It’s a refreshing change from the sprawling crime sagas of late, telling a story in a minimal amount of time without sacrificing richness, nuance or emotion.

| Jun 7, 2023

It asks, and mostly answers, big questions about unconditional love and how far a father will go to help his son. Why this wasn't released on Father's Day I'll never know.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jan 29, 2021

It's almost worth eating your own tail over.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 27, 2020

[Hammer reminds] us that every family has baggage. It's just that in this case it happens to include two satchels stuffed full of cash.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 26, 2020

A quietly terrific Canuck crime story.

| Jun 25, 2020

One of my favorite movies I've seen lately, but there is no getting around that low budget...

| Jun 25, 2020

I really liked the feel of it, but it's something much better to watch at home.

| Jun 25, 2020

The film's excellent lead performances and artful execution distinguish it from comparable generic offerings, but what leaves the most striking impression is the emotional entry point that Sparkes finds into the story.

| Original Score: B- | Jun 18, 2020

Hammer has the mechanics of a hard-edged noir thriller, which works startlingly well, but it's clear that Sparkes's heart, and therefore the film's, is centered on the distressed familial relationships.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Jun 18, 2020

There can be a lot to like about a straightforward thriller that shaves off all the fat it can.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Jun 18, 2020

I would watch Will Patton in anything but this film tested my limits.

| Original Score: 4/10 | Jun 18, 2020

It possesses such a strong understanding of its characters that if its half-dead catalyst was sprawled out in their living room instead of a cornfield, the heart behind the decisions wouldn't flake.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 16, 2020

A tense and economical thriller the indie marketplace could sure use more of.

| Original Score: 3.5/5.0 | Jun 15, 2020

Writer-director Christian Sparkes' Hammer is anchored by a wonderfully rich performance by the great Will Patton, a long-standing supporting actor who is given the opportunity to shine in a lead role.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 14, 2020

A gritty film noir about petty crooks on the US/Canadian border, Hammer builds a persuasive sense of desperation.

| Jun 9, 2020

Hammer nails it in with a suspenseful story, thrilling leads, and a fascinating conversation around a topic so few dive into.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 7, 2020

The concept might have yielded a taut and provocative short film, but at feature length, it feels strained and struggles to generate consistent tension.

| Jun 6, 2020

Hammer is noteworthy for its unique approach to a story of challenging family dynamics, but the movie never lives up to the promise of its premise.

| Jun 6, 2020

A tense little thriller, a tight movie about someone who made a very bad decision and is now trying to fight his way out of it.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 5, 2020

[W]riter/director Christian Sparkes' film [is] a relatively simple thriller that works because it defines its characters and their relationships so clearly.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 5, 2020