Nine out of ten. Well it must be Academy Award material. Perhaps not, but so many movies rely on CGI or terribly ham performances that there doesn't seem to be any space for thoughtful movies any more.I hate lengthy chase sequences, long gunfights, or scenes where one man walks into a heavily-guarded base, takes out all the baddies, lectures and kills the head guy and emerges unscathed.This is different. Thomas Jane has the high ground. Laurence Fishburne is hunting quarry. Only the viewer knows Jane's precarious position. It isn't "perfect" but it is interesting. At what point do you give up? At what point do you consider only your own needs? This is an economical film that will not appeal to people who need popcorn to make a movie experience viable. At first, the red dress annoyed me, but as the movie developed, it became clear that it was carefully thought out.There are flaws. This is undeniable. But it has assured performances, coupled with interesting ideals. Do you relate to the driven contractor, the alcoholic who has fallen from grace, or the lost individual who relies on compassion?

Isabelle 'Bird' Morgan (Ella Ballentine) is visiting her parents' grave when a masked assassin comes out of the woods to stage a massacre. Bird is hidden and photographs the killer Sade (Laurence Fishburne) unmasked. He chases her into Carter Green (Thomas Jane)'s home. It's a standoff as Sade is unwilling to let Bird live. Carter is upstairs with a quail gun and only one shell. He is also haunted by his own tragic loss.The setup is OK but I'm not sure about Sade being so nonchalant with his mask off. It makes little sense that he spends the time covering the grave. He should have been setting up a fire in the house when Carter makes that nice move with the film. There are things that could have ratcheted up the tension. Carter could have set his own fire as a warning signal. Instead of action, this becomes more of a back and forth stage play. The intensity never really takes off although it simmers at a good low boil.

"Standoff" was expected to be a cheaper than average chase "B" Film. It is not! This was an unexpectedly super solid, entertaining and a taut crime thriller. It is not an action movie in anyway and instead a limited location crime thriller with super solid performances from Jane and Fishburne. Jane has an unexpected emotional performance as a grieving dad protecting this young gal who comes to him for help. The girl played by Ella Ballentine is way above average in her performance as the girl on the run being pursued by an evil Fishburne as an assassin.The limited locations of a graveyard and Jane's home works in its favor. In many ways, this is a character piece about 2 people and the standoff. It is a little different and way more dramatic than the "B" movie advertising. I TRULY enjoyed this and was way more emotionally connected to these characters than I ever dreamed I would be. Overall, a fine little movie with 2 really great actors and Ballentine delivering a performance that really made you care about the fate of this young lady. I would highly recommend this film and hope to see more lower budget movies that look this well filmed & directed with a focus more on the story than is typically created nowadays in films with limited theatrical releases.

As a fan of Thomas Jane and Lawrence Fishburne, I wanted to like this movie. However, what seemed to be pitched as a battle of wits turned into an hour and half screaming match between the two actors. The movie is basically Jane attempting to keep a little girl from being killed by Fishburne with his last shotgun shell. The two of them spend the whole movie yelling insults and cursing at each other, with very little happening in between. The script tries to add some story by telling giving Jane's character a tragic backstory, but it really doesn't do much to keep the plot moving. The best part of the movie is the little girl. Ella Ballentine has some definite talent, and finding out what happens to her is the only reason to finish watching the movie. This young actor adds a weariness and "old soul" quality to her character that makes her seem wiser beyond her years. While pitched as a battle of wits, this is more of a pissing contest between two stubborn men. If that's your thing, then go for it.