Setting an action-thriller film in an enclosed space is often a recipe for success. In The Best Man, filmmaker Shane Dax Taylor takes this tried-and-tested formula and creates what's essentially Die Hard at a wedding. So, instead of exchanging vows, the characters are trading blows. Surprisingly, this escalates into an action film where the story is a lot stronger than the physicality on display.

Directed by Taylor with a script co-written by himself and C. Alec Rossel, The Best Man boasts a stacked cast. Cal (Luke Wilson), Bradley (Brendan Fehr), and Anders (Dolph Lundgren) are part of a special ops team sent to save Brooke (Nicky Whelan) from dangerous kidnapers who are holding her hostage. After the mission -- which doesn't come without its casualties -- Cal and Brooke fall in love. Bradley and Anders attend Cal and Brooke's lavish wedding at an exclusive remote resort hotel; however, holy matrimony turns into holy trouble when mercenaries interrupt the proceedings and start to take hostages.

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Dolph Lundgren speaking to Nicky Whelan and Luke Wilson in The Best Man

Even though the title of the film is The Best Man, all the protagonists are essential here, including Brooke and her sister Hailey (Scout Taylor-Compton). Due to this storytelling choice, the tension is constantly running on high, as the viewer watches every person put in danger and trying to avoid what seems like an inevitable death. Composer Matt Gates deserves a special mention for the less-is-more musical choices since the sinister score scratches at the anxiety levels as well.

Taylor manages to balance and divide the scenes fairly, allowing the stars to all have adequate time on screen. More importantly, the transitions don't feel choppy or unnatural, as the scenes are cut in the right places to leave the audience on tenterhooks and to pick up at the right moment afterward.

While Fehr may get top billing in The Best Man, the performance highlights belong to Whelan, Taylor-Compton, and Lundgren. Despite being surrounded and accompanied by trained marksmen, Whelan and Taylor-Compton are forced to fend for themselves and make the right choices at critical points in the movie. Even in their most courageous moments, the actors never fail to demonstrate how terrifying the ordeal is, adding a frightening realism to the situation. Lundgren's performance is different from what viewers might expect from the characters he normally portrays. Yes, he's still an action man with all the machismo dripping off his eyebrows, but he has inner demons that he needs to slay if he is to stay alive.

Brendan Fehr holding a gun in The Best Man

Where the film does fall short, however, is in its fight choreography, which exposes the actors' lack of training and fight skills. The shaky cam shots and super-swift cuts try to hide the film's flaws as best as it can, but there's no getting around the fact the hand-to-hand combat is slow, lethargic, and highly telegraphed. Fortunately, the gunplay sequences are far more exciting, as they move swiftly and have more impact.

The Best Man lives up to the thriller end of the bargain with its magnetic mix of tension and believable performances. The action scenes could have done with a bit more care and attention, but it doesn't entirely derail the film from being a good time.