The classic Bruce Willis movie "Die Hard" (1988) has spawned an astronomical number of knockoffs. Director Christopher Ray's better-than-average thriller "Assault on VA-33," starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Michael Jai White, Mark Dacascos, and Weston Cage Coppola, is the latest clone. Hair-trigger terrorists occupy a Veteran's Administration Hospital in Buffalo, New York, and take hostages. They demand $50 million, a bus ride to the airport, and a fully fueled plane waiting on the runway. The authorities have exactly one hour to comply, otherwise the terrorists will start killing hostages. Little do these malevolent extremists realize a VA patient, Jason Hill (Sean Patrick Flanery of "The Boondocks Saints"), a troubled ex-soldier suffering from PTSD, has infiltrated their ranks and is quietly whittling them down. A deranged former Russian soldier-turned-terrorist, Adrian Rabikov (Weston Cage Coppola of "D-Day: Battle of Omaha Beach"), wants to know his sibling's whereabouts after having vanished in a top-secret raid outside Moscow. Rabikov believes Joint Chiefs of Staff General Welch (Gerald Webb of "Sniper Special Ops"), who ordered the mission, knows about his brother David. Rabikov's best-laid plans go awry when Hill suspects something is amiss in VA-33. Sean Patrick Flanery makes an underdog hero who finds himself outnumbered by Rabikov's henchmen. Worse, despite repeated phone calls about this emergency, Police Chief Malone (Michael Jai White of "Triple Threat") dismisses Hill as an alarmist and scorns his warning.
Rabikov and his homicidal henchmen have no qualms about executing hostages. When these gunmen take over the VA Hospital, they replace the front desk security officer with one of their own and deploy a heavily armed presence in the building. Moreover, Rabikov stations a sniper atop the roof, Jackson (Mark Dacascos of "John Wick: Chapter 3") who is a superb sharpshooter. Earlier, Hill had accompanied his wife, Dr. Jennifer Hill (Gina Holden of "Final Destination 3"), one of the VA therapists, into the facility for his appointment. Security officer Wanda Phillips (Naaji Sky Adzimah of "American Wisper") scolded Jason about skipping the check-in procedure. Meantime, Jennifer has learned a high-ranking officer has scheduled a last-minute appointment. Before his arrival, General Welch had dispatched a security squad to scrutinize the premises. Later, after he re-enters VA-33 and skips the security procedure, Jason is surprised Rabikov's henchman doesn't halt him. Incidentally, they shot Phillips after General Welch had shown up. Scenarist Scott Thomas Reynolds's formulaic script doesn't miss a trope in this "Die Hard" derivative. Moreover, these terrorists don't play pattycake. They shoot belligerent hostages on the spot. Meantime, Jason finds himself in a tight spot as he struggles to convince Chief Malone to verify his story in this suspenseful, 90-minute actioneer, rated R for profanity and violence.
As the deranged Rabikov, Nicolas Cage's son Weston Cage Coppola is truly psychotic, and his squad of suicide killers are willing to die for him. Our sympathetic hero Jason Hill suffers from memories about being caught in an explosion and watching one of his buddies lose an arm. Hill hasn't recovered from the incident and hates explaining his feelings about the tragedy. Eventually, after the villains issue their demands and Rabikov learns the ugly truth about his brother, the action ramps up, and the FBI surrounds the building. Worst of all, the terrorists gain the upper hand and capture Jason. By this time, our hero has quietly disposed of everybody that he has encountered, so he poses as a physician who has fallen asleep in his office and surrenders to the villains. Meanwhile, Rabikov's demolitions specialist has wired all the VA Hospital doors to explode if anybody enters or exits without permission. One haywire hostage tries to escape and blows herself to bits along with a henchman. Director Christopher Ray skillfully builds up tangible suspense and tension, while scenarist Scott Thomas Reynolds gives everybody something memorable to say. Inevitably, Flanery and Dacascos, who are both real-life martial artists, tangle in a fight to the finish. Wrestling sensation Rob Van Dam appears as one of Rabikov's killers and has some amusing moments when he argues with his cohorts about killing Jason. "Assault on VA-33" is no great shakes, but it might keep you entertained if you're in the mood for a plausible potboiler.
Rabikov and his homicidal henchmen have no qualms about executing hostages. When these gunmen take over the VA Hospital, they replace the front desk security officer with one of their own and deploy a heavily armed presence in the building. Moreover, Rabikov stations a sniper atop the roof, Jackson (Mark Dacascos of "John Wick: Chapter 3") who is a superb sharpshooter. Earlier, Hill had accompanied his wife, Dr. Jennifer Hill (Gina Holden of "Final Destination 3"), one of the VA therapists, into the facility for his appointment. Security officer Wanda Phillips (Naaji Sky Adzimah of "American Wisper") scolded Jason about skipping the check-in procedure. Meantime, Jennifer has learned a high-ranking officer has scheduled a last-minute appointment. Before his arrival, General Welch had dispatched a security squad to scrutinize the premises. Later, after he re-enters VA-33 and skips the security procedure, Jason is surprised Rabikov's henchman doesn't halt him. Incidentally, they shot Phillips after General Welch had shown up. Scenarist Scott Thomas Reynolds's formulaic script doesn't miss a trope in this "Die Hard" derivative. Moreover, these terrorists don't play pattycake. They shoot belligerent hostages on the spot. Meantime, Jason finds himself in a tight spot as he struggles to convince Chief Malone to verify his story in this suspenseful, 90-minute actioneer, rated R for profanity and violence.
As the deranged Rabikov, Nicolas Cage's son Weston Cage Coppola is truly psychotic, and his squad of suicide killers are willing to die for him. Our sympathetic hero Jason Hill suffers from memories about being caught in an explosion and watching one of his buddies lose an arm. Hill hasn't recovered from the incident and hates explaining his feelings about the tragedy. Eventually, after the villains issue their demands and Rabikov learns the ugly truth about his brother, the action ramps up, and the FBI surrounds the building. Worst of all, the terrorists gain the upper hand and capture Jason. By this time, our hero has quietly disposed of everybody that he has encountered, so he poses as a physician who has fallen asleep in his office and surrenders to the villains. Meanwhile, Rabikov's demolitions specialist has wired all the VA Hospital doors to explode if anybody enters or exits without permission. One haywire hostage tries to escape and blows herself to bits along with a henchman. Director Christopher Ray skillfully builds up tangible suspense and tension, while scenarist Scott Thomas Reynolds gives everybody something memorable to say. Inevitably, Flanery and Dacascos, who are both real-life martial artists, tangle in a fight to the finish. Wrestling sensation Rob Van Dam appears as one of Rabikov's killers and has some amusing moments when he argues with his cohorts about killing Jason. "Assault on VA-33" is no great shakes, but it might keep you entertained if you're in the mood for a plausible potboiler.