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Hot Seat Blu-ray Review

Randall Emmett and George Furla produce another movie.

2022’s ‘Hot Seat’ is a thriller that plays like ‘Speed’ meets ‘Saw.’ The story revolves around a former hacker turned IT worker (Orlando) who finds himself being held hostage by an unknown caller. Not only does Orlando’s computer chair have a bomb strapped to it, but the caller is threatening his family. The caller (who may or may not have a vendetta against Orlando) is using him to hack a hedge fund group. Worse still, the caller is framing Orlando for bombings. It’s up to the bomb squad (led by Wallace) and a S.W.A.T. team to try and save the day…assuming they can find out the truth before it’s too late.

‘Hot Seat’ could have been an intense race against time cyber thriller, but this is an Emmett and Furla movie we’re talking about here. The combined efforts of director James Cullen Bressack and writers Collin Watts and Leon Langford leave a lot to be desired as this is yet another slapped together movie whose sole purpose is to capitalize on the stars. The visual effects are laughable (the opening sequence will have you rolling with laughter), the dialogue frequently contains “Dude,” “Bro,” and “Bitch,” the depiction of hacking is inept at best, and the reveal of who the caller is couldn’t be any more obvious. There’s nothing remotely surprising or rewarding about this thriller even though the premise itself has potential.

As mentioned above, this movie is all about the two stars- Mel Gibson and Kevin Dillon. There are a few supporting performances you will recognize as well with Shannon Doherty and Eddie Steeples, and Michael Welch. Anyway, Gibson is adequate as Wallace. He at least tries here even though he’s in a bad movie. Kevin Dillon is not convincing as a computer expert, but he has enough acting talent to elevate this mess (however slightly it may be).

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. Grade: B+

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. Grade: B+

The only extras are a Digital copy and a “Hot Seat” trailer.

August 1, 2022 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Emmett and Furla, Hot Seat Blu-ray Review, Hot Seat Movie, Kevin Dillon, Mel Gibson