Clark Duke was once an actor handling supporting roles in comedy films, working to brighten up pictures such as “Hot Tub Time Machine” and “Kick-Ass.” He’s refocused his efforts to directing in recent years, with his last endeavor, 2020’s “Arkansas,” failing to do something interesting with its story of backwoods crime and all the messiness involved with it. Duke is back behind the camera with “Stranglehold,” and he’s not venturing far from his comfort zone, returning with another study of backwoods crime, this time inspecting a showdown inside a strip club filled with trigger-happy criminals and a couple trying to pull themselves out of poverty by stealing a load of money. There’s a strong first half to “Stranglehold,” as the writing (credited to Duke, Billington Garrett, and Chandler Duke) is clearly having fun creating colorful characters, building trouble with a sense of humor. The rest of the movie isn’t as successful, but Duke improves on “Arkansas,” getting most of the way there with a violent examination of desperation. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
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