Afterburn (2025)

Plot of Afterburn: It is six years after a solar flare has destroyed civilisation as we know it, Uk and Europe being in the hands of warlords. Jake is a former soldier who seems to have the ability to search out items required by those capable of paying his fees, which he uses to restore a vintage sailing boat. Working for a man known as The King, in London, he accepts the job of flying to France and, with the help of a group of rebels against the Paris warlord, he is to recover the Mona Lisa. Once in France, after parachuting from the aircraft he is contacted by Drea who has available a sort of Dakar Rally type automobile, and in it they track their way to the objective using Jake’s skills at overcoming misdirection in the guidance provided, and fighting off the local warlords military, including troops and tanks. When they get to the Mona Lisa, it is not quite what Jake expected, but he and Drea still have to complete the job.

Content: No sex or nudity, but just a bit of almost ceremonial drinking, the availability of spirits in a decanter being a sign of affluence. We see Jake recovering a Stradivarius violin which is well hidden by multiple codes, and also killing people who would assault him. The streets are full of debris and damaged vehicles. Once in France he meets up with the rebels and we also see the general, the enemy warlord, in his train. The enemy have soldiers and tanks. Jake and his helper, an attractive woman, have a desert vehicle capable of leaping over obstacles. There are maps with moving things on them showing their progress across the country. There are a number of fire fights, Jake equipped with what is apparently a ‘BK’ shotgun.

A View: Come on! It was not that bad. But it cost a lot and seems to have made nothing and has only been reviewed by two critics, both of them Spanish speakers. I suppose it is one of those films which had been more or less written off before the release, which resulted in no publicity.  Admittedly it was familiar territory, with a very small group of people fighting their way across enemy territory, with a big name, in this case Samuel L. Jackson fulfilling a role which does not require him to do anything much. But I quite liked Jake’s special skill and money had definitely been spent. So if you enjoy action films it will provide tolerable entertainment.

Fun Fact: Made in Bratislava, at the same studios which made the famous TV miniseries Chenobyl.