THIS gritty low budget actioner/thriller received mixed reviews at cinemas earlier this year; however, Bushwick's current 'rotten' 45 per cent rating on Rottentomatoes.com is pretty unfair.
Mostly shot in a clever 'one take' style a la Birdman (though not as seamlessly) by directors Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott (Cooties), Bushwick centres on graduate student Lucy (Brittany Snow) as she emerges from the New York subway into a raging war zone.
A heavily armed wave of Texas-sponsored mercenaries have invaded the titular New York hipster haven as part of an attempted secession by the Lone Star State and her southern allies.
Reluctantly helping Lucy negotiate the chaos is the hulking Stupe (Dave Bautista), a taciturn janitor with an uncanny knack for guns and hand-to-hand combat.
Equipped with a pleasingly pared-down script penned by Nick Damici (Hap and Leonard, Cold In July), Bushwick is a decent attempt at combining Cloverfield-esque 'documentary spectacle' with run-and-gun battle action a la The Purge, The Warriors and Escape From New York.
The film builds tension effectively, the action/fight scenes are well staged and it offers some dark chuckles (check out that gang of Uzi-toting Hasidic Jews) and a couple of genuinely shocking moments along the way too.
Well worth a watch for fans of smart unabashed B-movie fare.
:: Bushwick is out now on Blu-ray and DVD.
