When Lucy (Brittany Snow) returns home to Bushwick, a neighbourhood in Brooklyn, from college she soon discovers an unknown military force has taken over the neighbourhood. She meets war veteran Stupe (Dave Bautista) and together they fight to make it one block at a time to safety.

The way Bushwick is filmed is really engaging and different to the usual action, shoot-’em-up type of film it is. Bushwick is mostly made up of a sequence of long, tracking shots that follow the main characters. Most of these happen on the streets and this adds to the sense of panic and insecurity as you as the viewer can only see as much as the characters, and sometimes even less than what they see. It increases the tension as gunfire can come from all directions, and it’s difficult to tell who is friendly and who is not.

Because Lucy and Stupe are almost constantly on the move, running across streets and taking shelter in buildings, the film never really lets up. It moves from one action, gun-filled sequence to the next, barely letting you or the characters have time to breathe. There are a couple of moments where Lucy and Stupe have a chance to actually talk to one another, one of which gives Bautista a great monologue.

When you learn more about the invading military force that’s terrorising the streets, it becomes clear Bushwick is a film for these times. It’s about a country that is in some ways divided, but in others is stronger together. There’s a great moment when you learn the invading force thought the neighbourhood would be an easy target because it is made up of a diverse group of people, but they underestimated them and these people who have different backgrounds are instead fighting side by side.

Bushwick is a fast-paced and thrilling action film. It offers some interesting commentary on modern day America which might be a bit on the nose, but the performances are generally good and the action is relentless. 4/5.