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Davidoyarite
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The Unleashed (2011)
Too Typical..Too Boring..Too Bad
A valiant attempt to do something different with this possession/occult genre flick. But it fails miserable mainly due to the terrible pacing in this film. It moved so slowly I felt like I had been watching a two and a half hour movie by the time it was done. The most interesting part of the movie is the beginning, with the scene set back during covered-wagon times. It set things up well..but the follow-through was just not there. Further,unresolved issue at film's end leave the audience wondering - not by intention of the director either, which would have been permissible. Nice try..but there is simply nothing new or original to offer here. Not worth buying, but if it finds its way to cable (doubtful) and you are up late with nothing to do - then I suppose you could see for yourself just how flat the movie really is.
London Boulevard (2010)
London Boulevard IS Well Worth Watching
This movie was quite entertaining and well worth a watch by fans of the gangster movie genre. Colin Farrel is convincing as an ex-con trying to shake the criminal lifestyle , but like many characters in movies of this sort, he is ultimately drawn back to the violent, unpredictable and dangerous lifestyle due to a matter of honor or vengeance. Despite not having a lot of time to develop on screen, there are several interesting performances by the secondary characters that contribute to the drama and overall atmosphere of this movie. Ray Winstone's character, Gant, is especially detestable as a mid-level crime boss who seems to enjoy inflicting pain, whether it be emotional or physical, upon others and has a reserved, but sinister presence. Briony, played by Anna Friel, is intriguing as Mitchel's spoiled, chemically-dependent sister whom Mitch tries to protect and shield from the ugliness of the underworld he is part of. Briony, for her part, seems to be interested in having fun and is somewhat oblivious to the powder keg of violence and sin that is boiling under the surface of her lifestyle. And Danny, the washed-up ,tired -looking employee/friend of Charlotte (Keira Knightley) is a nice addition to the dynamics as well. The romance that is supposed to develop between Mitch and Charlotte is not really convincing on screen.They don't spend enough time to together and its difficult to believe anything substantial has developed between them based on what we see on screen. This is probably the one major failing of the movie. However,Farrel's intensity as the hoodlum Mitch in his hunt for the killers of an old friend,as well as dealing with the antics of his idiot friend Billy and trying to avoid being forced into servitude by a viscous criminal group keeps the movie plugging along. Its far from perfect,but to North American audiences, these small-scale crime dramas set in London offer us a refreshingly different perspective on the criminal underworld. There's no machine-guns and explosions, there's no car chases, the violence is not as in-your-face as we see in a lot of US produced gangster films. The ferocity and cruelty of underworld life is definitely there, however,in many scenarios it is much more implied - which almost gives it a more sinister feel because it leaves a good deal up to the audience's imagination. I'm not 100% sure why I liked this movie as much as I did. And as stated, it is far from perfect, but I do think that it has a place alongside other UK-based crime movies like Blitz, Harry Brown, The Krays and Gangster No.1. Check it out if you get the chance.