My Take On: Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe

You know how I adore Burn Notice. I will fight you if you say it is not the best show on basic cable today. So, I was uber-excited when I first heard about this made-for-tv prequel movie…more so when I read that Jeffrey Donovan was directing it. After much wait, USA finally gave me 2 hours of Sam Axe goodness last night, completed by a quick cameo by a bearded Michael Weston.

Set in 2005, the plot focuses on Commander Sam Axe’s last mission as a Navy SEAL. We first see Sam all dressed in his military whites being led into an interrogation held by Navy higher ups. I must say, I was very amused by the comedic bit with the closing gate as Sam walks to the office. The military wants Sam’s story as to what happened in a botched anti-terrorist operation in the Colombian jungle. Sam being Sam, he flirts with the stenographer and asks for a beer before launching into his story.

Axe had unknowingly slept with the wife of an Admiral, who found out and sent him on this mission in Colombia to get him out of his sight. Whoopsie. We quickly see a full bearded Michael Weston meeting Sam for beers. “It HAD to be an Admiral’s wife?” Yes Mikey, yes it did. (PS – bring back clean-cut Michael – thanks.)

Once in Colombia, we find his mission is to help the local military, led by a Colombian army officer named Veracruz, stop a terrorist organization named “Espada Ardiente” from taking over a clinic set in the mountains. Sam stumbles upon the real plot – SURPRISE – Veracruz and his men are the bad guys. Veracruz plans to destroy the free medical clinic with the patients inside and blame it on the terrorist group. Oh, and they are going to kill Sam as well. We learn the Espada Ardiente are not terrorists at all, nor are they dangerous in any way. They are actually a small group of farmers who are trying to stop the army from overrunning their strategically valuable land.

Not one to let himself be a victim, and being morally upstanding, Axe defies the direct orders of his mission and decides to help the clinic and the Espade Ardiente. After a lot of blowing shit up and some gunplay, Sam gets shit handled. There’s also a quick kiss scene with Kiele Sanchez from LOST, who plays the female food relief worker, because that’s how he rolls. The movie ends with Sam going to Miami. Plus, we finally get to learn where his favorite alias Chuck Finley came from!

A nice little gem to note, Campbell himself has confirmed that some of the characters we saw will be appearing in the upcoming season, so keep those eyes peeled for some new clients.

Matt Nix kept the storyline perfectly simple – no cataclysmic events, no dead wives/girlfriends to avenge. The movie was clear-cut and to the point with enough one-liners to make you laugh. I also like the fact that Sam was the narrator like Michael is in the series. Sam Axe is best when just sarcastic, funny and cool as a cucumber, and that is what Bruce Campbell delivers. Al in all, this movie did exactly what I wanted it to do – get me frothing at the mouth for June’s Season 5 premiere. I’m a Burner – sue me.

What did you think of this flick? Hit the comments.