Screen legend Bruce Willis plays Lt. Wakes, a vengeful police detective determined to solve the murders of his partner and an informant. Wakes joins forces with Madison (Nicky Whelan), a witness injured during the shootings. After the killers pursue Madison across the abandoned floor of a hospital, she confirms Wakes’ worst fears: the two men are actually corrupt vice cops covering up a crime. As Wakes vows revenge, this heart-pounding action-thriller reaches an explosive climax.
In an attempt to satisfy those who love “Die Hard” and the crime-thriller genre, we are presented with “Trauma Center.” The film centers around female heroine, Madison Taylor (Nicky Whelan) who witnesses murders and in the process gets hit with a bullet and taken to an isolated ward where she must try and fend off the crooked cops that committed the murder who are out looking to tie up loose ends.
Another character in the story is Detective Wakes, played by Bruce Willis. His character vows to protect Taylor after she witnesses his partner’s murder but disappears almost as soon as he is introduced and doesn’t really help much in keeping her alive. Bruce Willis does well in this film but the scarcity of his screen time seems almost as though he was used in order to sell the film. The disappointing thing is, this movie really doesn’t need that. It is no blockbuster by any means but it’s well shot and there is quality acting as well as a quality setpiece. It’s a solid film that would be made even better with a better look at Wakes no matter who the character is played by.
The movie is primarily centered around a deadly game of hide-and-seek between Madison and her assailants. The camerawork winds between dreary hallways and darkened rooms and the atmosphere that is created during these moments are incredible. The only problem is that the game of cat and mouse has been played out by films like “Die Hard” and it ends in predictability.
“Trauma Center” is solid and that will please those fans of the crime-thriller genre. Even with the played-out tropes of the genre shining through, it’s still a film that will be enjoyed by anyone who watches it.
Available on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital) and DVD February 4th from Lionsgate
