King Jeff finds a way to make an intriguing low budget sci-fi thriller by getting the most out of his cast and crew. And in this case, King Jeff is almost entirely the cast and crew. King Jeff is the writer, director, producer, cinematographer, composer and editor of this sci-fi indie which benefits from Jeff’s character Sandoval Wolf whose endearing interviews highlight the film and are held in a Blade Runner-esque psyche evaluation type fashion but in reverse. Gorio is a producer on Troubleshooters and co-stars as the loyal robot hunting partner named Chilly Wallace. Gorio and King Jeff’s chemistry works on screen and we have fun watching the comedic banter of Agent Chilly and Agent Wolf in their search through this gritty looking sci-fi world.
Since King Jeff is the cinematographer as well as a lead character, you can expect several static shots, especially when Jeff is on camera, however, it seems to work in the film’s favor as we get a sense of almost naturally observing the action taking place in front of us. It also helps set the tone of this story as we realize these “Troubleshooters” are in just another day of their life, navigating their struggles while trying to track down rogue killing robots. And when the close-ups come, it brings a nice feeling of importance on what we should focus on in the scene – are they clues? A deeper meaning?
While the volume of the sound in a few dialogue scenes at times were too low it didn’t hurt the film. The soundtrack more than makes up for it as does the vintage special effects which are presented with flair. King Jeff’s character of Agent Wolf brings the audience some similarities to Al Pacino’s detective Will Dormer in Christopher Nolan’s movie Insomnia; his inability to sleep, no matter how hard he tries, and his tenacious search for his man- or in this case- robot. But that’s where the similarity ends, for these Troubleshooters were once just an “everyday guy” now saving the earth. King Jeff’s Wolf says it best, “Every Troubleshooter was somebody else before they became a Troubleshooter. We have ex-accountants, ex-bartenders, ex-busdrivers, ex-coaches, we were all somebody else but we all traded in those lives… to become a Troubleshooter.” Get ready for a fun trip in King Jeff’s new sci-fi world.
