Tom Welling is a long way from Kansas in this tedious, lazy thriller

Mafia Wars
it’s an action thriller that loses momentum in the third act, which really drags the whole thriller aspect into the mud. Starring Tom Welling, who previously played the role of Clark Kent in the popular series. Smallville, Mafia Wars This is a completely different role. While it may add a certain level of star power, it’s not enough to rid the rest of the film of a half-baked script, poor pacing, and a supporting cast that was overall mediocre.

The film begins with Tom Welling’s character Terry being released early from prison after getting into a fight to protect his cellmate. As it turns out, the benefactor who offers Terry his freedom is a cop who wants to use him as an undercover agent to help bust a huge drug operation in Rome. Why? Not everything is so clear. But at least Terry is big and scary. The rest of the film then involves him infiltrating the mafia while they try to weed out a whole series of other plants as the situation becomes increasingly absurd.

The mafia wars are nearing the finish line

The biggest problem with Mafia Wars there must be a tempo. There is almost no excuse for the film’s plot being completely underdeveloped, weak and poorly planned. This is one of the few areas where you can expect an indie film to outshine the bigger releases, but it does require some love and care from the creatives. Instead it seems that Mafia Wars action comes first, and any thought about plot and premise comes last.

The early parts of the film are riddled with inconsistencies and elements that don’t make sense. However, the second half tries to increase the tension and action, but then does weird moves and jumps that completely remove the tension and slow down the pacing. This wouldn’t be so disappointing if there wasn’t a point in the film where things get interesting. Instead, it becomes the stiffest and most awkward third act as the story jumps from one moment to the next with cuts to black screen.

All of this results in a film that loses its momentum, is predictable, full of tired formulaic dialogue, and lacks action or thrills. Welling does a good job with the script he’s given, but even here, thanks to his years of talent and experience, he’s used as little more than a tough hero whose motivations for taking on a dangerous job seem to have been thrown in as an afterthought. All this said Mafia Wars is not entirely devoid of any redeeming qualities.

There is one bright spot in Mob Wars

Of the entire cast, the most interesting and attractive actor to appear on screen is Cam Gigandet. Gigandet has had several roles in major Hollywood productions, but playing the unpredictable villain Griff allows the actor to stand out in a whole new way. The delivery of his lines, the personality of his character and the enthusiasm he brings to his role make every moment he is on screen one of the best scenes in the film.

However, despite Gigandet’s outstanding performance, it’s not enough to save the rest of the film. If the script had been refined and improved, the actors had been given more direction (Tom Welling’s character in particular had a more interesting personality) or if some attention had been paid to improving the storytelling, this could have been something. Instead, the finished product is undercooked and lacks passion. Mafia Wars this is not a movie worth your time and unfortunately it lacks the substance to even be considered bad enough to be a good movie.

Mafia Wars now available digitally and on demand. The film runs 90 minutes and is not rated.