a bullet hole in the head that sends her into a coma. Director Smrz unwisely chooses to play with the chronology of events for no apparent reason other than he's seen it done before and evidently thinks its cool. It used to be cool, now it's become dull through its over-use by directors who don't realise it's nothing more than a gimmick with the shortest of shelf lives.Fortunately for Smrz he doesn't have to hold his hand up to the increasingly ridiculous twists inserted into the story in an attempt to keep the viewer interested. Case has to be one of the most pathetic heroes we have seen in a long time. The guy actually thinks the best way to get to know that woman of his dreams, who happens to be a bank teller, is to get his friend to stage a robbery so that he can play the hero. I mean, come on, that should be the pitch for a comedy not a 'serious' thriller.As the film grows increasingly lost, the writers throw every cliché they can think of into the mix and, in the end, we end up with a young kid talking and thinking like an adult while holding a gun on the bad guys.This is weak and lazy film-making in nearly every way imaginable.

While grieving the death of his beloved wife, who drowned in a car accident, the garbage man Liam Case (Cuba Gooding Jr.) becomes a hero when he saves a young girl from a wrecked car on fire. Years later, Liam has a secret crush on the bank teller Kayla (Christa Campbell) and while in the bank with her, there is a heist and one of the five thieves shoots Kayla and Liam. When he recovers, Kayla is in a deep coma and he chases the killer; but the gang has a dark secret about Liam and goes after him seeking revenge.My first impression of "Hero Wanted" was not good, with the confused non-linear story and a disappointing conclusion. However, joining the pieces of the puzzle that compose the story later, I found it a reasonable film, at least the intentions of the writers are good. But the tag-line says that "the road to hell is paved of good intentions" and the screenplay does not work well. Cuba Gooding Jr. is and performs a charismatic character that finds redemption only after going to hell. Apparently his friend Cosmo Jackson died, but this character is simply forgotten in the end of the story. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Herói" ("Hero")