A group of lawmen and prisoners must unite to take on the forces of nature in the latest film from director Brandon Slagle.

Louisiana has been hit by a massive hurricane on the horizon. For Sheriff Jo Newman, it is about staying safe for she and her deputies. However, she has been alerted that a prisoner caravan will have to stop in her precinct en route to a maximum security due to the hurricane. Reluctant at first due to the shortage of her staff, she agrees to house the prisoners until the hurricane passes. One of the prisoners is cop killer Russell Cody. Cody, sentenced to life, feels remorse as he explains to Jo that he was forced in a situation and is taking full responsibility.

Soon enough, the first of issues come when Cody’s former partners Rafe Calderone and Eva Carter arrive in Newman’s precinct with the intention to break Cody out of prison. However, a massive flood begins to happen within Newman’s building and this leads to the second and even more dangerous issue when the flood brings in a group of alligators. Now, the sheriff and her deputies must find a way to unite the prisoners to safety before they fall prey to the forces of nature.

This is becoming the year of Brandon Slagle. After last year’s amazing horror film Frost, Slagle has been on a roll with the action genre this year. First there was Breakout, followed by Battle for Saipan, and now comes this film, which pits human vs. nature in the form of alligators. The film reunites Slagle with a few cast members from Battle for Saipan and as a bonus piece of trivia, the prologue to the film has a cameo from Slagle’s wife, Devanny Pinn, who falls victim to the alligators.

Nicky Whelan is great in the role of Sheriff Jo Newman, who is not just the lead but a total tough as nails female who has a staff who may not be the sharpest tools in the shed but can be reliable in the toughest of situations. Casper Van Dien’s Russell Cody is quite an interesting figure as he is seen as a cop killer to many, in which even Jo at first is worried. However, once we learn about Cody’s backstory, we see he was forced into killing a cop by his cohorts when he joined a gang of robbers and is willing to take full responsibility for his actions, which pleases Jo and shows a level of respect between the two.

WorldFilmGeek Hall of Famer Louis Mandylor continues to prove why he is an amazing actor who can tackle any role. He can do it all and here, he plays antagonist Rafe Calderone, Cody’s former cohort who tries to bust him out of jail but Cody clearly doesn’t want it. This leads to a dissention between the two former friends and fellow robber Eva, played by Kim Delonghi. Some of the other prisoners involved make quite an impact, notably Mike Ferguson’s McGraw and Randall J. Bacon’s “Jox”.

While the alligators are clearly CGI and make some impact in the film, there is also the level of intensity with some nifty fight scenes. Whelan gets to throw down against Ferguson in one scene while there is a nice knockdown drag out between Van Dien and Mandylor in the middle of the flood. It is quite interesting to see Mandylor, an expert in boxing and Muay Thai, use a flying knee strike in combat boots with his legs halfway filled with water, but he pulls the move off nicely while Van Dien holds his own in the fight department.

The Flood may seem like a man vs. nature film, which it mostly is. However, there are also some great internal conflicts between an attempted alliance between lawmen and prisoners, all driven by some great performances, notably by Nicky Whelan, Casper Van Dien, and Louis Mandylor. If you like to just have fun and enjoy a crazy wild action film, it is this one.

WFG RATING: B+

Lionsgate and Saban Films presents a Hillin Entertainment production in association with Ashland Media Finance Capital, Benetone Films, Film Bridge International, Red Phoenix Productions, Stone Horus Media, and the Video Store. Director: Brandon Slagle. Producer: Daemon Hillin. Writers: Chad Law and Josh Ridgway. Cinematography: Niccolo de la Fere. Editing: James Kondelik.

Cast: Nicky Whelan, Casper Van Dien, Louis Mandylor, Randy Wayne, Mike Ferguson, Kim Delonghi, Randall J. Bacon, Eoin O’Brien, Ryan Francis, Bear Williams, Alex Farnham, Devanny Pinn, Alexander Winters, Jonathan Samson, Luis Nava.

The film will be released in select theaters, VOD, and Digital on July 14.