Review: Neal McDonough Stars In Neo-Western BOON
Neal McDonough is someone who steals scenes as a supporting actor in big-budget films (Minority Report) and popular television shows (Yellowstone). However, away from delivering first-rate support, McDonough also gets to prove his leading man bone fides in more modest budgeted fare like Boon.
A neo-western with a no-nonsense stoic quality that plays like it’s a 1950s tough guy movie, Boon is a film that shows McDonough has the chops and the charisma to be an A-list lead. It’s just a shame Hollywood no longer builds movies around actors like him – and that’s why McDonough has decided to take things into his own hands. Not only does McDonough star in Boon, he wrote the screenplay alongside director Derek Presley, and he also produces with his wife, Ruve McDonough.
It might be set in the present day, the the plot for Boon is pure Western:
Injured after a shootout, Nick Boon (McDonough) is nursed back to health by Catherine (Christiane Seidel), a widower who is getting harassed by a local criminal gang led by Mr Fitzgerald (Tommy Flanagan). Once he’s fighting fit, Boon takes it upon himself to protect the mother and her teenage son.
Boon is no thrills storytelling. It’s a film which does exactly what it says on the tin and if you’re looking for complexity then you best look elsewhere. The acting hits the mark and there’s plenty of gunplay to keep action fans entertained. It’s a shame that the film’s limited budget means there’s little scope to open things up and deliver big visuals or big action. The pic is a follow-up to Derek Presley and Neal McDonough’s 2021 thriller, Red Stone – the film that first introduced the character of Boon. You can see why McDonough is attracted to the role – he’s tough, with strong morals and he lets his fists do the taking. A classic Hollywood hero in the Bogart/Mitchum mould.
It’s far from being a classic, but Boon is worth watching for Neal McDonough’s turn and to see Tommy Flanagan chew the scenery as the bad guy of the piece.
