Review of A Dangerous Prey | This modest thriller is unevenly entertaining

A Dangerous Prey: Drug dealers, beware whom you mess with

Cast: Marlon Ladd, Taja Brittaney, Curt Darling, Corey Mekell, Justin Russell, Bryce Barfield, Phil Redburn, Miranda LoPresti, David Greyson, Brent Noel

Critic’s Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Director: Terry Spears

Duration: 1 hour, 13 minutes

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Language: English

Release Date: 2024

What’s it about?

A couple seeking financial security and peace finds themselves up against criminals and a drug lord.

Review:

Here’s a mediocre though mildly engaging crime drama. A Dangerous Prey introduces us to several characters and sets up a fairly intriguing premise, but leads us to a contrived denouement. There is evolution and irony, just as the title suggests. But it could have been presented in a faster-paced and more compelling manner. The dialogue while occasionally piquant and used fairly effectively to define the cast, could have been a lot tighter. Intermittent silent visuals as a narrative tool, helps only a little. 

This modest thriller opens with Aiden (Marlon Ladd), a salesman who has just about closed a deal. But the wavering fortunes of his job are not providing enough for him and his wife Kesha (Taja Brittaney). And so, he moonlights as a mugger. But his illicit night job has a twist to it: robbing drug pushers, as they are usually loaded with cash. Meanwhile, his spouse is petrified by having to witness ugly goings-on in their crime-invested neighbourhood and wants her and the hubby to move to a better locality.

So the couple do just that and make a down payment on a bungalow that they move into. But there’s trouble in paradise with a couple of shady White Trash men – Chuck (Justin Russell) and Junior (Bryce Barfield) - breathing down their backs. Also, a powerful drug kingpin named Marcus (Curt Darling) gets wind of Aiden’s actions and puts out a bounty on him. Meanwhile, Kesha is eager for her better-half to go off the road and spend more time with her. But the latter’s boss (David Greyson) is not entirely keen on reassigning him to desk work. 

The stakes rise as the characters get more desperate, leading to criminal intent, vengeful hearts, discharged guns and of course, bloodshed. But the accompanying suspense is only partially satisfying and the plot seems too rushed and forced in the last few scenes. There is also an awkward subplot involving an acquaintance of Kesha’s – Alison (Miranda LoPresti), who is pursuing her own agenda.  

Writer-director Terry Spears tries to bring together various threads with varying success. Even though this is his fourth outing at a feature-length venture, he needs more time to mature as a filmmaker. Still, his exuberance is evident in this film, although the performances that he extracts from the cast are uneven at best. A Dangerous Prey seems to be a subtle tribute to the Pam Grier-starring action films of the early 1970s, though the protagonist might not exude quite as much spunk or spirit. For those who are keen on a blend of character development, emotion and gunfire, this movie may not entirely deliver. Still, it offers just about enough to help pass the time.