Cinema Connoisseur: This bounty hunter is no Dog

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Bounty Hunters (2011)

Former WWE diva Trish Stratus makes her feature film debut in Bounty Hunters, a film that gives the Toronto beauty another opportunity to kick some booty.

Following in the glorious lineage of bounty hunters such as Dog and Boba Fett comes the trio of Jules (Stratus), Ridley (Frank J. Zupancic) and Chase (Boomer Phillips of Video On Trial). The bail enforcers are having a typical day… well, as typical as your day can be when your job is to track down criminals who have jumped bail and are none too eager to turn themselves in.

The bail enforcers are thrown for a loop when they are offered $1 million to turn over their latest pickup, a mob informant, back to the mob. That's 10 times what they will receive if they turn him over to the cops. They must decide if they can live with themselves if they go the easy route for the big money, basically turning a man over to meet his demise.

Stratus does a great job in her first starring role. The looks, athleticism and personality that Stratus exhibited in the squared circle are on full display. There have been many wrestlers who have tried to transition to film — for every Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who has succeeded, there are dozens who have failed. If Stratus decides that she wants to focus on a career in the film industry, her work in Bounty Hunters leads me to believe she could do quite well for herself.

My biggest complaint with the film would be the fact that Stratus disappears from the film entirely for at least a 20-minute chunk in the middle. Much in the vein of Stratus' former profession pro wrestling, an injury angle is used to take her out of the story for this period. The fact is most people will be watching this film to see Stratus. She is the one gracing the cover, she is the most well-known star; put simply, she is the draw. For her to be missing for almost a third of the film's 75-minute running time was a bit perplexing.

That being said, Bounty Hunters is an enjoyable action film that fans of Stratus will get a kick out of. The combat scenes are very well done, and it's clear Stratus had a hand in the choreography, even executing her old Stratusfaction finishing manoeuvre. Bounty Hunters is now available on home video. The DVD also features an interview with Stratus, plus a cool behind-the-scenes look at Stratus' big fight scene with Andrea James Lui, where Stratus is wearing a schoolgirl costume. It's like Bruce Lee versus Chuck Norris in Way of the Dragon, only more arousing.

Rating: 3 out of 5