• LIKE on Facebook • FOLLOW on Twitter • FOLLOW on Instagram

• SUBSCRIBE on YouTube • BUY ME A COFFEE on Ko-Fi

Stars: Tip Cullen, Tom Leigh, Daniel Davids
Directors: James Clarke, Daniel Shepherd
Distributor: Vertigo Releasing

“You don’t have to suffer alone.”

For those who grew up with Death Wish, and have an admiration for post-war films, Sunray: Fallen Soldier could be the greatest film ever made. Sunray opens with a 10-minute pre-title sequence featuring Tip Cullen, as Andy, leading a group of Marines through a narcotics interception, concluding with a tone-setting firefight.

In contradiction, once the titles have disappeared, Andy is seen living in a Martin Riggs-esque home, working in The Toolshed, and sporting a tributing look to Kris Kristofferson. Outside of getting bollocked by the Regional Manager, Andy spends his time in therapy, dealing with PTSD. His days involved in any action seem to be long gone until he finds himself in pursuit of his daughter’s drug dealer boyfriend, Cassius (Daniel Davids), after hard drugs are put on her plate.

Initially, Sunray does its best revenge/vigilante impression, presenting a relentless Andy – fully equipped with a nail gun – taking down those within a brothel-crackhouse-hybrid. Eventually finding himself boosted with the help of his former fellow Marines, Andy has a new mission: kill the drug empire and its kingpin.

Perhaps, Sunray’s biggest challenges are: 1. Don’t be Death Wish. 2. Establish a stable balance of PTSD character study and action-revenge film. When the Marines are back together, Sunray generally shifts from aggressively focusing upon Andy. Instead, the individual members of his unit all get a fair amount of screen time – detailing recollections of war, and executing drug dealers. Additionally, with the main goal of ridding Lucian (Kevin Golding) of his Class-A empire, and his throne, the personal perspective of Andy and his viewpoints are seemingly lost at times.

However, in its partial existence as a character study and PTSD awareness, a powerful sequence is present; probably the best scene in the film. Lacking any glorification or dramatisation, sat around a table, one of the Marines details an ambush and tragedy during his service. The vocal recollection, minimal flashback, and rawness in dialogue, are all in contribution to an exceptionally powerful ambiance. The dialogue goes beyond Sunray. The dialogue spoken sounds like a real, extensive quote from a veteran going into great detail of the horrors witnessed.

Sunray does an excellent job of presenting the therapy treatments behind PTSD. Typically, the effects of PTSD are presented and overblown, yet in the instance, we see not only the symptoms, but how they are treated in therapy. These efforts go beyond adding context within the film, but also aid those in need of help whether they have sought it or not.

Ultimately, Sunray: Fallen Soldier has great fun with itself in the vein of an action-revenge film, if not occasionally convoluted with background characters in the drug underworld. But the real art, and gem, is in its existence as a post-war character piece. Unfortunately, the balance does feel like it leans with the action elements, especially after an explosive second half. Despite its good intentions with PTSD and trauma, most will likely come for its bullets and bloodshed.