''Machine'' is a 2006 American action movie written and directed by Michael Lazar, and starring Lazar,

James Russo James Vincent Russo (born April 23, 1953) is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in over 150 films in three decades. Early life Russo was born in New York City, New York, to an Italian father and German mother. A graduate of t ...

and

Neal McDonough Neal McDonough (born February 13, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' (2001), Deputy District Attorney David McNorris on ''Boomtown'' (2002–20 ...

. The film had theatrical debut October 29, 2006.

Plot

Ex special forces mercenary and now hardened criminal Vic, (Michael Lazar) lives in a world of cons, double crosses, crooked cops, mob bosses and drug dealing crime lords. Playing by his own rules, Vic and his partner Frank (Paul Sloan) work both sides of the street, caring only about where they can score and take down the most cash. After a dangerous shootout during a drug deal gone bad, Vic finds himself working for ruthless crime boss Paul Santo (

Nick Vallelonga Nicholas Anthony Vallelonga (born September 13, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing and producing the film '' Green Book'', for which he received two Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Pictur ...

). Santo's being indicted for murder, and he enlists Vic and Frank to kill the three witnesses that will testify against him. Watching Vic's every move is Santo's strongest soldier, Ray, (

Michael Madsen Michael Søren Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. He has starred in many films and television series, frequently collaborating with director Quentin Tarantino, most famously in the latter's debut film '' Reservoir Dogs'' (1 ...

) a stone-cold killer, who would like nothing better than to whack Vic and Frank the moment his boss gives him the okay. As the Asian proverb says, "In the shadow of every crime is a woman" and that holds true for Vic as his grifter girlfriend Thea (Lisa Arturo) and Frank's ex, the exotic, sultry, Layla (

Michelle Lombardo Michelle Helen Lombardo (born September 16, 1983) is an American model and actress. Lombardo gained fame with her appearances in the 2000s ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues.'' She made her film debut in ''Dishdogz'' in 2005 and began acting o ...

) have their own agendas as they both try in their own way to use and manipulate their men. As Vic tries to juggle all this as well as kill the witnesses to pay off his debt to Santo, and at the same time avoid Ray's wrath, he is pursued by crooked vice cop Ford (

) who's relentless as he turns up the heat on Vic and Frank. On top of all this, it doesn't help that Asian crime lord, Cho (Garret Sato) and his henchman Butch (

) are applying their own brand of pressure on Vic and Frank. They want to take out Santo and Ray, using Vic and Frank as pawns in their game of revenge and murder. In the end, Vic settles all scores as these competing factions come crashing together in the violent, action-packed climax.

Cast

* Michael Lazar as Vic *

as Ray *

as Detective Ford *

as Butch *

as Layla *

Terasa Livingstone Terasa Livingstone (born 9 April 1975) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress, TV presenter and children's host. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, fellow Australian actor Wil Traval. Career She began her career as a r ...

as Vivian * Paul Sloan as Frank * Lisa Arturo as Thea *

as Paul Santo * Brian Hayes Currie as "Top" * Garret Sato as Cho * Robert Berson as Rich * Jess King as Banes * Robert Ciancimino as Kane * Jimmy Labrie as Davis * Hadi Armani as Raheed

Reception

(Expand per ''Film Monthly'', ''eFilmCritic'', ''Film Critics United'', and ''Home Theater Info''.)

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0345601, title=Machine 2006 action films American action films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language action films