Donatello “Big Don” Calabria
Played by Bryce Crisp
The Brand Franchise takes a surprising turn back to its origins, with a grounded plot that features the return of Wolfshead. A hit list is distributed among the world’s greatest assassins, the compensation being each assassin’s greatest wish. Brand must choose between his own desires and duty, as he cannot save everyone.
The reveal of the villain is a letdown, as we learn that prior to his destruction, Huntington Smythe electronically transferred the funds in an effort to revitalize Wolfshead so Brand would forever have deadly arch-rivals.
At the time of filming, Bryce Crisp was in his early-fifties, and many believe this movie was originally intended to be a transition film, with the current Brand falling prey to the assassins, and a new, inexperienced Brand forced to tackle an impossible challenge amid the temptations of his own personal life. The scenes where Brand is offered continually greater prizes to kill Tender always fall flat, as the audience never believes Crisp’s Brand would kill his beloved superior. But with a new Brand, who has not yet abandoned his previous life, the tension would have been believable.
Behind-the-scenes reports have revealed that Dina Calabria was pushing hard for a new Brand and a new direction for the franchise, but was unsuccessful. The bones of a truly interesting story are there, but sadly it does not work with Crisp’s Brand.