''Hero Wanted'' is a 2008 American

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Brian Smrz Brian Smrz (; born ), also Brian Delaney Smrz, is a Hollywood stunt coordinator and second unit director of projects such as ''Live Free or Die Hard'', '' Mission: Impossible 2'', ''Eagle Eye'', ''Night at the Museum'', ''Windtalkers'' and ''Supe ...

in his directorial debut. The film stars

Cuba Gooding Jr. Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Emmy nomination. After his breakthrough role as Tre Styles in ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), he appeare ...

, with a supporting cast of

Ray Liotta Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primeti ...

Kim Coates Kim F. Coates (born February 21, 1958) is a Canadian–American actor who has worked in both Canadian and American films and television series. He has worked on Broadway portraying Stanley Kowalski in ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' and in the lead ...

, and

Norman Reedus Norman Mark Reedus (born January 6, 1969) is an American actor best known for starring as Daryl Dixon in the AMC (TV channel), AMC horror drama series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead'' (2010–2022). He also starred as Murphy Mac ...

. The film was released on

direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

in the United States on April 29, 2008.

Plot

Liam Case (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is a garbage man whose life hasn't quite turned out the way he expected it would. In order to impress the girl of his dreams, Liam plans an elaborate bank heist that will culminate with him jumping in to save the day at the last minute. When the day of the heist arrives, however, the plan takes an unexpected turn and both the girl and Liam end up being shot by one of the robbers. After recovering from his injury, Liam kills the robber who shot him and the girl. He then realizes that the associates of the dead robber will not stop until they have avenged that death.

Cast

as Liam Case *

as Detective Terry Subcott *

as Skinner McGraw *

as Swain *

Jean Smart Jean Elizabeth Smart (born September 13, 1951) is an American actress. After beginning her career in regional theater in the Pacific Northwest, she appeared on Broadway in 1981 as Marlene Dietrich in the biographical play '' Piaf''. Smart was l ...

as Melanie McQueen *

Christa Campbell Christa Campbell (born December 7, 1972) is an American actress and producer. Campbell is best known for her roles in '' 2001 Maniacs'', '' Mozart and the Whale'', '' Lonely Hearts'', ''The Wicker Man'', ''Cleaner'', ''Day of the Dead'', '' L ...

as Kayla McQueen *

Ben Cross Harry Bernard Cross (16 December 1947 – 18 August 2020) was an English stage and film actor. He was best known for playing Billy Flynn in the original West End production of the musical ''Chicago'', and his portrayal of the British Ol ...

as Cosmo Jackson *

Tommy Flanagan Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. ...

as Derek * Gary Cairns II as Gill * Steven Kozlowski as Lynch McGraw *

Sammi Hanratty Samantha Hanratty (born September 20, 1995) is an American actress. Her first lead was in 2009, portraying Chrissa Maxwell in ''An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong''. In 2011, she played the role Whitney Brown in the film ''The Greening of ...

as Marley Singer * Paul Sampson as Gordy McGraw *

Todd Jensen Todd Jensen is an American bassist who has played for various artists, including the bands Sequel, Hardline (band), Hardline, and Harlow (band), Harlow, as well as David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Perry (musician), Steve Perry, Alice Cooper,S ...

as Detective Wallace MacTee

Production

Shooting took place in Sofia, Bulgaria in 32 days on April 3 and May 5, 2007.

Home media

DVD was released in Region 1 in the United States on April 29, 2008, and also Region 2 in the United Kingdom on 16 June 2008, it was distributed by

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures lib ...

. It is included a downloadable

Digital Copy A digital copy is a commercially distributed computer file containing a media product such as a film or music album. The term contrasts this computer file with the physical copy (typically a DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, or Ultra HD Blu-ray disc) with ...

(PC and PSP) version of the disc with studio-imposed restrictions (and was one of the first DVDs to offer this now commonplace feature).

Reception

David Johnson of

DVD Verdict DVD Verdict was a judicial-themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. The editor-in-chief was Michael Stailey, who owned the website between 2004 and 2016, and the site employed a large editorial staff of critics, whose reviews ...

wrote, "It's violent and over-the-top, but ''Hero Wanted'' is ultimately a slick, hollow affair."

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes, 10009154-hero_wanted 2008 films 2008 crime thriller films 2008 directorial debut films 2000s police procedural films 2000s vigilante films American films about revenge American crime thriller films American gangster films American police detective films American vigilante films Direct-to-video thriller films Films about domestic violence Films about murderers Films shot in Bulgaria Nu Image films Sony Pictures direct-to-video films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films