“Hellhound” (**1/2 out of four) was a flavorful yet flawed action melodrama about an elite hitman (Louis Mandylor) who is hired to take down a brutal kingpin and makes one error that turns him into a marked man which leads to all-out warfare on the streets of Thailand. Gritty story of a conflicted hitman with Mandylor in one of his strongest performances and features enough solid action setpieces but is limited by it’s one-dimensional script and story. Still, better than most of its genre and better than “Bangkok Dangerous” which it sometimes resembles.

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“Clown Motel” (*1/2 out of four) was a debased horror thriller about a young woman (Juliana Destefano) who returns home to help her family re-obtain their Native American holdings and heritage but finds the title clown motel has been erected on their land with a loony owner (Tobin Bell) and various other individuals (Randy Couture, Richard Grieco, and others) thrown in the mix. Low-rent from beginning to end and also low on scares and also brains. With nothing much more substantial being offered to him, it’s no wonder Bell keeps electing to continue making “Saw” movies.

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“Wanted Man” (**1/2 out of four) was a not-bad action melodrama about a grizzled border officer (Dolph Lundgren) who has to find and retrieve an important eyewitness (Christina Villa) after a vicious cartel shooting leaves multiple agents dead but has to find whether to trust his friends and fellow officers (Kelsey Grammar, Michael Pare, and others) when he discovers the attack was made by American forces. Lundgren also directed and gives one of his better performances in a story that harks back to prime Peckinpah and mid-period Walter Hill. Imperfect to be sure due to its flimsy script but well-made and engaging. Sacha Chaban’s stirring music score is also another definite plus.

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“Outrage” (** out of four) was a bombastic character melodrama about a group of politicians and media (Julie Gayet, Clemens Schick, and others) who meet for a private dinner but soon find soon realize they have fallen into a deadly trap and that the host and preparers (Jay O. Sanders, Adelaide Kane, and others) have a sinister and ulterior agenda. Too dour and serious to be fun and too cartoonish and goofy to be taken seriously and ends up a fizzle. Film marks the directorial debut for noted film producer Mathiew Bonzon.

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“Soulcatcher” (**1/2 out of four) was a fairly entertaining pulp action melodrama about a military contractor (Piotr Witkowski) hired to seize a weapon that turns others into savage killers but when his own brother falls victim to the device, the mission becomes personal and he seeks to kill those who were its creators. Ultimately limited by its genre conventions and lack of expansive scope due to its modest budget but is fast-paced and features enough scares and action to make it decent fare.

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“Unwelcome” (*1/2 out of four) was an unwieldy horror melodrama about a married couple (Hannah John Kamen and Douglas Booth) who decide to start a new life for themselves in Ireland but soon meet a nefarious neighbor (Colm Meaney) and discover malevolent and murderous goblins lurking in the mist. Meandering and plodding story takes a long while to get off the ground and even when it does- it’s pretty feeble and formulaic and then goes on too long. Meaney is solid as usual but he can play a role like this in his sleep by now.

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“True Justice: Family Ties” (** out of four) was a sputtering suspense melodrama about a law school student (Katherine McNamara) whose brother (Markian Tarasiuk) who is convicted of murder; she then sets out to clear his name but finds that the only way to do this is by hitting the streets and finding the real killer who is still at large. Good performance from McNamara and efficient filmmaking and direction give this maximum mileage but they’re all hindered by mediocre script and story. Final plot twist is particularly weak, for anyone who stays with this that far.

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“One More Shot” (*** out of four) was a pulsating action melodrama about a navy seal (Scott Adkins) who is ordered to escort an international terrorist (Waleed Elgadi) to D.C. for an interrogation but encounters violent duplicity at every turn from friends and fellow agents (Tom Berenger, Michael Jai White, Alexis Knapp, and others) as he tries to ensure who he can trust in order to stay alive. Good of its kind, with tense direction from James Nunn and better-than-usual dialogue and plenty of nonstop action. Film marks the fourth (and best) collaboration between Adkins and Jai White.

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“Squealer” (*1/2 out of four) was a squalid serial-killer melodrama about a world-weary cop (Tyrese Gibson) and one of his partners (Wes Chatham) who team up with a hard-nosed social worker (Danielle Burgio) to try to track down a vicious murderer (Ronnie Gene Blevins) who also works as a farmer. Ugly and unpleasant, to say the least, as film is a lurid collection of low-lifes and people you never care to come across again. Gibson is simply killing time between “Fast And Furious” entries and is wasted but Blevins is well-cast as the butcher farmer.

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“Role Play” (** out of four) was a strained, improbable romantic action comedy about a husband and wife (David Oyelowo and Kaley Cuoco) who try to rekindle and reinvigorate their marriage by taking part in a “role play” in which they meet for the first time but through this- he subsequently discovers that she is an assassin for hire and they are both immediately plunged into international espionage! Opening scenes are done with sardonic flair, especially involving Bill Nighy in a funny minor role, but contrivances ultimately take over as film becomes more-and-more implausible. Film has some story threads of “True Lies” and “The Long Kiss Goodnight”, among many others.

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