Actor Bruce Campbell has had only one request for the writers of his “Burn Notice” character, Sam Axe: “Just don’t kill him.”
Instead, seeing the popularity of Campbell rise as a pop-culture icon, the sidekick character he plays gets his own two-hour movie with “Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe,” airing Sunday (April 17) on USA Network.
A prequel to the explosive TV series, the film explains how the fan favorite wound up in Miami as the trusted friend to the blacklisted spy Michael Westen.
While Bruce Campbell/Sam Axe fans will be sold just after hearing the title, here’s the premise: In 2005, while still an active-duty Navy Seals Lieutenant Commander, "a little misunderstanding" sends Sam on a mission as far away as his commanding officer can send him. He’s banished to an obscure Colombian outpost where he’s simply assigned to cooperate with the local militia hunting for an alleged terrorist group. Fat chance.
“Sam Axe” has all its bases covered for a successful comedy: a witty script (from the series creator Matt Nix), expert direction (by the series star Jeffrey Donovan) and a flawed but fun character, deftly portrayed by Campbell.
While Sam is usually just a partner in the redemptive crimes of Westen, when not pursuing a bikinied woman or a divorcÉe, he takes center stage here. The three major “Burn Notice” family members know well the classic combination of bravado and cowardice of the character, reminiscent of a bloody Bob Hope. And the slimmed-down, hair-dyed Campbell carries this comedic action-adventure, just as in the “Evil Dead” cult flicks.
The backstory includes all of the breezy spy show’s trademark quips, gunfire and surprise plot twists (Do you want to know that the terrorist group’s assassin is actually a goat herder?). Fans will revel to learn the origin of the Chuck Finley go-to cover name and smile at the inside jokes. (The Colombians call Sam “la barbilla,” the chin — a nod to Campbell’s best-selling memoir “If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor.”)
For the first time viewers see one of Sam’s flirtations, a humanitarian food relief worker who has some trouble with men in uniform, especially Sam. Kiele Sanchez, who plays a similar role opposite a similar suitor in “The Glades,” has the right mixture of exasperation and curiosity. RonReaco Lee, from Nix’s canceled “The Good Guys,” is a supportive player as Dr. Ben Delany, who runs a charity clinic beset by the terrorists. The pair allow Sam to engage in the same spunk fans enjoy on “Burn Notice.”
It’s conceivable that there will be similar films — about Westen’s last official mission with the CIA before being burned and the pre-“Burn Notice” days of the weapon-wielding Fiona character fighting for the IRA.
As Sam would say, “Bring ’em on!”
Blair Howell is a freelance editor and writer.