The latest from Australian director Mark Savage (Sensitive New Age Killer, Fishnet), Bring Him Back Dead begins with what’s meant to be a simple jewellery shop smash-and-grab.

After the plan goes pear-shaped as a result of gun-happiness on the part of one of the thieves, Killian (Ryan M. Shaw), several people are left dead, and the baddies Zarina (Zhuzha Akova), Hayden (Chris Torem), and Alex (Gary Daniels) book it out of there, along with a haul of diamonds and badly wounded fellow gang member Geoff (LeJon Woods). In a cabin in the woods they hole up with the gang’s leader Trent (Louis Mandylor) and his daughter Lisa (Katie Keene) to await The Buyer (Bruce Ross) and close the deal.

If you’ve seen Reservoir Dogs the similarities won’t pass unnoticed; the same distrust and paranoia bounce off the walls, and the flashing around of a myriad weapons, tough talk, and petulant bickering are firmly in evidence as the group tensely await The Buyer’s arrival. However, Alex has his own plans for Lisa and the diamonds that include skullduggery of his own, and he’s not the only one at it. Baddies, eh? You just can’t trust ’em.

The film title is Trent’s enraged response when he discovers Alex’s treachery. He wants him dead with honours, but the loot and Lisa back unharmed. With this, all but he and Geoff (who spends the rest of the film gasping on the sofa) set off on a mission, but hidden agendas surface when they split and scatter into the wilds. Who’ll be stabbing whose back for their own devious ends?

Apart from Alex (and possibly Geoff), all of the gang are unlikeable, if not downright annoying; either baddies, saddos, or a bit of both. Trent, who despite a first impression of a slightly past-it leader blinded to reason by love for his daughter, actually turns out to be a man with a truly dangerous undercurrent, and fairly tidy in the fighting department.

Lisa struck me as a bit of a wet lettuce, and quite frankly, a pain in the arse. She’s hopeless at everything except screwing things up for everyone else, and whilst kind of refreshing to see a female in this genre who doesn’t transform into a high-kicking badass when the action drops, she’s not even a good shot with a gun. Having said that, nobody really seems to be, except for Zarina, who I’m sorry to say got on my nerves the most. Her role was apparently to stalk about on stiff legs, brandishing assorted weapons, while scowling at everything with a pinched, hateful expression. The Russian hit woman stereotype is matched with appropriate dialogue in a grating accent; ‘we have to get those diamonds back’ (well, duh), and the ultimate killer, ‘I’ll be back’ (which actually filled me with a sort of cringey delight).

My observations of non-UK films are that Brits playing Brits often have lines which sit awkwardly, there being a world of difference between Americanised and Anglicised speech mannerisms. Australian and British slang and vulgarities being close cousins, the director’s inclusion of ‘twats’, ‘wankers’, ‘bollocks’, and ‘fuck off and die’ meant Londoner Daniels played the part of Alex believably.

For a relatively low-budget production, Bring Him Back Dead puts up a respectable fight. The action scenes are pretty impressive, with Daniels’ martial arts skills packing a punch (literally) which surprised me, being unaware of any of his previous films. I’m not one to judge a book by its cover; for a mature chap he’s certainly got some moves.

While not unmissable, Bring Him Back Dead delivers more than we’ve come to expect from action on a budget; you certainly won’t feel cheated.

7.5 out of 10 Vile Betrayals