Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Movie review: Killer Elite

 
 Danny has extracted himself from the killer-for-hire business but when his mentor is kidnapped he is drawn back into the game. To free his mentor, Danny must kill the three SAS members responsible for the death of the kidnapper's son.

Jason Statham (Danny), Clive Owen (Spike), Robert De Niro (Hunter), Dominic Purcell (Davies), Aden Young (Meier), Yvonne Strahovski (Anne), Ben Mendelsohn (Martin), David Whiteley (MI6 Man).

Killer Elite, supposedly based on a true story, begins by pretty much jumping right into the plot. Danny has retired from mercenary work but is pulled back in when his mentor, Hunter, is kidnapped. Tasked by the kidnapper with killing the three SAS members who killed his son, Danny finds himself in the middle of a war.
While the summary sounds good, it is also the best part of the film. Much of the plot is unexplained and the rest is poorly explained.

Acting was decent from Statham, Owen, and De Niro but sadly, none of them could save the film. The remainder of the supporting cast was okay.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds left a bit to be desired. While natural scenery use was good, fast shot switching to unexplained scenes was frustrating. Action scenes were okay for the most part. Dialogue was thin and lacking depth. Sound and soundtrack are okay.

Overall this one missed the mark for us by quite a lot. The film lacked depth or coherence and as a result it had a hard time holding audience interest. Statham or die-hard action adventure fans may enjoy this one.

Including some nudity, sexuality, plenty of violence and gore, and foul language, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2011
Reviewed: 1.14.19
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Thriller, Action, Crime, Adventure, Films based on a True Story

copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
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Monday, January 28, 2019

Movie review: Tomb Raider

 
 Seven years after her father disappeared, Laura Croft has found his final destination; a mythical island he believed to hold great power. With only her wits and determination, Laura sets out to learn of her fathers fate.

Alicia Vikander (Lara), Dominic West (Richard), Walton Goggins (Vogel), Daniel Wu (Lu Ren), Kristin Thomas (Ana), Derek Jacobi (Mr. Yaffe).

Tomb Raider begins by showing us the life of Laura thus far. Although her father disappeared 7 years ago, it is obvious Laura still believes he is alive and with a slight nudge, she is off on an adventure to find him. The journey adds some interesting characters and plenty of intense action. The storyline is similar to previous films with a twist or two toward the end and a requisite Happy Ever After ending.

Acting was reasonable with Vikander doing a decent job, though physically she felt like a bit of a mismatch for the role. West and Wu were both solid and enjoyable. Goggins was well cast and wonderfully creepy in his role. Thomas, Jacobi, and the remainder of the cast were good.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds feel immense in this one and are heavily integrated with CGI. Most action scenes and CGI were nicely done, if at the same time crazily over the top. Dialogue was solid with decent depth. Sound and soundtrack are nicely done.

This version of Tomb Raider is squarely aimed at the younger crowd with a younger Laura and obvious sequel setup toward the end. Older viewers who enjoyed the 2001 film and were hoping for more may be slightly disappointed with this one however, the film is a good choice for family movie night with young teens.

With some violence and foul language, this one should be fine for preens and above.

Released: 2018
Reviewed: 1.10.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Action & Adventure, Action Sci-Fi, Action Thriller, Fantasy, Adventure

copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel
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