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Flash Movie Review: The Greatest Hits
WHILE LISTENING TO THEM, I WAS getting excited. Having dinner with younger relatives, a couple were talking about their experiences recently at a popular arena concert that had stopped in the city. Every show had sold out in minutes, and they just happened to be lucky enough to get tickets. They told us what they wore then had to explain to the rest of us that it was proper concert attire. Back when I was going to concerts, my standard outfit was jeans and comfortable shoes because many times we would be standing through the entire show, and let me tell you, it is not easy wearing new cowboy boots while standing on a folding chair for over two and a half hours. The two relatives took public transportation down to the stadium. It seemed as if everyone on the train and bus was going to the concert because all the way down into the city the riders were singing the artist’s songs. I experienced the same thing with a couple of the shows I had seen in the past, so I could easily relate to what they were feeling. Inside the stadium, my relatives’ first line of business was to buy concert T-shirts. This was my thing at all the concerts I attended, getting a T-shirt was like getting a badge of honor; I loved wearing my T-shirts when I was out and about. AFTER LISTENING ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE AT the concert, I was recalling mine as I was driving home from the restaurant. The thing that moved me the most about concerts was feeling connected to so many people who were all there for the same thing. It was like an electric current that we all tapped into at the same time that kept us on a steady high through the performance. There was a sense of belonging that was nurturing to me. When I would tear up to a song, the people around me were doing the same thing; collectively we were all of one heart and I loved that feeling. Music has always had a special effect on me. The way a song plays and can immediately transport me to a different time and place; it is like magic. For every breakup I experienced I have a song, along with every loving relationship. Seeing myself sitting in the restaurant booth, with a fake stained-glass ceiling above us, listening to what became our favorite song over the speaker system and you telling me for the first time you loved me, is a memory that is always with me whenever I hear that song. Hearing how music had an affect on the main character in this romantic music drama intrigued me enough to sit down and watch this movie. AFTER A TRAGIC LOSS HARRIET GIBBONS, played by Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody, Murder on the Orient Express), hears a song, and gets transported back to the time of a memorable event where she had heard the song originally. When she meets a man who shows interest in her, how could she explain her situation. With Justin H. Min (Shortcomings, The Umbrella Academy-TV) as David Park, David Corenswet (Look Both Ways, The Politicians-TV) as Max Enders, Austin Crute (Booksmart, They/Them) as Morris Martin and Retta (To the Bone, Parks and Recreation-TV) as Dr. Evelyn Bartlett; I liked the idea behind the story. Unfortunately, I felt the script could have done a better job of offering something new and fresh in a theme that is familiar. Lucy did a respectable job and I enjoyed how she related to the other characters. With a great soundtrack, there were times I really enjoyed this film, but as I said, it kept close to a standard easy format without delving deeper into the characters and surprising the viewer more. For a lazy afternoon, where one is undecided whether to listen to music or watch a movie, this picture could fill both needs.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Beautiful Game
RECENTLY, I WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE to find a particular box of cookies. This box of cookies was something special to me when I was a young boy. The cookies were simple, buttery, and just slightly more crisp than soft in texture. As I found the cookie and snack aisle at the store, I slowly made my way down to see if I could spot these cookies. I realized my memories could be of what would be now their old packaging, but I hoped I could still locate them. The first thing that took me by surprise was the number of different cookies on the shelves. And not only the amount of different cookie brands, but the amount of variety there was for specific cookies. One type of cookie was positioned on multiple shelves in a section. Besides the original type I remembered, there were ones in assorted flavors; some of them did not sound appealing to me. They also came in varied sizes now, where some were extra thick, and others were being called crispy thin. It made me wonder what was ever wrong with the original ones because I thought they were terrific. I continued down the aisle, amazed by all the different choices most brands offered. Sadly, after looking at every shelf, I never found the cookies I used to eat during my childhood. ON MY WAY HOME FROM THE store, I was remembering other foods I enjoyed as a kid. I do not know if other people feel the same way as I do about food, but there are certain foods that trigger a warm, happy memory for me. Besides the food, there is a place I associate with the food. I remember going to an older relative’s house when I was small, where she would always have on hand homemade fruit bars. The apartment was not air conditioned, the furniture was old and sagged whenever you sat in it, but it did not matter to me. Sitting at her kitchen table with a couple of fruit bars and a glass of chocolate milk, I felt like I was eating like a king. It was cozy, comfortable, and safe; time felt like it had slowed down so I could remain seated in the vinyl kitchen chair that would be a little sticky in summer. This is the feeling I was trying to recreate from my cookie shopping experience. There are times where I do not want any complicated, fancy, new and improved food item; I simply want to sit down and eat something that just feels good. I am the same way with movies; I am not always looking for the biggest spectaculars or greatest special effects. I want something that makes me feel warm and good, and gratefully this sports drama gave me those feelings. HOPING TO BRING A WINNING SOCCER TEAM to the championship games in Rome, the manager of the team brings in a new player just before the tournament. A player that does not want to be around his teammates. With Michael Ward (Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence) as Vinny, Daniel Attwell (Brothers of War, 1917) as Mark, Bill Nighy (Living, The First Omen) as Mal, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Avengers franchise, The Infiltrator) as Kevin and Kit Young (The School of Good and Evil, Out of Darkness) as Cal; this movie inspired by true stories was a feel-good experience. Already a fan of Bill Nighy, I enjoyed watching this film that was about an event I had never heard of before. The acting was decent from the cast, and it was easy at times to figure out what was going to happen in the scenes, but it did not matter to me. The feelings of easy comfort and joy I was experiencing made up for any of this film’s flaws. It was good to sit back and watch a story being told simply and directly with no added frills. In other words, just a good old-fashioned story.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Idea of You
“AGE IS JUST A NUMBER” HAS been my motto as long as I have been able to understand what it means to me. When I was a small kid, I played with older and younger kids in the neighborhood. None of us questioned anyone’s age; all that mattered was if you had an enjoyable time playing together. With my schooling, from elementary through college, I always befriended students who were not of my year. In college, when I was a first-year student, I became good friends with a graduate student. In fact, I mentioned him in an earlier review about the college friend who taught me how to play ping pong. We were friends all through my college years and after. It is more important to me to have a faithful friend who is trustworthy, loyal, and supportive than someone who is not but the same age. Some years ago, I had a good friend that asked me to be the best man at his wedding; he felt that close to me. All was good since we had been friends for almost ten years. A year after the wedding the whole wedding party met up at the same place the wedding took place. The only difference was I and one other member of the bridal party brought the people we were dating at the time. My friend took an immediate dislike to my partner because they were fourteen years younger than me. He never came out and said it that way but made rude comments about them being immature to understand what was going on. I was so offended, especially when I asked them to explain their behavior and they simply said they did not like who I was dating. Our friendship ended on that trip. THOUGH THAT RELATIONSHIP DID NOT LAST past five years, age was never an issue between us. Our tastes and interests were similar, we loved each other and always had a fun time when we were together; age was only an issue for those around us. I just remembered something else about that relationship. We were at a family function and a relative made the comment “act your age.” We looked at each other and wondered if she was referring to us, but my relative was saying that regarding a different issue. However, that saying has always annoyed me because I never understood what it meant for someone to act their age. Is a seventy-five-year-old riding a roller coaster acting their age? Is a fourteen-year-old going to college acting their age? I find that saying has no relevance to anything anyone chooses to do. Plus, I would like to know how someone doing something that a person feels is not age appropriate, affects that opinionated person. In my dating history, I dated people who were 19 years younger than me and twenty years older. I never saw it as being odd and that is why I had no issue watching this dramatic, comedy romance. FROM A CHANCE ENCOUNTER, A FORTY-year-old single mother begins a romance with the lead singer of a band, who is twenty-four years old. Not only would the press have a field day with the age difference, the pressures of being in the spotlight would have an affect on the mother, daughter, and everyone else around them. With Anne Hathaway (The Witches, Locked Down) as Solene, Nicolas Galitzine (Purple Hearts; Red, White & Royal Blue) as Hayes, Ella Rubin (The Rewrite, The Sweet East) as Izzy, Annie Mumolo (Bad Moms, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) as Tracy and Reid Scott (Veep-TV, Wildflower) as Daniel; this film had its moments. I thought the acting was good and appreciated how the writers put a spotlight on the age differences. With a steady hand of directing, I only wished the script would have dug down deeper into feelings and emotions. It would have helped with the chemistry between the two main stars and added more punch to the story. Though I thought the way the writers wrote the characters of the ex-husband, and his girlfriend were typical, I liked how it showed the prejudices between males and females with younger partners. Overall, I enjoyed this film because of the acting and more so for the topic.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Iron Claw
IF I HAD BEEN THE REFEREE and had seen the parent yelling at his son after the game, I would have banned him from all future games. I have been to enough sports games to watch the children of friends and family, and there is always at least one parent who is the aggressive one close to the action. This one father was yelling at his kid throughout the game but did throw out a couple of barbs at the umpires. For me, it simply makes the experience of watching the game uncomfortable. I do not know about you, but I do not want to hear parents reprimanding their children during a game. Even after the game, what could their child have done that warranted such ugly behavior. It is only a game and if the kid is trying their best then that is all that matters, at least to me. It is not like there are scouts in the audience or television deals waiting to bestow riches upon the young child. The dad was tugging at the boy’s jersey while telling him what he did wrong; I found it disgusting. I mean really, talk about an embarrassing moment in one’s life. That father should be ashamed of himself. As you would imagine, it looked like tears were rolling down the boy’s face. I USED TO WORK WITH A woman who pushed her daughter into theater, because it was something she started to do when she was young but could not sustain it. It always made me wonder if there are many parents who try to live their lives through their children. Was that father yelling at his child during and after the game, wanting his son to be just like him; or even better? The person I worked with was constantly driving her daughter to various auditions, photo shoots, and a multitude of stores to find unique items for her to wear so she would stand out. I can still remember the day she told me her daughter decided she did not want to act anymore; this woman was despondent. She walked around the office with such a sad face and as if she had nothing left to live for (my own observation). There was a time afterward where her daughter was in the neighborhood and wanted to take her mother out to lunch. I was hoping in a way that there would have been a moment I could ask the daughter if she had grown up wanting to be an actress, but I decided it was not my place to ask her. I am afraid I do not understand this desire or need for parents to live out their dreams/fantasies through their children. And this dramatic sports biography certainly proves my point. HAVING A SET OF SONS WAS all former wrestler Fritz Von Erich, played by Holt McCallany (Fight Club, Nightmare Alley), needed to finally reach his wish of building a legacy. His desires, unbeknownst to him, also set up a separate more emotional legacy. With Zac Efron (Ricky Stanicky, The Greatest Showman) as Kevin Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White (Fingernails, The Bear-TV) as Kerry Von Erich, Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats, Where the Crawdads Sing) as David Von Erich and Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy, ER-TV) as Doris Von Erich; this film based on a true story was riveting to me. I had never heard about this family until I saw this movie. I thought the acting was excellent and felt this was one of Zac’s best roles. I still do not know if his body was real, or CGI enhanced; it was so bulked up. The story was an emotional one; I, at times, could not believe some of the scenes I was watching because they had that same air of uncomfortableness I was talking about earlier in this review. After seeing this picture, I am curious to find clips of the actual wrestling family that made a name for themselves in the early 1980’s.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: If
I DID NOT HAVE AN IMAGINARY friend growing up, unless you count my special stuffed animals. My first was a monkey that was handed down to me from generations before. When I had him, his name was Zippy, he got a new set of red overalls, but there was nothing to be done about his missing finger. Everywhere I went I had Zippy by my side; we were inseparable. Though he was a good listener, he never solved any of my questions; however, he was such a good companion who never woke me up at night when we slept together. He also was never jealous because I had received other stuffed animals who after time wound up sleeping with Zippy and me. When I look back at this time, I guess I can say these animals were my first friends. One other thing I distinctly remember is I never introduced or let other kids play with my stuffed animals. You could say I was very possessive of them. Where I never carried them out of the house, I had a neighbor friend down the street from us who brought his imaginary friend with him whenever we were outside playing. The only time where it was challenging having his imaginary friend play with us was during a game of tag; otherwise, my friend usually kept his friend always by his side. THE STRONG CONNECTION I HAD TO my stuffed animals gave me the opportunity to explore and appreciate more the things around me. Many a time I would have Zippy with me when I saw something new and exciting outside my bedroom window or even on the television. Sharing that moment together, I believe, solidified my sense of wonder with the world. I do not know if I was braver because of him, but I do know I enjoyed sharing new experiences. That sense of wonder has stayed with me for all these past decades. Visiting the only palace on US soil and discovering it was the first place in the United States, four years ahead of the White House, to have electric lighting; or visiting a butterfly sanctuary and discovering all different types of butterflies were moments that filled me with such wonder that I still remember them to this day, many years later. I hope I never lose that sense of wonder. Because of it, I succeeded in seeing all fifty US states, where I always found something that brought me a sense of wonder and excitement/joy. Having had experience with imaginary friends when I was incredibly young, there was no way I wanted to miss this animated dramatic comedy. HAVING ALREADY LOST ONE PARENT, WITH the other needing a major medical operation, a young girl must stay with her grandmother who lives in an apartment building in the city. Early on, the young girl discovers there are other residents that only she can see. With Cailey Fleming (Peppermint, Star Wars franchise) as Bea, Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool franchise, The Adam Project) as Cal, John Krasinski (A Quiet Place franchise, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan-TV) as Dad, Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter franchise, Killing Eve-TV) as Grandmother and Liza Colon-Zayas (The Bear-TV, Naked Singularity) as Janet; the idea for the story was great, but the script needed a couple of rewrites. With beautiful animation and an all star cast of voices, I was disappointed in the blandness of the script. For the first half of the film, I was bored. It really was a shame because I thought Cailey and Ryan did a wonderful job of acting. With a good dose of imagination and its touching story, this movie could have been better. I had to wonder if it was because John was both writer and director, besides his acting role that it was too much to manage, causing for a thin story line. Maybe because I still have such a keen sense of wonder, I was expecting more from this picture. There was a brief non-verbal scene honoring the late Louis Gossett Jr at the end of the closing credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Suncoast
SOME INDIVIDUALS MAY THINK I HAVE an unusual take on death, but from where I have stood it makes sense to me. When someone suddenly dies, their death hits their loved ones harder. For example, when someone dies from a massive heart attack. When an individual suffers a prolonged process towards death, such as untreatable cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, by the time the person perishes the loved ones around them are relieved the suffering is over. I have experienced both methods of dying and despite the sudden death being such a shock, I felt it was an easier way to leave this world for the deceased. To see someone wilt or be eaten away towards their death is a painful process for all concerned. When I was younger, I remember visiting a relative who had to reside in a nursing home. Their mind was deteriorating, where they did not recognize family members or keep up with hygiene. It was sad and painful to watch how a little more of their life was being snuffed out each time I went to visit. It was during that time that I formulated my belief that there are times where it would be better if the person were dead than having to lose their quality of life and brain capacity. A relative of mine thought I was horrible for thinking such things, but after an extended period watching this individual lose everything that represented who they were, this other relative came up to me and said I was right about the option of dying. IN SCHOOL, WE WERE TAUGHT THE natural order of things meant grandparents would die before parents, who would die before children. I cannot remember what grade I was in when this was a topic for discussion. It made sense to me that the oldest individuals would die before the younger ones. I can see it for myself; when someone dies at the age of ninety-five or older, many people are sad but not heartbroken because that person lived a long, full life. When things go out of order and a parent loses a child, they are stricken with such a deep pain that can nearly incapacitate them. I have seen this for myself on more than one occasion. At a cemetery, I saw a couple whose 2-year-old child had died. The parents came to the cemetery every weekend to swap out the old flowers for new ones and sit down and have a picnic lunch with their deceased child. It was hard for me to see them suffer so. I also understand death is a topic that some people find hard to talk about. The same goes for seeing it on film; though I have to say, I thought the writers did an admirable job in this drama that was inspired by a true story. THE TIME HAD COME TO PLACE her brother in a specific healthcare facility. It happened to be the same place where a protest was taking place regarding one of the patients. With Nico Parker (Dumbo, Reminiscence) as Doris, Laura Linney (The Savages, The Miracle Club) as Kristine, Woody Harrelson (Champions, Triangle of Sadness) as Paul Warden, Daniela Taylor (Grown-ish-TV, Knight Squad-TV) as Laci and Ella Anderson (The Boss, The Glass Castle) as Brittany; I found this film to be a touching and moving experience. The performances from Nico, Laura and Woody were outstanding, with their emotions on full display. Overall, I appreciated what the script was doing, but I did feel a sense of disconnect with the characters because there was not much back story to them. The scenes with Doris and her new friends had a lesser impact on me, despite Nico’s performance standing out in them. The subject matter is a tough one to capture, but I felt the writers came close to what it feels like to experience such a situation. Because no one can escape death, it is up to us to enjoy every day of living.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Spaceman
I HAD A RELATIONSHIP WHERE THE two of us did not know how to communicate with one another. The weird thing for me was that I thought I was doing it, but it was not being received. For their part, they did not know how to express their feelings. I thought things were going along fine, but then one day, something happened where we disagreed about something, and they blew up with anger. Anger that was not appropriate to the small disagreement we were just talking about. I remember asking them why they were so angry and that evidently opened the gates because they started bringing up events from the past that did not even register as if we had a problem. I was so confused and asked why, if they were upset at the time, they did not tell me. I asked them how I would know otherwise, and they said I should have been able to tell. For me, this line is a copout; I am not a mind reader and if the person especially does not wear their heart on their sleeve, there were no physical changes that I would have questioned. We tried to patch things up and move on with our lives together but there were too many emotions involved that were stuck inside of each of us. EVER SINCE THAT RELATIONSHIP, I MADE a point to always express my feelings to my partner. It would not suit us well if we could not express our feelings at the time we were feeling them. Another reason is because I do not like having a discussion where the person mentions stuff from the past that has no bearing on what we are confronting presently. If the person feels something was not worth discussing when it happened, then why keep it stored and bring it up later; it makes no sense to me. I remember early on after that initial relationship ended, I was a few months into a new relationship and asked them how they felt about something I said. It took them by surprise but kudos to them, they did reply. We wound up having a discussion that dug below the surface we had temporarily settled on, giving us the opportunity to not only be vulnerable with each other but also to form a deeper connection. Because of that, we soon became a couple and spent the next few years enjoying our life together. If I had the opportunity, I would have offered my advice, for what it is worth, about communication to the main character in this science fiction, adventure drama. ON A MISSION TO THE OUTER edges of our solar system, an astronaut discovers several months into his voyage, he is not alone on his ship. With Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems, You Are so Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah) as Jakub Prochazka, Carey Mulligan (Maestro, The Dig) as Lenka, Paul Dano (Dumb Money, The Fabelmans) voicing Hanus, Kunal Nayyar (Think Like a Dog, The Big Bang Theory-TV) as Peter and Isabella Rossellini (Death Becomes Her, Enemy) as Commissioner Tuma; I enjoyed watching Adam in this role because I prefer his dramatic work over comedic ones on film. Pair him up with Carey and what could go wrong? The answer would be the script. I thought the idea was interesting, though I was confused at first by what Adam’s character discovered on his ship. It seemed an odd choice to pick for the character. But as the dialog kept going, I soon understood what was taking place. With good visuals and a curious story, I wished the script would have had some more stimulating portions to it. It felt like the film was dragging on and at times, it also felt repetitive. I was fluctuating between feeling sorry for Adam’s character and irritated that he was not taking care of his matters. The best way I can express myself after watching this movie is to say it was just okay.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Next Goal Wins
NO ONE I KNEW HAD A ping-pong table in their home when I was growing up. I had a couple of friends who had pool tables and one had a mini-roller coaster in their backyard, but that was it. The only opportunity I ever had was when we would take a driving trip, during my summer vacation, and the hotel happened to have a game room with a table set up. My feeble attempts at playing did not go unnoticed by me, but I was always willing to play. Though I did not play the game well, I still enjoyed it because it reminded me of a miniature tennis court. This was another game I rarely participated in because I did not have a tennis racket and with a borrowed one, I still was not good at playing it. Most of the time I was either running after balls I missed hitting; or, retrieving them after I had hit the ball into the tennis net. After a while I would get so exhausted from the running around that I had to stop playing. That is why I was curious about ping-pong; they were always set up indoors, in a room; and there was hardly any running around involved. Most of the time I could just stand in the middle, on my side of the table and try to hit the ball back. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I WENT away to college that I had the opportunity to play ping-pong consistently. The student union hall on campus was the place to go to socialize with fellow students. There was a restaurant, television room, quiet space, and other various activities available for the student population. I lived in a studio off campus where each floor of the building had a communal kitchen. Across the hallway from me was a graduate student. I would meet him in the kitchen periodically because we had similar class schedules. He helped me with navigating through first-year requirements and I would share some of my food with him. The union hall was showing a movie over the weekend, and I asked if he wanted to go. He did and as we were walking past the game room, he asked if I played ping-pong. I explained my history and he offered to teach me. From that day we would be at the union at least three times a week playing the game. For eighteen months, I lost every single game. I still enjoyed myself despite the losing results; I was determined though to win at least one game and when it finally happened, that was the last time he played ping-pong with me. Having such determination was what I found myself attracted to in this comedic, sports drama. MAKING THE HISTORY BOOKS FOR THE worst defeat in World Cup history, the American Samoa soccer team recruited a down on his luck coach, who had disciplinary issues in his past. Also, no one else wanted to take the job of coaching a team that had lost 31-0. With Michael Fassbender (The Killer, Song to Song) as Thomas Rongen, Oscar Kightley (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Samoan Wedding) as Tavita, newcomer Kaimana as Jaiyah, David Fane (The Tattooist, Eagle vs. Shark) as Ace and Rachel Howe (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire) as Ruth; this film inspired by true events had potential, but did not have the right mix in the script to connect with me. I did not care for the acting and cringed at some of the dialog. Also, I did not find much to laugh or chuckle about in the story. If the writers would have taken a more serious stand, I might have enjoyed watching this picture more, because the idea for the story was solid. Instead, what came across was a silly, slapstick mixed bag of emotions and feelings, with truly little for me to care about or want to invest in. There was an extra scene at the end of the closing credits.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
THE RULES WERE THERE FOR A REASON, and I was one who followed them “to a T.” This is how I acted through my youth, especially when it came to any type of games. Whenever I received a boardgame as a gift, I would have to first sit and read all the rules until I was familiar with them, before attempting to play the game. I was a huge fan of boardgames and could play them for hours. One of my fondest childhood memories was playing checkers with an elderly relative of mine. When I think about it, games played a prevalent part of my childhood and early adult life. To this day, I enjoy a good word game or even charades. I would play a game with anyone; however, I started to realize around the latter years of elementary school, not everyone cared to follow the rules of a game. The first time I witnessed this was during a boardgame, when a friend of mine decided, he was going to change the rules in the middle of us playing. I will add, he was losing at that point. We got into an argument, with the other players joining in and I ultimately won by us continuing to play by the rules. After that time, I was cautious whenever this friend joined a game. MY COMMITMENT TO PLAYING BY THE rules stayed with me until I entered the workforce. It was at a well-established company, where the first time in my life I altered the rules. Part of my job involved inventory and the procedures I was trained in was something they had been doing the same way for decades. There was nothing wrong with that method, but I saw there was a better way with less work to achieve the same results. I did not alert anyone to the change I was making, turning in my reports the same way; the only difference I was not spending the same amount of time creating the report. It was not until months later when my boss came over to my desk and saw what I was doing; he complimented me and said I was doing an excellent job. It was at this company where I came to realize, after having lived my life in a black or white world, that there was a gray area of possibilities that could easily work to produce the same results. It is a good thing others realized the same thing, otherwise the incredible undertaking that took place in this dramatic, action thriller may have never taken place, possibly causing us to live in a completely different world. AT A CRITICAL TIME DURING THE war, the British military must depend on a small group of highly skilled individuals who were so unconventional, that if they got caught, Great Britian would deny everything about them. With Henry Cavill (Enola Holmes franchise, Man of Steel) as Gus March-Phillips, Alan Richardson (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Reacher-TV) as Anders Lassen, Alex Pettyfer (Back Roads, In Time) as Geoffrey Appleyard, Eliza Gonzales (Baby Driver, Godzilla vs. Kong) as Marjorie Stewart and Babs Olusanmokun (Dune franchise, The Book of Clarence) as Heron; this Guy Ritchie directed film inspired by true events was entertaining. The fact that it was on circumstances that were recently revealed from declassified British documents, boosted the story for me. There were patches of humor mixed in with the various levels of action and suspense. I thought the script was weak, taking the easy way out with lame dialog and undeveloped characters. Honestly, it did not matter because I still enjoyed watching this little taste of history play out on the big screen. There were certainly elements of fun and cheekiness. After the film was over, I thought about how the outcome could have been so different if the band of soldiers had followed the rules.
3 stars
moviejoltz 