Matty looks at a so-so SyFy potboiler.

Preceded by Terminal Invasion (2002), DO OR DIE is the second film — but third broadcast — in SyFy’s five picture pact with Amberlake Entertainment. Shot in Canada, it premiered on 22nd February 2003, just over a month after SyFy and Amberlake’s Control Factor (which hit screens on 18th January), and two and three months ahead of fourth and fifth unions, Threshold (2003) and Deathlands: Homeward Bound (2003) (they debuted on 19th April and 17th May respectively) [1]. 

Best known for helming Death Train (1993) and Night Watch (1995) — two enjoyable Alistair MacLean adaps Pierce Brosnan top-lined for SyFy’s sister channel, the USA Network, shortly before being cast as Bond — David S. Jackson ensures that Do or Die is stylish and visually interesting. Substantially less stellar is the veteran TV director’s self-penned script. It feels more akin to a pilot (even though it isn’t) for a bigger project than a fully fleshed out idea in and of itself. Worse is that it’s saddled with lumpen dialogue and bland characters who’re unanimously tough to care about. Given the film’s ensemble vibe, it’s a misstep hard to recover from, particularly as the cast — which, like the rest of Amberlake’s SyFy slate, is comprised of talent swiped from an assortment of SyFy and SyFy adjacent TV shows being made in Canada at the time (Forever Knight, PSI Factor, Mutant X et al) — aren’t strong enough to elevate the material. Well, Nigel Bennett as the villain excluded. 

Frustrating because Do or Die’s premise is excellent. Part The Stand, part Children of Men, and with a little Phillip K. Dick and They Live (1988) thrown in for good measure, the multi-stranded plot tracks how various folk navigate a cold, future-shock world at the mercy of Rapid Ageing Disease; a nasty affliction which does exactly what its name says. Big pharma, family values, the rich leeching off the poor — Jackson’s swings are ambitious and provocative. And in terms of the evolution of SyFy ‘Original’ movies, Do or Die represents the straighter, harder-edged fare the network were mucking around with at the turn of the millennium, prior to going all-in with their patented giant monster/creature feature formula. But, again, it’s difficult to give a toss when the narrative meat and potatoes — the drama and the people living it — is so uninvolving and sluggish. 

USA/Canada ● Sci-Fi, TVM ● 86mins

Shawn Doyle, Polly Shannon, Nigel Bennett ● Wri./Dir. David Jackson

[1] As an aside, Do or Die was announced in the trades in the same SyFy press release as Interceptor Force 2 (2002) and Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (2004).