Fatman

Directed by Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms, Fatman follows Mel Gibson’s Chris Cringle as he’s targeted for execution after a spoiled 12-year-old (Chance Hurstfield’s Billy) receives a lump of coal from Santa Claus. It’s an admittedly absurd premise that’s employed to mostly (and incongruously) muted effect by the Nelms’, as the filmmakers, working from their own screenplay, deliver a deliberately-paced endeavor that fares especially poorly in its uneventful, overly smug first half – with the arms-length vibe perpetuated by an almost total absence of stand-out scenes or sequences. There’s little doubt, then, that Fatman‘s tolerable atmosphere is due primarily to Gibson’s engrossing turn as the grizzled protagonist, and it’s clear that the picture is generally at its best when focused on Cringle’s low-key, character-study-like exploits (and it doesn’t hurt, certainly, that Marianne Jean-Baptiste is just as good as Cringle’s pragmatic wife). The watchable yet far-from-spellbinding feel persists right up until the entertainingly action-packed climax, which, when coupled with a thoroughly satisfying final few minutes, at least ensures that the whole thing concludes on an comparatively enthralling note – with final result a barely-passable endeavor that rarely lives up to the effectiveness of Gibson’s stellar work here.

**1/2 out of ****