Category Archives: Thriller
Thriller
Flash Movie Review: Killer Joe
Though Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike, Bernie) bares his posterior again with this movie, he is not accepting your dollar bills. Oh no, he is taking much more here. As Killer Joe Cooper, Matthew was this creepy, menacing character who was a police detective with a little business on the side. He was a hired killer. It was one of the best performances I have seen out of him. Right now thinking about some of his scenes sent a shudder of dread through me. Hired by deeply in debt Chris Smith, played by Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild, Milk), to kill his mother for the life insurance money; Joe Cooper extracted much more than what this trailer trash dysfunctional family had planned. As you just read the previous sentences, I am certain you will be stunned to learn as I was, that this film was part comedy. The utterly outrageous predicaments filmed in a raw yet beautiful way by director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) gave this movie a film noir look and feel to it. The entire cast was excellent, particularly Gina Gershon (P.S. I Love You, Bond) as Chris’ stepmother Sheila Smith; who was okay with the murder plot against her husband’s first wife. Adapted from his own play, Tracy Letts (August: Osage County, Bug) wrote the screenplay. This crime thriller’s NC-17 rating was well deserved with its brutal bloody violence, nudity and foul language. In other words, this is one of those movies you will either love or hate. In one moment I would cringe at a scene, to immediately burst out in laughter in the following; this was one intense wild movie. If you have the stomach for this type of film, you may very well be a witness to future Oscar nominees Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Fast Five
Something happened to me when I was in South Dakota. Driving on roads that stretched all the way to the horizon, with no speed limits; I transformed into a race car driver. At 103 mph it felt like I was flying, giving me a rush I had never experienced before in my life. When I returned home, my driving was forever altered. As long as there was no one else in the car, I took the posted speed limit signs to be mere suggestions. The faster I could drive, the more exciting it was for me. This movie was strictly an adrenaline rush. I felt like someone slapped a testosterone patch on me; I wanted to get behind the wheel of one of the cars in this thriller of a movie. I did not remember the movies that came before this installment and it did not matter. The story was written to allow maximum driving time. Vin Diesel (The Chronicles of Riddick, xXx) was given a minimum vocabulary for his role as Dominic Toretto. Having been broken out from a prison transport bus, Dominic and his group got involved in a car heist that went wrong, down in Brazil. Not only did the group have to battle corrupt crime boss Hernan Reyes, played by Joaquim de Almeida (Behind Enemy Lines, The Conspiracy); but they were also being pursued by federal agent Luke Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson (Tooth Fairy, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island). The acting was minimal; this film was made for crashes, bloody fights and speed. Knowing that ahead of time, just fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride for it was damn good.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Savages
I paid very little mind to the man next to me who left his seat, never to return. Maybe he was a theater hopper, I thought. However, during the last half of the movie I noticed more people had left their seats and were not returning. This new Oliver Stone movie had bloody violence and graphic torture scenes; I wondered if I had just become jaded towards it. By the end of the movie at least one quarter of the audience had left early. As the film ended and the lights came on a manager announced apologies for the theater’s broken air conditioning. I had no idea that was the reason people were leaving during the movie. Did those individuals miss a great movie? Not really, but some aspects of it were good. The best part was Salma Hayek (Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) as Elena, the head of a Mexican drug cartel. She was crazy good in this role. Another standout was her henchman Lado, played by Benico Del Toro (The Wolfman, Che: Part One and Two). Their cartel was determined to take control of the California based drug operations of Ben and Chon, played by Aaron Johnson (The Illusionist, Kick-Ass) and Taylor Kitsch(John Carter, Battleship). As I mentioned earlier, there were intense torture scenes in Oliver Stone’s version of violence. Though there were tight action scenes, I felt the character development was insufficient. The way Mr. Stone chose to do the ending was a turn off for me. On the plus side, this film kept my attention for me not to be aware of the theater’s lack of air conditioning.
2 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Kick-Ass
How could superheroes defeat the bad guys when they do not have any superpowers? There was a geek and a young home schooled girl; I had no idea what would drive this action movie to keep my interest. The simple answer is heart. I always root for the underdog and this movie had some great underdogs. There was comic book loving Dave Lizewski/Kick Ass, played by Aaron Johnson (Albert Nobbs, The Illusionist) who wanted to be someone different and to do something good. Home schooled Mindy Macready/Hit Girl, played by Chloe Grace Moretz (Hugo, 500 Days of Summer), was not only schooled in your typical subjects, but also martial arts and weaponry. This little girl packed some serious heat; I felt she was the star of this exciting film. She was like a miniature Jonah Hill as Seth from Superbad. I could easily sum up this movie’s story by telling you it is a story about good vs. evil. There were no hidden surprises like double agents or super high tech fancy machines; there was only solid directing and an easy to follow story. I loved the dichotomy of having average kids with typical growing up issues turning into tough superheroes. And this group had to deal with a lot of bloodshed. It surprised me on how much blood was being shown. As the title clearly states, this movie kicked ass. The trailer has foul language and fight scenes.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Safe
Finally, here is someone who I am sure could open up those absolute, awful hard plastic clamshells used in packaging merchandise. He could do it all; at least in this movie. What can I say about Jason Statham (The Bank Job, The Transporter) that would make you think he would be any different in this movie? I cannot think of anything and to his credit, what he does in movies tends to be consistent–his fighting abilities. In this action thriller Jason played ex-cage fighter Luke Wright. He became involved with a special 12 year old girl, who was being chased by some of the same villians that had killed his wife. What I like about Jason is his ordinary looks. He looks like an average Joe instead of a souped up, steroid pumped action hero. This movie had plenty of fight scenes as Jason tried to protect the girl Mei, played by Catherine Chan (Aftershock), from the Russian mob, the Chinese mob along with corrupt police officers. Mr. Statham took them all on, in this fight fest film. Though the story was confusing, it won’t matter. The hook was not only Jason’s battles but that they were being used to protect an innocent little girl. Doesn’t that just grab you in the heart? This was a typical Jason Statham movie; as long as you know that from the start, you will not be disappointed. One only goes to see him kick the crap out of the bad guys.
2 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Ghost Writer
Conjuring up the directional spirit of Alfred Hitchcock, this intelligent suspense movie was beautifully directed by Roman Polanski. Atmospheric scenes added to the thrilling story as Ewan McGregor (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Miss Potter) introduced himself as the Ghost aka the ghost writer. He was hired to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, played by Pierce Brosnan (Die Another Day, Mamma Mia), when the previous ghost writer died from an accidental drowning. As Ewan’s character delved into Mr. Lang’s past, he discovered something unusual. My attention was totally captured by this exciting film. Without the use of explosions or hi-tech wizardry, this movie steadily built up the anticipation with the aid of a smart script. The characters were all believable to me and with Mr. Polanski’s trained eye for making each frame appear full, I loved the way the tension kept a steady pace throughout the movie. The casting of Pierce in the role of prime minister was bloody brilliant. The only complaint I had about this film was my disappointment in the way it ended. However, it was not traumatic enough for me to have lost my enthusiasm for having been a witness to this gripping movie.
3 1/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Brooklyn’s Finest
If there was a crack in a building’s foundation, the more weight added would only widen the crack, I would think. In regards to human character, if there was a fracture in one’s moral character; what would happen to them if they were put under extra pressure? This was a question I pondered as I watched this action film about three New York policemen. Each one was broken in some way; I just did not know if they were already broken by the time they joined the police force or if the force pushed them into their current state of mind. The grittiness and rawness of these officers was perfectly played by Richard Gere (Nights in Rodanthe, Pretty Woman), Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Iron Man 2) and Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Gattaca). In fact, the acting was what made this movie worth watching. The story followed each officer as they did whatever they could to get out from under their personal demons. Richard as Eddie had to get through one final week before retirement; Don as Tango was being consumed by his undercover job and Ethan as Sal was frantic to get his hands on any cash, by any means. Each one’s struggle was leading them to a deeper desperateness. I had a hard time believing some of the scenarios in this crime film. I mean, not all police officers wind up disillusioned, do they? Without a strong script, I also found this film choppy in places and sadly, the excellent acting got wasted in this movie.
2 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Bank Job
What a surprise; this unordinary heist movie took away my notion that Jason Statham (Transporter, Crank) cannot act. Playing shady, London car dealer Terry Leather, he was excellent in this role. Based on true events, Terry was brought into a scheme by Martine Love, played by Saffron Burrows (Troy, Reign Over Me), to break into a bank when its alarm system was going to be down for a time. Pretty much a foolproof plan; however, Terry and his assembled team got more than money and jewels when they opened a particular safety deposit box. This film started out a little slow, but do not worry. The story builds on itself with surprise twists and revealing turns. I really got wrapped up into this thrilling crime drama. As I mentioned earlier, do not let the slow start stop you from missing out on this astonishing story of a real crime event and its aftermath. There are some scenes of violence.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Three Musketeers
That famous quote, “One for all and all for one,” took on a new meaning for the making of this movie. The film studio must have thought it meant for them to pick parts of different movies and blend them into one story. Sacrebleu, there was a little part of The Matrix; a cup of The Wild, Wild West and a touch of Mission Impossible all stirred into this confused film. Right from the beginning, when the ninja looking scuba diver rose from the depths of the murky water, I realized these musketeers were not the same as the ones I read about in school. Though the movie had an imaginative look about it, along with fun fighting scenes, I found myself growing tired from the poorly written script. A surprise for me was seeing Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds, Carnage) playing Cardinal Richelieu. Why did he agree to do this movie? Though I will say, he tried his best with what he had been handed. The character Milady de Winter, played by Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element, Resident Evil franchise) was so odd to me; she came across as a poor excuse for my beloved Emma Peel from the old television series. I could understand the Musketeers coming out of retirement to foil the sinister Richelieu’s plot against the king; sadly, they were not good enough to save this movie.
1 3/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Contract
I had high hopes for this film. Why wouldn’t I when it starred Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby, The Dark Knight) and John Cusack (HIgh Fidelity, Must Love Dogs). And the added bonus was Morgan’s character, Frank Carden, was an assassin. Sadly, the script was poor and a bit ridiculous. John’s character, Ray Keene, wanted to bond with his son by going on a father/son weekend trip. During a hike they came across two nearly drowned men who were handcuffed to each other. I don’t know about you, but if I saw two people handcuffed together, I would keep my distance, calling the police instead. And it was at this point where the story took the silly path: Father Ray could not get reception on his cell phone. So instead of trying to find help or phone reception, Ray decided he would bring Frank to the police and become a hero in his son’s eyes. The rest of the movie was one long chase scene. As the police were trying to catch up with Ray and his group, Frank’s villainous associates were chasing them, trying to kill Ray and his son. When I turned off my reasoning power, I was able to sit through this movie. Besides, I enjoyed the scenery. So what if the lines were cheesy and some of the situations were loony. I did not mind as the story jumped from one predicament to another with bullets flying and perilous dilemmas defying reality.
2 stars — DVD
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