This is actually more gruesome than Wrath of Man...

It's interesting that this flick doesn't contain as much violence as the American/British remake known as Wrath of Man, but it's a heck of a lot more gruesome when it comes to the actual violence.

A large part of that is due to the fact that this film had to rely on squibbing, since digital blood hadn't quite become ubiquitous in the movie industry at the time.

I forgot just hot gruesome and effective squibbing is for moving the action forward. It looks so much more visceral compared to the very, very, very awful looking digital blood that has swarmed the industry. Yes, digital blood is cheaper, since you can take multiple shots without having to reset the squibs, the blood, the effects, or the wardrobe, and it doesn't require an explosive safety technician on set, or an armorer, so it's easy to see why -- from a financial standpoint -- digital blood effects have become popularized.

But man oh man does it look so much more effective on-screen. The final shootout in Cash Truck versus the one in Wrath of Man are two completely different beasts. I kind of wish the action choreography in Wrath of Man was a little closer to the likes of Cash Truck; it had fewer bullets flying but when the bullets did fly it all meant something.

It reminded me of John Woo's philosophy on shootouts: every bullet has a destination. And here, in this film, we definitely saw that. Also, that screwdriver through the face was just brutal!