Yeah, we're a week behind on this one. So, what?
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| It's back to the tank with you, fish man. |
The thing that is truly “criminal” about this movie is that
not enough people went to see it upon its initial release.
This is a thrilling action drama. It combines the elements
of a James Bond espionage film with the criminal element of something like
Snatch, creating a bloody good Brit grit film made by a bunch of Americans. Co-writers
Douglas Cook and David Weisberg had previously written the screenplay for The Rock. Director Ariel Vromen dealt
with a dark contract killer in the crime thriller The Iceman. The combination
of the three have brought to the screen a violent, intense, and also heartfelt
story about a dead C.I.A agent’s memories that are implanted into a sadistic prisoner.
The cast is incredible and features a group of well known
actors that include Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones,
Jordi Molla, Gal Gadot, and Michael Pitt. Costner, Jones, and Oldman had earlier
appeared together in JFK. This isn’t Deadpool so don’t expect the merc with
the mouth. Reynolds' time in this is limited, yet he provides an admirable performance.
This one is all about Costner and his abilities as an actor. Costner has been
on somewhat of a resurgence lately, but this has to be his darkest character
next to Butch Haynes in A Perfect World.
Like a song that played in the movie, he is the last cowboy. He is not a good
guy; he is evil, diabolical, and enjoys the violence. The character is funny at
times because of his lack of restraint and the dialogue that he uses. There is
an evolution that happens as he takes on the persona of this dead man. He
changes and becomes likeable, an unforeseen hero.
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| Yes, we've captured the mutant fish human thing. We're making fish sticks for dinner. Let's see how he likes that. |
It was also nice to see low budget martial arts star Scott
Adkins get a minor role in a larger scale motion picture. While he doesn’t get
to display his physical abilities, hopefully this will lead to additional roles
in bigger pictures. The direction is well done and production wise this is outstanding.
With a budget of around 31 million, they provide grand scenes in London and a
large amount of action. There is also an excellent gun fight scene on a bridge that
I felt was pretty inventive.
While not on the same scale as the latest Bond picture
Spectre, I think this one is actually better overall. It is a shame that this
debuted the same weekend as The Jungle
Book, because given the proper chance this could and should have been
number one at the box office.
Bottom line, if you like action thrillers or Kevin Costner
then you should see this movie.
To not share this review would be criminal.
To not share this review would be criminal.
Score
-Raul Vantassle