Disclaimer: There may be spoilers below, so if any of the content pictured below is of interest, proceed with caution.
Halfway through the movie I had a revelation, that this was a John Woo flick, but it had been upgraded from the usual doves to sea gulls. A movie promising action that basically had a couple pedestrian chases, some gunplay, and attempts to cut serenity with the drama... but directed by George Gallo. With Ruby Rose and Morgan Freeman, you would expect this movie to bring some excitement. Unfortunately, both actors just fell short of the depth and range we've seen before. Rose as a badass forced back into her previous life, Freeman as a retired cop living in a 10 million dollar home but not arousing any suspicion, a series of tasks that offered little variety and an ending that was predictable. Potential was squandered, but at least we had a scene with birds.
Entirely predictable from the first five minutes, down to specific scenes an hour later. Bad writing means they have to spell out every bit of foreshadowing to the point of being insulting. The few places it isn't obvious you are just left with a simple guess if it is Cliche1 or Cliche2. All of the acting is flat and pedestrian, including Neeson. I'd write more but really, you've probably seen the film in different iterations over Neeson's career so I bet you can imagine what this one was like. Oh the plot? Who cares.
On the off chance you didn't realize, this movie is a remake of the 1995 movie which is an adaptation of a video game, made in 1992. The movie is a shallow absurd plot, because it is based on a video game without a plot, just updated with 2021 CGI. Even then the fight scenes are largely boring, the acting pedestrian, and no part of this movie is really compelling. I'll take the rest of this review to point out how pathetic the movie studios are in that they pass over thousands of scripts from talented writers and instead, shove a remake of a remake down our throats and over-hype it. These same studios are wondering why movies are struggling in general, losing out to other forms of online content. Gee, that's a head-scratcher.
Fresh from breaking the Tomatometer comes this (obscenely well-done) 111-minute drama from writer/director/Flatbush-native Eliza Hittman: A teenager (Sidney Flanigan) from rural PA learns she is 10 weeks pregnant. Thanks to her fiercely-supportive cousin (Talia Ryder), a hurried trip for two to NYC ensues to pursue some women's healthcare on the down-low. During some excruciatingly-personal Q&A, we learn that 1) 10 weeks? Nope, try second trimester, 2) this day-trip just grew 300%, 3) it's tricky to do NYC on a budget, 4) women's healthcare can be complicated, 5) everything becomes more awkward through the lens of this film, 6) the teenage boy whose face we witness the protagonist splash a drink into near the beginning is, in fact, frequently physically abusive in their sexual relationship...you get the picture. Includes an IMDB awards page which would make Chuck Norris weep. If your jaw has not fallen several stories recently and you've been meaning to, look no further.
