Burn Notice: The Fall Of Sam Axe (2011) [Blu-ray]
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Fall of Sam Axe
Tagline: Every man has a past. His just has more explosions.
Bruce Campbell stars in this explosive, feature-length adventure from the secret files of Burn Notice! On his final mission as a Navy Seal, Commander Sam Axe (Campbell) is sent deep into the jungles of South America, where a deadly terrorist organization
threatens innocent lives. But when Sam discovers that he is merely a pawn in a far-reaching and diabolical plot, he must fight to stay alive long enough to stop the real terrorists - at any cost. Packed with gritty thrills and wry humor, this
never-before-seen extended cut of The Fall of Sam Axe is action on the cutting edge!
Storyline: Follows Sam Axe on a mission in Latin America and gives us a glimpse into his military past.
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Casey Broadwater on July 27, 2011 -- Part The A-Team, part MacGyver, USA's Burn Notice is a smart spy series that's build up quite a fan base over the show's past four seasons,
thanks to its crackling dialogue, wry humor, and intense underdog action, pitting "burned" C.I.A. agent-turned-private investigator Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) against drug runners, con-men, kidnappers, and organized low-life scum in general. Mixing
episodic, "P.I. for hire" plots with an ongoing narrative about Westen's unexplained dismissal from the C.I.A., the show strikes a balance not often found in basic cable television: you can drop in for any given episode and have a good time, but there are
certainly rewards for dedicated fans who follow the overarching story. The Fall of Sam Axe is for them. A feature-length, made-for-TV prequel, Fall charts the previously only hinted at background of Westen's wisecracking, womanizing
former-Navy SEAL sidekick, Sam Axe, played by the inimitable cult favorite, Bruce Campbell, star of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series. As Campbell would say, groovy.
The Fall of Sam Axe opens in 2005, two years before the events of Burn Notice's pilot episode. In a stark white Navy dress uniform, Sam reports to the American embassy in Bogota, Colombia, to be questioned about a botched mission. (The first
thing he does when he sits down is ask for a beer, a move that will provoke a grin on the faces of longtime series fans.) Sam proceeds to tell the entire story, and his tale, of course, becomes the film. It all starts when our lantern-jawed, tail-chasing
hero finds himself unknowingly in bed with Admiral Maitland's all-too-eager wife. Maitland finds out about the tryst and decides to send Sam off on the most unenviable assignment available--a six-month-long slog through the South American jungle in
pursuit of a supposedly dangerous terrorist cell known as the Espada Ardiente.
When he gets to Colombia, Sam teams up with a local militia group led by the conspicuously accommodating Comandante Veracruz (Pedro Pascal), and together they head to a remote clinic that's rumored to be Espada Ardiente's next target. Doctor Ben Delaney
(RonReaco Lee) and food relief specialist Amanda Maples (Lost's Kiele Sanchez) don't believe Sam's warnings about a possible attack and are hesitant to evacuate, but their minds are changed when Sam discovers the shocking truth--it's Veracruz who
is plotting to destroy the clinic, in a frame-job bid to get government aid for his militia. The Espada Ardiente? They're nothing more than a loosely organized band of rag-tag goat herders. With help from Beatriz (Ilza Rosario), a young rebel, Sam and the
NGO workers team up with the woefully underarmed Espada Ardiente to protect themselves from the real enemy.
All in all, The Fall of Sam Axe isn't too different from a normal Burn Notice episode, other than the fact that it's longer, was shot on location in South America, and focuses on Bruce Campbell's character rather than Jeffrey Donovan, who
makes a brief cameo here and also directs the film. This, I think, is a good thing. Like 24: Redemption, a similar TV movie spin-off, The Fall is novel enough to get fans excited for the new season, but it doesn't drastically alter what
they've come to expect from the show. The general formula is the same--the NGO and the Espada Ardiente are essentially the "clients" this time around--and the tone is unchanged, mixing snappy, one-liner-laden dialogue with guns-a-blazing action and
copious explosions by way of improvised bombs. (If any TV series is worthy of inheriting the mantle of The A-Team--down to the rather non-violent violence, where hardly anyone ever gets realistically injured or killed on screen--it's this one.)
As as "origin" story for the show's main source of comic relief, The Fall of Sam Axe also wisely avoids getting too serious on us. There are no skeletons in Sam's closet, no crushing tragedies, no deep, dark secrets. Sam's "fall"--that is, his
discharge from the Navy--is the result of his willingness to cheerfully break protocol to help those in need. This is totally in keeping with his character. That's not to say there aren't any surprises. We finally learn the origin of Sam's "Chuck Finley"
alias, and in a bit of wink-wink fanservice, there are several nods to Bruce Campbell's pre-Burn Notice career, including an Army of Darkness-inspired chainsaw scene. Best of all, the Espada Ardiente call Sam "The Chin."
I'm not sure The Fall of Sam Axe will win over any new converts to showrunner Matt Nix's series, but longtime Burn Notice followers will enjoy the spin-off prequel for what it is--a fun made-for-TV-movie tangent that gives fan-favorite Bruce
Campbell more time in the spotlight. And that's always welcome.
The Fall of Sam Axe is not quite the fall it could've been--this is a rather lighthearted adventure, all things considered--but it's a fun prequel that explores the backstory of one of Burn Notice fans' favorite characters, along with
setting up the show's fifth season. (Which premiered in June.) The real promise here is in the possibility that we might see more Burn Notice on Blu-ray in the future, and I'm sure the sales of The Fall of Sam Axe will play no small role in
that decision. If you're a fan, do your part!
User Comment: *** This review may contain spoilers *** Virago6 from United States, 17 April 2011 • Backgrounder for Sam Axe, our much adored side kick to Michael Weston. Totally in character, well laid
out. Even answers the oft spoken question of from where the name 'Chuck Finley', Sam's alter ego, arises. Hokey special effects, less than strict attention to detail as to military rank, uniforms, and protocols. Yet, enjoyable all the same. Should be
released as a DVD copy, especially with outtakes and bloopers. Written by Matt Nix, so we get the delicious inside jokes and humor we know from Burn Notice. Good direction by Jeff Donovan, plus his appearance is an appealing portion of foreshadowing. It
would be nice to have similar retro looks at Michael and Fiona's beginnings.
Summary: Fun, retro look at Sam Axe and his history.
User Comment: hemmetti from Finland, 20 April 2011 • Been a fan of Burn Notice from the beginning I thought this movie was just an other ripoff of my favorite show. Never been so wrong. This movie is so hilarious and exciting
from the first seconds right to the last frame. It's been so long that I have laughed so much watching the whole thing through. Now I know what lies behind Sam Axe, and as someone pointed, it would be nice to see the beginning of Michael Westen's story
(he made a cameo role here) as well. I think this is one the the best movies I've seen in years. Nothing deep and meaningful, just pure fun without the serious over exaggerated exploding action. Comedy? Yes! Entertaining? Absolutely! Full of action?
Rright on! Compared to any other action/comedy movie: A Winner! I think The Fall Of Sam Axe is one of the most recommendable movie for anyone who likes a good old-school action comedy.
Summary: Most enjoyable and funny.
User Comment: NixonCarmichael from United States, 18 April 2011 • This was definitely worth the watch. At first I was going to rant about the crappy green screen shots and obvious CGI, but hey, this is TV they have a limited
budget and Jeffrey Donovan isn't exactly Zack Snyder, but hey it is what it was.
Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe stars Bruce Campbell in the titular character in this origin story that falls into the Burn Notice universe. It explores the life of Sam Axe in 2005, just a couple of years prior the events of the first season of Burn
Notice itself. The story centers around "Commander" Sam Axe, a Navy Seal officer who, after a case of indiscretion with a ranking officers wife, finds himself being sent to the far reaches of South America as penance for his sin, so to speak. Ensuing
violence, hilarity and general Burn Notice-ness follows. Also "groovy" were the little in-jokes throughout the episode including the origin of Sam's oft nefarious and enigmatic alter-ego, Chuck Finley...
The story isn't terribly complex, its basically a straight up good guy VS bad guy film with just enough twists to keep one from getting bored, but the fun is the fact that the central whirligig of the whole thing is Bruce Campbell who spends the entire
film is full, 100% Bruce Campbell mode. All of the standard things one would expect from a Burn Notice episode are there, action, comedy, a couple of MacGyver-esque situations along with a full circle ending. Jeffrey Donovan did an all around decent job
with the film, and he also provides a funny cameo appearance as Michael Weston, of course, in the beginning of the film.
Summary: Fits right into the vein of Burn Notice. Not bad for a TV movie.
--- JOYA ---
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