As Good as Dead (2022)

As Good as Dead is the kind of lean, old-school action picture that doesn’t waste your time—it grabs you by the collar, drops you into sun-baked danger, and keeps the momentum humming. R. Ellis Frazier leans into a pulpy, tough-guy vibe where reputations travel faster than bullets, and a single viral moment can light the fuse on a whole lot of trouble. Michael Jai White delivers exactly what fans come for: crisp, confident physicality and fight work that lands with that satisfying “don’t mess with him” authority, while Tom Berenger brings weathered gravitas to the edges. It’s not trying to reinvent the genre, but if you want a brisk, entertaining crime-action ride with solid choreography and a no-nonsense attitude, this one earns its keep.

As Good as Dead wants to be a gritty, sun-baked action/crime throwback—an older ex-cop pulled back into trouble when a viral video paints a target on his world. The problem is it plays like a bargain-bin B-movie: a flimsy script full of cliché, plot turns that don’t hold up if you think about them for more than a second, and performances that range from serviceable to painfully stiff. The action has a few moments of competence, and seeing veterans like Tom Berenger and Michael Jai White show up might scratch a nostalgic itch, but the low-budget sheen (including some rough CGI) constantly drags it down. If you enjoy straight-to-video genre comfort food and can forgive logic gaps, you might coast through it; if you’re hoping for tight writing, believable stakes, or real depth, this will waste your time.