The movie is extremely disjointed and seems to be a series of set pieces versus a coherent story line where we slowly realize the depth of Bundy's depravity. Yes, we know in real life Bundy was a charming psychopath but it would have been more enjoyable to watch him slowly unveil himself as the monster he was. We know pretty much at the outset that he is a 2-faced psycho with cops and detectives hot on his trail from the first sequence. The cinematography and sets capture the look of the 70s but the pace is too frenetic with too many jump cuts and pseudo cinéma vérité camera work. The entire atmosphere is strangely cheery with upbeat 70s pop music in light of the dark and heavy material. Bundy's ability to charm his actual victims isn't really given much exposure versus his immediate family and the legal system which he manipulated. Zac Efron, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Bundy, gives a decent performance and was a good casting choice. The courtroom scenes that make up the third act are where the film finally finds it's feet. If you are familiar with the actual case, you may be disappointed with how the plot unfolds. If not, you should come away with a better understanding of the case but with little knowledge of his many victims. Recommended with these caveats.
Reviews
7 Reviews
The Assignment
(1997)
Best Espionage/Action Thriller I have ever seen
28 October 2018
This amazing film was released the same year as the vastly inferior 1997 film "The Jackal", starring Bruce Willis, which was also about Carlos the Jackal - I think it was lost in the shuffle because of this.
To start with, the ensemble is stellar, Adrian Quinn is perfectly cast in the dual lead as Carlos the Jackal and his Doppelganger, Annibal Ramirez.
Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley also star as CIA and Mossad agents, respectively. They must train and basically brainwash Ramirez into becoming Carlos the Jackal in order to catch him and this process becomes a fascinating subplot.
Ramirez is conflicted with his role and his antagonism toward both Sutherland and Kingsley's characters makes for some great dialogue. Yes, decent dialogue, which in an action thriller is a rare commodity.
This is a well thought-out thriller which never loses it's momentum nor believability. The locations, cinematography and action sequences are top notch with a great third act which leaves the viewer guessing until the very end.
Also, in my case, wondering why this gem was so overlooked when it came out. It was so good that if the box office receipts had been in place, it would have demanded a sequel.
Highly recommended.
To start with, the ensemble is stellar, Adrian Quinn is perfectly cast in the dual lead as Carlos the Jackal and his Doppelganger, Annibal Ramirez.
Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley also star as CIA and Mossad agents, respectively. They must train and basically brainwash Ramirez into becoming Carlos the Jackal in order to catch him and this process becomes a fascinating subplot.
Ramirez is conflicted with his role and his antagonism toward both Sutherland and Kingsley's characters makes for some great dialogue. Yes, decent dialogue, which in an action thriller is a rare commodity.
This is a well thought-out thriller which never loses it's momentum nor believability. The locations, cinematography and action sequences are top notch with a great third act which leaves the viewer guessing until the very end.
Also, in my case, wondering why this gem was so overlooked when it came out. It was so good that if the box office receipts had been in place, it would have demanded a sequel.
Highly recommended.
The Meg
(2018)
Statham has literally Jumped the Shark.
10 August 2018
Jason Statham, arguably a worthy successor of Daniel Craig as the next James Bond, has taken an odd misstep in "The Meg". I can only assume there were many, many zeroes more than "007" involved in influencing his decision to take a role in this picture.
A deep-sea submersible is under threat by a massive Megaladon Shark, long thought to be extinct, now lies at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited to save the crew. As the movie progresses, we find out that Taylor had encountered the Shark long before and is a practitioner of the long lost art of Shark Punching. I wanted to like Jon Turteltaub's movie but The Meg is bad, but only rarely in the fun way.
Maybe it would be better if they went full Camp, as in the Sharknado Franchise?
Statham seems itching for some of his usual classic James Bond-style British Ass-kickery for which he is known, most of which is not on display. Rainn Wilson plays shifty billionaire who's financed a deep-sea exploration project. This is a Chinese production, taking place off the coast of Shanghai. Chinese star Li Bingbing has been enlisted to support Statham, her charismatic quality shining through a roughed-in character.
The most important cast member, though, is of course the titular Massive Meg, a CGI creation who appears early and often.
There are a few chuckle-worthy sight gags and the third act climax, involving a bunch of panicked beachgoers, which evokes Jaws in a knowing tribute, provides some legitimate thrills.
Shark fans are likely to be interested, but be warned: It's clumsy and slow and lacks genuine scares.
A deep-sea submersible is under threat by a massive Megaladon Shark, long thought to be extinct, now lies at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is recruited to save the crew. As the movie progresses, we find out that Taylor had encountered the Shark long before and is a practitioner of the long lost art of Shark Punching. I wanted to like Jon Turteltaub's movie but The Meg is bad, but only rarely in the fun way.
Maybe it would be better if they went full Camp, as in the Sharknado Franchise?
Statham seems itching for some of his usual classic James Bond-style British Ass-kickery for which he is known, most of which is not on display. Rainn Wilson plays shifty billionaire who's financed a deep-sea exploration project. This is a Chinese production, taking place off the coast of Shanghai. Chinese star Li Bingbing has been enlisted to support Statham, her charismatic quality shining through a roughed-in character.
The most important cast member, though, is of course the titular Massive Meg, a CGI creation who appears early and often.
There are a few chuckle-worthy sight gags and the third act climax, involving a bunch of panicked beachgoers, which evokes Jaws in a knowing tribute, provides some legitimate thrills.
Shark fans are likely to be interested, but be warned: It's clumsy and slow and lacks genuine scares.
9/11
(2017)
Great cast - decent plot - severely underrated
13 December 2017
This film is based on Patrick James Carson's award-winning play Elevator, so keep this in mind when viewing this film. It is a study in group dynamics under extraordinary circumstances and not a big budget special effects flick. Each of the five main actors: Charlie Sheen, Gina Gershon, Wood Harris, Luis Guzman, Whoopie Goldberg and Olga Fonda turn in stellar performances. Not one weak performance throughout and the dialogue is realistic and natural. There is an underlying pathos which is hardly exploitative but instead reminds you of the human drama that occurred on that day as well as the heroic sacrifices of the Emergency Personnel who gave their lives to save others. Do not let the other reviews dissuade you, highly recommended.
Spectacular Visuals - Unimpressive Plot/Acting
23 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I was really looking forward to this film as Luc Besson has an impressive body of work, including one of my all-time favourite films: "The Professional" (1994) - Valerian starts on an intriguing and promising note depicting connections to early humanity and the denizens of an alien world. A frenetic pace propels the film for the entire duration while allowing a periodic time out to show awe-inspiring visuals of futuristic vistas in mind boggling detail. When disconnected from CGI and/or live action characters, the film veers into Avatar-quality effects which are truly spectacular.
When portraying CGI alien life forms or when the actors are included in green screen shots over CGI backgrounds, the realism definitely suffers to the point where the viewer is reminded of the animated alternative realities depicted in films like Beetlejuice or Coraline.
Weighing the film down are the two leads who appear to be miscast - Cara Delevingne appears particularly strident as the clichéd strong, independent heroine chock full of attitude, sarcasm and relentless eye rolls delivered with almost every piece of stilted dialogue. It gets old pretty quick. Perhaps she needs a better vehicle with better dialogue to offset the Millennial bratitude, only time will tell.
Dane DeHaan as the titular character does not seem to embody the supposed alpha male bad boy he is supposed to portray. He spends most of the film trying to woo Delevingne's character to the point of appearing to beg for her approval. Not very appealing to watch.
Rhianna, who makes a brief but impressive appearance and the welcome return of Clive Owen, who ably portrays the chief antagonist/nemesis, round out the cast.
The plot unfolds with many genre clichés ripped from Star Wars etc. with an attempt to provide exposition at the end of the third act for the confused audience. I heard 2 different attendees mutter how they didn't understand what was going on as the film progressed.
If you like decent effects, particularly detailed CGI, the film is worth a watch. If you are looking for a complex plot or witty dialogue, you may want to pass.
When portraying CGI alien life forms or when the actors are included in green screen shots over CGI backgrounds, the realism definitely suffers to the point where the viewer is reminded of the animated alternative realities depicted in films like Beetlejuice or Coraline.
Weighing the film down are the two leads who appear to be miscast - Cara Delevingne appears particularly strident as the clichéd strong, independent heroine chock full of attitude, sarcasm and relentless eye rolls delivered with almost every piece of stilted dialogue. It gets old pretty quick. Perhaps she needs a better vehicle with better dialogue to offset the Millennial bratitude, only time will tell.
Dane DeHaan as the titular character does not seem to embody the supposed alpha male bad boy he is supposed to portray. He spends most of the film trying to woo Delevingne's character to the point of appearing to beg for her approval. Not very appealing to watch.
Rhianna, who makes a brief but impressive appearance and the welcome return of Clive Owen, who ably portrays the chief antagonist/nemesis, round out the cast.
The plot unfolds with many genre clichés ripped from Star Wars etc. with an attempt to provide exposition at the end of the third act for the confused audience. I heard 2 different attendees mutter how they didn't understand what was going on as the film progressed.
If you like decent effects, particularly detailed CGI, the film is worth a watch. If you are looking for a complex plot or witty dialogue, you may want to pass.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
(2016)
Not an improvement over the original
27 October 2016
While the trailer gives too many of the best scenes away (as do seemingly most Hollywood trailers of late), the second entry in the Jack Reacher franchise fails in it's attempt to capitalize on the momentum of the original.
With the titular character ably portrayed by Tom Cruise as the quintessential and confident bad-ass, the surrounding cast and paint-by-numbers story-line struggle around his nucleus to present a believable and involving action flick.
One of the issues that plagues the franchise is that the source material portrays Reacher as 6'5" tall at a beefy 250 lbs, capable of taking on 4-5 attackers at a time. Cruise is in great shape and appears at least 10 years younger than his actual age but even with strategic camera angles, at 5'7", it is fairly obvious that he is physically outmatched when surrounded by 4 of his assailants. Yet much ass is kicked with relative ease. This affects the realism meter as the film progresses.
Another issue is the somewhat stilted dialogue and a few "Oh, come on, that would never happen!" moments that elicited a few unintended laughs from other audience members during the viewing I attended.
The supporting cast do their part in workman-like fashion and some of the dialogue between Cruise's Reacher and Co-star Cobie Smulders' Turner entertains and engages as they argue while being simultaneously attracted to one another. Rounding out the cast as the chief antagonist, Patrick Heusinger is an effective (if somewhat clichéd) ex- Special Forces Psychopath who hunts Reacher throughout the film.
It's unclear at this point whether there will be a third film instalment but based on early box office returns, a sequel is likely. I hope they can take the best elements from the first film which had better fight scenes, less stilted dialogue and fewer formulaic plot devices. Seeing as the Jack Reacher Book series is currently at 21 novels, there should be a worthy successor in the Lee Child-penned Canon to put the film franchise back in good stead the next time around.
If you are looking for a breezy action flick with low expectations regarding plot twists or realism, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back fits the bill.
With the titular character ably portrayed by Tom Cruise as the quintessential and confident bad-ass, the surrounding cast and paint-by-numbers story-line struggle around his nucleus to present a believable and involving action flick.
One of the issues that plagues the franchise is that the source material portrays Reacher as 6'5" tall at a beefy 250 lbs, capable of taking on 4-5 attackers at a time. Cruise is in great shape and appears at least 10 years younger than his actual age but even with strategic camera angles, at 5'7", it is fairly obvious that he is physically outmatched when surrounded by 4 of his assailants. Yet much ass is kicked with relative ease. This affects the realism meter as the film progresses.
Another issue is the somewhat stilted dialogue and a few "Oh, come on, that would never happen!" moments that elicited a few unintended laughs from other audience members during the viewing I attended.
The supporting cast do their part in workman-like fashion and some of the dialogue between Cruise's Reacher and Co-star Cobie Smulders' Turner entertains and engages as they argue while being simultaneously attracted to one another. Rounding out the cast as the chief antagonist, Patrick Heusinger is an effective (if somewhat clichéd) ex- Special Forces Psychopath who hunts Reacher throughout the film.
It's unclear at this point whether there will be a third film instalment but based on early box office returns, a sequel is likely. I hope they can take the best elements from the first film which had better fight scenes, less stilted dialogue and fewer formulaic plot devices. Seeing as the Jack Reacher Book series is currently at 21 novels, there should be a worthy successor in the Lee Child-penned Canon to put the film franchise back in good stead the next time around.
If you are looking for a breezy action flick with low expectations regarding plot twists or realism, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back fits the bill.
Survivor
(I) (2015)
So many good ingredients but the flavour is bland...
30 May 2015
I was really looking forward to this film, Director James McTeigue had made me an instant fan with "V for Vendetta".
Pierce Brosnan did an admirable job with the material that he was given, evoking the same ice cold villain persona that he had perfected in such films as "The Fourth Protocol" and "Don't Talk to Strangers".
Milla Jovovich is a decent actress but much of her role involves reacting to situations with close ups of shock/surprise. It was not a good fit.
Supporting actors including Robert Forster and Angela Basset round out the impressive cast but they are largely wasted.
I see 2 main issues with this film:
1) The storyline is very clichéd, especially the predictable 3rd act and much of the dialogue is very stilted. 2) The CGI in many parts is sub par and takes you out of your suspension of disbelief.
Having said all this, I still found it to be a competent thriller worth watching with these caveats.
Pierce Brosnan did an admirable job with the material that he was given, evoking the same ice cold villain persona that he had perfected in such films as "The Fourth Protocol" and "Don't Talk to Strangers".
Milla Jovovich is a decent actress but much of her role involves reacting to situations with close ups of shock/surprise. It was not a good fit.
Supporting actors including Robert Forster and Angela Basset round out the impressive cast but they are largely wasted.
I see 2 main issues with this film:
1) The storyline is very clichéd, especially the predictable 3rd act and much of the dialogue is very stilted. 2) The CGI in many parts is sub par and takes you out of your suspension of disbelief.
Having said all this, I still found it to be a competent thriller worth watching with these caveats.
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