Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe
Tags: humor

Plot synopsis:
Set two years before the pilot episode, the film is narrated by Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell), a US Navy SEAL Commander, who is being questioned by Admiral Lawrence (John Diehl) about a mission in Colombia. Sam reveals that he had unwittingly had an affair with a superior's wife (Chandra West) and that he was punished with a dangerous mission: to track down a terrorist group known as the Espada Ardiente and assess the need for American support against them.
In Colombia, Sam meets his new team, including Commandante Veracruz (Pedro Pascal), then goes to a local clinic to tell them that they're in danger only to be brushed off by the two employees, doctor Ben Delaney (RonReaco Lee) and charity worker Amanda Maples (Kiele Sanchez). Later, while scouting the area against orders, Sam discovers that Veracruz and his men are preparing to attack the clinic themselves and kill him to game the system for aid, so Sam sneaks off to the clinic to sound the alarm again, yet they still won't take his help. Thinking Sam has been kidnapped, Veracruz moves quickly to destroy the clinic but a local teenager, an orphan girl named Beatriz (Ilza Rosario), gets to the clinic early and tells Sam he's coming. Once he's convinced Ben and Amanda of the danger, Sam helps them get all the patients out and blow up the clinic as a distraction for the escape. Beatriz suggests hiding with her only friends, the Espada Ardiente, which works for Sam and his mission, especially since they have no alternative. Upon their arrival, Sam discovers that the Espada Ardiente is merely a small, but resilient, group of shepherds on a small farm that the corrupt Veracruz is trying to secure as a way-point for drug transportation. After watching them do very basic training and promising Amanda he won't leave them, Sam heads back to Veracruz's camp to call for support and stall long enough for help to arrive. Veracruz calls his bluff and almost forces him to reveal where the Espada Ardiente are hiding out, but the farmers give Sam a way out and he escapes back to them, where he apologizes and tells them how they can all help him stop Veracruz. Altogether, they then travel to a CIA outpost to ask for help, narrowly escaping a trap set by Veracruz along the road. They arrive to the isolated outpost and find its only use is observation, and is practically empty except for two men and some radio equipment, which they use to call for assistance. Sam is instructed that nothing will happen until he travels to the nearest military base first to detail the situation. Again, Sam promises he'll return and gets on the helicopter with the two men, but they admit nobody is coming until they go through the proper channels, and that the locals are essentially being left for dead in a "compromised" facility, giving Sam no choice except to force them to land at gunpoint.
In the present, the Admiral tips his hand that things are heading towards a trial, but Sam refuses a lawyer and continues his story.
At the outpost in Colombia, Sam strong-arms the CIA men into calling for backup, which won't arrive for three hours, leaving him and the others to hold off Veracruz as long as possible. Their odds get worse when reinforcements show up for Veracruz, and, despite their best efforts to block his path, eventually they run out of ammunition and must retreat back to the outpost. Still anticipating assistance, Sam has the guys call out again, birthing his alias "Chuck Finley," and learns that they won't have enough time. Shortly thereafter, Veracruz arrives on scene, so Sam heads outside to buy his friends more time. They refuse to surrender to Sam and rough him up a bit before firing on the outpost, and then, the cavalry arrives to save the day. Once Veracruz and his forces are in custody, and all of Sam's friends have said their goodbyes, he is escorted back to the base to testify.
The Admiral evaluates the situation and threatens Sam with a court martial, but Sam has an ace up his sleeve: Beatriz, seeking redemption for influencing her friends to fight in the first place, has photographs of the entire operation and published them in Colombia's largest newspaper with his encouragement. He then strikes a graymail deal with Lawrence, promising to remain silent about the whole thing in exchange for the following: exoneration for all his friends; rebuild the clinic; leave the farmers alone to their herds; finally, for himself, an honorable discharge with full pension, a first-class plane ticket to the city of his choice (Miami), a change of clothes, and one ice-cold beer.

Review: Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe is a journey into the past of the series' most enigmatic character as only Bruce Campbell can play him.Set in 2005, the movie follows Sam's last mission as a Navy Seal before he wound up retired in Miami.
But, things aren't what they seem.So far, the biggest complaints about this movie are that some of the uniforms are inaccurate, which means they must be doing everything else right.
Even thought it felt more like one of Bruce's B-movie romps than an actual extension of Burn Notice, that only helps bring home the fun of the movie.
Bruce gets many a great line, and a few nods to both his past and his fans.The other characters ranged from well-acted to a kind of meh performance, and the overall direction by Jeffrey Donovan was well done.
Fans of both Bruce and Burn Notice will enjoy this picture and come away feeling satisfied.
Been a fan of Burn Notice from the beginning I thought this movie was just an other ripoff of my favorite show.
Now I know what lies behind Sam Axe, and as someone pointed, it would be nice to see the beginning of Michael Westen's story (he made a cameo role here) as well.
I think The Fall Of Sam Axe is one of the most recommendable movie for anyone who likes a good old-school action comedy..
One for the Bruce Campbell fans!.
Bruce Campbell shows what makes Same Axe such a great character.
Only with much better story lines.Now it is possible that even having charisma is not enough for people to like Bruce Campbell.
Between season 4 and 5 of Burn Notice, this prequel movie of sorts was produced that focuses on Sam who, when we join him, is undergoing an informal military "interview" over his actions during a mission in Columbia.
This flashback structure takes us away from the normal settings in the main but (hopefully) still allows for the easy mix of style, comedy and action that makes Burn Notice a "safe pair of hands" when it comes to prime time.
It feels and looks like either less money was available for it or the makers were playing it in a slightly different way.The result is somewhat of a B-movie thriller except with an oddly uneven tone running across it.
If you sat to watch it without any vested interested in the character of Sam then probably you'll not get much from it but then this is because it doesn't offer a huge amount for you.
The main selling point here is Campbell and he does make it more entertaining than it deserves to be because his performance and his character are quite fun.
The in-jokes for his fans are a nice touch if a little clunky, while he throws himself into it with energy and good comic timing.
The supporting cast are never more than average though and it does hurt the overall film.The effects are solid enough and the A-Team-esque action is decent and bloodless enough to distract.
The direction is surprisingly "straight" though; the TV show has lots of music and quick cuts and sliding transitions but here the presentation is a lot more drab by comparison – a bit of "oomph" in this regard would have helped the film feel slicker and more fun as works for the show.
Overall The Fall of Sam Axe is a distracting bit of filler to those fans of Burn Notice, even though it never gets to the same level of entertainment or fun as the actual show does.
Bruce Campbell fans will get a kick out of it and it is certainly an "easy" watch but nothing more than that..
Fans who only know Bruce from Burn Notice might feel that this movie isn't as tightly plotted as usual and focuses too much on comedy.
Bruce-only fans meanwhile will probably be surprised find Bruce playing it more straight than usual.But if, like me, you love both Bruce AND Burn Notice, you'll lap this up!
It comes across a little like a TV movie version of Romancing the Stone, with a sharper political edge.
Bruce, as always, lifts the whole thing with his charisma - he's like a more self-aware, mocking version of James Garner and Matt Nix cleverly plants lots of in-jokes for both Burn Notice fans and Evil Dead-ites alike.
If you're immune to both Bruce and Burn Notice you'll spend your time finding fault with the accuracy of the thing.
Otherwise you'll just sit back and be entertained by a fun action/comedy for 90 minutes..
The villains were competently played but telegraphed oily evil immediately, losing all sense of suspense there.It was predictable and a bit preachy, and the mention of the SOA was bordering on heavy-handed, but Bruce charms and smirks his way through it and makes an otherwise forgettable bit of tripe an actual pleasure to watch.
It is significant, however, that no one but him could have.Of course, one doesn't watch Bruce Campbell for the outstanding special effects (Alien Apocalypse, anyone?), the great supporting cast (The Man with the Screaming Brain?), or the realistic, down-to-earth plots (any Evil Dead you care to name), one watches for Bruce.
For whatever reason I never knew this even existed and just watched it this night (6-26-13).The movie itself was nothing to write home about but was nice to see Sam being Sam.With Burn Notice ending after this season I am actually glad I didn't know about this till now as it was the beginning to the end of a TV show I greatly enjoyed.For such a hodgepodge character set I was always amazed that they made it work.
Campbell's character was a big part of its success and quite possibly its glue.If you are a fan of the show it is worth watching..
Fun to see Sam Axe back story..
Our family was thrilled to see that we'd be getting more of Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe. He did a good job with the material.
You definitely see his Burn Notice character's core integrity in this.The writing has some funny and some drama, but at times was a bit obvious and clunky.
You still get the gist of the action regardless.Overall, it's worth a look to get the back story on a popular character.
A great way for a Burn Notice follower to fill the absurdly long inter-season hiatus..
The long anticipated prequel to the Burn Notice series answered many of our nagging questions about the series and Sam Axe in particular; but, posed even more.
Matt Nix (the writer) and Bruce Campbell (the actor) played the Sam Axe character true to the form we would expect of a former Navy SEAL, if anything even more so.
Matt does seem to have a bit of a penchant for writing controlling shrews as lead female characters.The director, Jeffery Donovan (Michael in the series), and writer are apparently much more acquainted with crooks, thugs and terrorists than they are with anything military.
Guns, bombs and thugs are portrayed with amazing accuracy but anything military (especially Navy) seems to end at the mere term: "Navy SEAL." Supposedly Mr. Nix relies heavily on spy consultants but no one associated with the show appears to have even served in the military.
No attempt seems to have been made to even approximate the correct insignias, uniforms, badges or military law (J.A.G) processes.None-the-less, the series isn't about the military, TV budgets aren't the same as movies, Jeffery is a beginning director, and Matt...
The character-driven story was so compelling that, if you didn't look too deeply, or become annoyed with the characterizations, it was two hours well spent.
Followers of the series will not be disappointed and will be well served with the new explanations, the new questions to answer, the expansion on a well-liked character, AND a great filler to a terribly long season hiatus..
After it goes wrong, Sam(Campbell, and it is *his* show for sure: charming, goofy, serious when called for) faces an informal inquiry.
The Fall of Jeffrey Donovan is an 11 and a half minute joke documentary, as the talent supposedly cracks under the pressure – it's hilarious and easily the single best thing to come out of the production of the picture.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys spy action thrillers, and/or the work of the deeply enjoyable, the one, the only, the Bruce.
A story about a fictional military character should get the uniforms right..
I am a big Burn Notice fan, and like the Sam Axe character.
and if you are not one, you should be.Look, Campbell was pushing 60 when he did this and his performance is so smooth that he qualifies for the title KING OF COOL with the likes of Steve McQueen and John Travolta.The whole thing has a tongue in cheek feel, but that is hardly a bad thing since most of the headlines these days have a foot in your *&&%% feel.The dialogue is sharp, the scenery is interesting, the women (all two of them) are pretty, and there is a beginning a middle and even an end to the story.What more could anyone ask for?.
As of today, I have consecutively seen all available Burn Notice series and, in general, I can say I like it a lot.
Including Sam Axe, whose certain frivolity provides additional value - also visible in The Fall of Sam Axe. The plot has been exploited multiple times and series viewers know the outcome, but still: Sam's attitudes, nattering, cautiousness and finding witty solutions are pleasant to follow, and some twists included bring the movie beyond trivial punishment expedition of Latin American cartels.
Many other characters are seen in the series as well.Must for series followers (as Sam's past was only briefly referred there), for the others - nice 1,5 hour in front of screen..
My experience with such details would be of great help to any production of these types of action movies..
Great Bruce Campell movie.
Though a prequel to Burn Notice, so very different, with its humor.
But great to tell the story of how Same Axe left the Navy.
If fan of Burn Notice, a must see, but don't expect it to be serious.
Sam Axe's Story.
When I saw the promo for Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe I thought I would check it out.Being that Burn Notice is one of my favorite shows I thought it would be worth the watch.
The film feels like a prequel to Burn Notice and having a story from Sam's point of view.It also gives us a look into what Sam's life was like before the events of Burn Notice.
Along with the fact they actually took their time in this TV movieThe acting in the film matches that of the TV series and it works very well and Bruce does a good job and shows why he was picked to play Sam Axe. The music in the film is good and the story is strong enough to hold your attention.Overall Burn Notice: The Fall Of Sam Axe is a good prequel to Burn Notice and fill you in on the history of Sam Axe.I give Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe an 8 out of 10.
In its best episodes, Burn Notice is tightly written, entertaining, and has a chemistry between the actors.
The story goes two years before the Burn Notice timeline, but what surprised me was how little it added to the overall narrative.
The movie follows Sam Axe, a supporting character in the show who supplies many of the laughs.
As played by b-movie icon Bruce Campbell, he's a laid-back Lothario who knows a thing or two about combat.
Here, we see Sam before a military tribunal, explaining what went wrong in his final Navy SEALS mission.
As Sam defies orders to save the rebels, he's joined by two doctors, played by Kiele Sanches and RonReaco Lee. Both are chronic whiners throughout the movie and offer no real substance to the plot.
Bruce Campbell has always been one of the great pleasures to watching Burn Notice.
Here, as usual, he plays on the cult films of his past, at one point hurling a chainsaw in a nod to the Evil Dead trilogy.
Seeing him as an overweight soldier just feels off, and I wanted the Sam Axe we're familiar with.
The movie was directed by Jeffery Donovan, who plays the protagonist Michael Westen on the show proper.
It feels too much like an episode stretched out over two hours, with no added urgency to justify the extra running time.
But even Donovan doesn't deserve all the blame: series creator Matt Nix wrote the screenplay and co-wrote the story.
Burn Notice is most at home with its leads and pushing them into ever-tighter corners, so The Fall of Sam Axe lacks all the advantages while making poor use of the show's breakout character.
Bruce Campbell is an eminent crowd-pleaser, but the movie here is certainly not..
This was more a spoof or comedy rather than a semi-drama like Burn Notice and I was not expecting that.
I thought this was going to be a legit prequel to the TV show rather than a movie in the vein of the old Bruce Campbell days of The Army of Darkness.That being said the storyline was mildly entertaining and did have some humor but it's hard to make a funny movie about soldiers trying to kill civilians.
Add mediocre comedy writers, actors who apparently don't know for sure if this is a comedy or drama, and you have a movie that falls short of being great at either one.Kylie Sanchez with her girl next door looks, was as always cute and lovable just like the role she played in Glades.
Again for the hardcore Burn Notice fan, his attire and attitude seemed out of place.If you are a Bruce Campbell fan from way back the movie is a must see.
At least Bruce looks good..
Of course, a Navy Seal would have to be in better shape than the retired Sam we are used to.OK, so my review is not going to be helpful, unless you value your time.2 hours of basically, Burn Notice.
Even the editing is more interesting.I might watch the extras again, but probably not the feature.In conclusion, if you love Bruce Campbell's character in Burn Notice, you may want to watch this once, simply to learn how Sam ended up where he did.Otherwise, save yourself time, money, and regret: skip it..
I am so committed to the burn notice franchise and series, and love the characters, but this seems to be a joke.
I thought that Sam Axe was supposed to be so quirky because of his retired man mind set, I can't ever imagine that being a trait he kept whilst in military service.
It was essentially slanderous to what is a truly great action drama, the film simply never needed to be done.
I am trying to erase every part of this movie from my memory in order to retain some kind of regard for Burn Notice.
Fun, retro look at Sam Axe and his history..
Backgrounder for Sam Axe, our much adored side kick to Michael Weston.
Written by Matt Nix, so we get the delicious inside jokes and humor we know from Burn Notice.
Bruce Campbell does his usual awesome job of entertaining the audience that you forget you are watching TV.
I especially appreciated the nods to Evil Dead, and his book, thank you Bruce for being a fans actor.
I was not disappointed, and if you like Burn Notice, neither will you..
Flaming Notice: Sam Axe is on the Rise.
The humor exhibited in Burn Notice: The Rise of Sam Axe spans the gauntlet from down-right imbecilic to border-line sophisticated.At the very beginning we see foreshadowing, in the form of his seemingly obsessive compulsive attention to the precision of his belt buckle's orientation, soon contrasted by a scene making one have no choice but to smell the possibility of the video game rights being sold to the makers of "Donkey Kong".
I can't vouch for the authenticity of his uniform, or verify whether or not naval personnel are required to salute indoors, but I enjoy a good laugh when I see one.The cameo with Michael Weston (played by Jeffrey Donovan) is priceless.
Fans of "Burn Notice" will especially appreciate the term of endearment Sam uses when referring to an un-named ex girlfriend of Michael's.
The interplay of the source of the soundtrack with specific situations is reminiscent of a Mel Brook's movie.On the more sophisticated end of the comedy spectrum are the way subtitles don't always correspond to the spoken words, whether or not subtitles were even necessary in a given scene, and how Sam clumsily, yet fluently, spoke Spanish so inconsistently.
Two examples are how Sam says "flaming sword" instead of "burning sword" for his interpretation of "ardiente espada", and when the subtitles display "thank you" when he says "gracious bandidos".Sam Axe should also receive the "Second Best Use of a Chainsaw in an Under-funded Film" Award.
OK, as a big Burn Notice fan I looked forward to seeing this TV movie.
It was the same great character Bruce Campbell plays on BN.
Surely, if being a Seal is so important to the plot and the inquiry the basic setting, then someone should have spent a few minutes with attention to details like proper uniforms.
Burn Notice tease!.
This was a great film because Bruce Campbell stayed so true to his character, Sam Axe; the Sam Axe we know and love from Burn Notice.The appearance of Michael Weston just brings a smile to your face and the fact that the inside jokes or small jabs they take at each other are from Burn Notice.Yes, some parts are super cheesy but they still make you feel good because you just cannot dislike Bruce Campbell and his charming self and smile.I think this was probably one of the better TV movies ever made.