RATING: B

Uncork’d Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures present a Millman Productions/Triple Origin Productions film in association with Ron Lee Pictures, PyraMax Productions and Babe Entertainment. Directed by Fady Jeanbart. Produced by Jeff Miller. Written by Joe Knetter; story by Jeff Miller. Cinematography by Michael Su. Edited by Sean Cain and Fady Jeanbart.

Stars Robert Bronzi, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Avaryana Rose, Paul Logan, Jacob “Madman Fulton” Southwick, Mark Justice, Brett Benowitz, Neva Leoncini, and Daniel Baldwin.

Bronsploitation is back as Robert Bronzi is back with a new action film in which he teams up this time with MMA legend Quentin “Rampage” Jackson.

Out in the middle of the California desert is a rundown diner and auto shop that usually operates during peak season. However, it is off-season and one man is there to take care of the property. Legend has it that he’s extremely tough and has taken down a bear. However, the truth is that the man in question, Adam, is actually suffering from the loss of his estranged daughter and finds solace in taking care of the property. 

When Draco, a crime boss in L.A., orders his cohort Freddie to kidnap a young woman Gina, he succeeds but breaks down at Adam’s diner and auto shop. When Adam learns what’s happened, a confrontation leads Freddie dead, Draco decides to send in the big guns to find Gina. The big guns come in the form of the Four Card Studs: King, Ace, Jack, and Joker. Adam soon learns the truth about Gina and gets help from his friend Hudson, an ex-con turned priest when the group arrives. 

He’s back! Bronspolitation is alive and well as long as Hungarian-born Robert Bronzi is around. He is the titular “Caretaker”, a man who takes care of a property during its off season and finds himself involved with a kidnapped woman and does what he can to protect her. What’s great here is that we don’t get a typical backstory, like the man is a former soldier or cop. He’s just a man who is trying to right a wrong and in this case, he is a grief-stricken dad who lost his daughter, seen in the film’s opening scene, when her attempt to reach out to him results in her accidental death. 

Bronzi once again plays the stoic and strong hero in Adam, the caretaker. When we see him, he confronts a punk who mocks him and attempts to cheap shot him. When Bronzi has the guns, he goes Death Wish. When he’s unarmed, he goes Hard Times like his childhood idol. And his ally this time is another MMA legend after Tito Ortiz in the horror film 12 to Midnight. In this case, it’s Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as Hudson, an ex-con turned priest who appears only in a brief scene where they shoot bottles and chat and the final action set piece. 

Daniel Baldwin plays the mastermind Draco, who comically pulls a move similar to his brother when he’s trying to talk and mock a guy he has his man choke to death. Avaryana Rose is also great as Gina, the kidnapped woman in question as she attempts to tell Adam about her ordeal and leads to a confrontation with the core four villains, the Four Card Studs. They all have different personalities. Paul Logan leads the crew as King (and also serves as the film’s fight coordinator), with pro wrestler Jacob “Madman Fulton” Southwick as ex-MMA fighter Ace, Mark Justice’s wiley Joker, and Brett Benowitz’s dull Jack. You can guess who Southwick will end up engaging with in this film while Bronzi takes on the others. 

The Caretaker shows that Bronspolitation is still alive and well with Robert Bronzi taking the lead again. This time, his stoic and strong performance adds a sense of grief mixed in as he tries to overcome losing his daughter and seeks redemption within himself. A good Bronsploitation entry IMO.