Since Traffic and Out of Sight, I've been a huge Soderbergh fan. With The Laundromat, he renews his critique of the corporate insurance industry, a theme he explored two decades ago with the excellent Erin Brockovich.
In a daring departure, Soderbergh opts for a comedic framing device .There are two smarmy narrators and confusing animations to tell the story. Banderas is great, but Oldman is allowed to ham it up with that grotesque Hogan's Heroes cartoon accent. Between all the winking and nudging, the animated infographics fail to dumb down the film's main message. Also, I find M.Streep hard on the eyes.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Dog Eat Dog
(I) (2016)
Defoe is really short
22 November 2016
Outside the comedy realm, a 'dumb criminal' plot a tough sell. Despite a standout performance by W.D. as a vulnerable sociopath this was tough film to like. In the past, a nihilistic heist story with an 8-Ball's worth of random Hollywood visuals paid the bills. (e.g. Natural Born Killers) Schrader remains unable to parlay his fading nostalgia into something resembling a legacy. Cinematography has advanced to the point that most reverential (self or other) shots are staid. On the story note, Nick Cage's wanton H. Bogart impressions negate character development and story. He needs to: A) Get a new agent (B) Stop phoning it (C) Just retire. But, if there is any takeaway from this pseudo art-house turd, W. Defoe is amazing. In the end it was enjoyable and completely forgettable.
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