Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (May 28, 2024)
Immigration remains a hot button topic in the US, and that seems unlikely to change anytime soon. For a tale related to that subject, we go to 2021’s Spiked.
Set in 2005, Sedcott, Arizona sits on the US/Mexico border and John Wilson (Aidan Quinn) runs a newspaper for that community. John finds himself less than popular with local law enforcement due to the many stories he runs related to corruption.
When immigrant laborer Federico (Christopher Bustos) ends up dead due to a combination of vehicular assault and police mistakes, the authorities attempt to sweep it under the rug. John takes up the case as a cause, one that finds him threatened in a variety of ways.
Like I noted at the start, Spiked clearly touches on topical issues. Does it manage to do anything interesting with these subjects?
Unfortunately, not really. While Spiked deals with provocative domains, it pursues its narrative in such a clumsy manner that it never engages.
A better movie would look at the topics in a broad manner that doesn’t clearly take one side. Not that I mind the fact Spiked favors one perspective, but it slants far too much in one direction.
Spiked lacks even the slightest hint of subtlety. We find a clunky script that grinds to a halt for awkward exposition every chance it gets, and it offers zero nuance.
It wouldn’t be tough to represent both sides in a way that prompts actual debate. Instead, Spiked makes John and colleagues into true blue heroes and the cops into cartoon villains.
In no way, shape or form do I intend to defend police misconduct. However, Spiked turns the authorities into such corrupt buffoons that it prompts eye-rolling.
Dudley Do-Right shorts deliver more subtlety than does Spiked. Only the fact that Sedcott Chief of Police Collins (Deirdre Lovejoy) lacks facial hair prevents her from twirling her moustache as she comes up with one evil plot after another.
This makes the story absurdly unbalanced. What could deliver a compelling look at issues related to immigration as well as freedom of the press just turns into an overwritten mess.
Quinn adds some star power, but he sleepwalks through his poorly written role. It doesn’t help that Spiked tosses in a pointless subplot related to John’s marital strains, one that just makes a flawed movie even less coherent.
While I can’t claim I expected a classic from Spiked, I hoped to find a fairly compelling tale of issues related to the US’s southern border. Instead, I found a clumsy and overwrought melodrama mixed with cheap civics lesson.