Arsenal (2017 film)

Arsenal (also known as Southern Fury) is a 2017 American thriller film directed by Steven C. Miller and written by Jason Mosberg. The film stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Adrian Grenier, Johnathon Schaech, Christopher Coppola and Lydia Hull. The film was released on January 6, 2017, by Lionsgate Premiere.

Cast

 * Nicolas Cage as Eddie King
 * John Cusack as Sal
 * Adrian Grenier as JP
 * Johnathon Schaech as Mikey
 * Christopher Coppola as Buddy King
 * Lydia Hull as Lizzie
 * Heather Johansen as Kristy
 * Carrie Jo Hubrich as Chelsea
 * William Mark McCullough as Luca
 * Abbie Gayle as Alexis
 * Tyler Jon Olson as Gus
 * Tamara Belous as Janet
 * Christopher Rob Bowen as Rob
 * Vivian Benitez as Lisa
 * Megan Leonard as Vicki
 * Shea Buckner as Rusty
 * Sean Paul Braud as Mr. Kuchar
 * C.J. LeBlanc as Hoya

Release
The film was released on January 6, 2017, by Lionsgate Premiere.

Critical reception
Arsenal received negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 4%, based on 28 reviews, with a rating of 3.1/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 25 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Joe Leydon of Variety wrote primarily about Cage's performance, saying it "could be labeled Swift’s Premium and sold by the pound", going on to say that with his "putty nose", "bad wig", and "fake mustache that resembles an exhausted caterpillar", Cage brings his usual "manic gusto", and that "while his over-the-top shtick is perilously nearing the end of its shelf life", Cage "routinely dominates each film in which he appears". Of the entire movie, he called it "pointless flash and filigree". Jesse Hassenger of The A.V. Club also noted the "prime Nic Cage overacting", as well as John Cusack "trying to disguise how miscast he usually is as a lowlife", but wrote that this tried to work as a "quick fix for the movie’s weaker elements". Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times was far more negative, saying the movie may already be "the worst movie of 2017", criticizing the "cliché-ridden script", "dripping molasses pace", and "brutally unpleasant" action and fight scenes. He too noted that Cage's "sadistic Sonny Bono get-up" was "anything but dull".