I really had no idea what to expect going into Trespass having never heard of it before catching it on TV - but having seen Bill Paxton's name flash up on screen, and having that followed up by The Warrior's director Walter Hill ensured that I would be watching it anyway. And I'm really glad I stuck with it because Trespass is a brilliantly entertaining modern day blaxploitation thriller with a heavy helping of strong violence and morally destitute macho characters. The plot is not particularly important, but certainly interesting nonetheless. We follow two Arkansas firemen who, having found out that a valuable stash of gold may be hidden in a factory in East St Louis, set off to claim it. However, upon arriving at the factory; they are soon joined by a group of black gangsters and end up witnessing one of them being killed. Naturally, the gangsters want the witnesses dead; but when the fireman manage to hole up in one of the factory's rooms; a standoff between the two groups ensues.
The film is not completely devoid of themes or a point. Naturally the central point is the idea of blacks vs. whites, which adds in an element of controversy, and also we've got themes relating to greed emanating from the idea of the trespassers being in the factory to chase gold. These two do make the film slightly more interesting; although clearly the main focus of the film is on the violence and entertainment stemming from the violence, and that's what really ensures Trespass is successful. Director Walter Hill creates a thoroughly nasty atmosphere; helped along by the fact that not a single character has much more than a shred of decency. The acting is very good, with Bill Paxton providing the only thing like a hero and doing really well with the role. He gets good backup from William Sadler along with a handful of rappers including Ice T and Ice Cube. The film is engrossing for the duration and is not short on action. The way that much of it is focused in just one place ensures that we are able to get into the lead character's plight; even if we don't particularly like them. I was a bit worried that the soundtrack might be saturated with rap; but the director manages to keep this to a minimum which is definitely to the film's credit. Overall, Trespass is a very well done little thriller and one that I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend!
