Charged with murder and likely to spend some time behind bars, crime boss Reg Bellavance is out on bail looking to skip town with his son. But the money he has saved for such a move has gone missing. Now, in a race against the clock, Reg has sent his best men out to find the money and kill anyone who had a hand in stealing it. A simple task that quickly turns into a near death sentence.
Filled to the brim with creative violence and unique traps, Steven C. Miller's The Aggression Scale is an R-rated Home Alone for adults. Ryan Hartwig gives a fantastic performance as Chissolm (think Home Alone's Kevin McCallister), a dark and somewhat threatening teenager who has a history plagued with violence. It is his performance that saves the film from a rather forgettable beginning as he keeps the audience gaged as to just what he will do next.
At only 87 minutes, The Aggression Scale moves with surprising quickness and ease. The scenes progress with a solid fluidity, giving the audience an intense game of life and death"”all determined by a quiet and haunted teenager.
Director Miller refuses to shy away from the violence, a decision that allows the story to grow exponentially throughout its runtime. A slow start out of the gate proves to be the film's weakest moment, giving audience plenty to stay tuned for as the film progresses into a climatic final sequence that ultimately leaves everything out on the table.
