Kid Cannabis (2014)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Nate Norman (Jonathan Daniel Brown) teams up with his best friend, Christopher (Kenny Wormald) to smuggle marijuana from Canada to Idaho. Motivated by dreams to provide a better life for his mother, Teressia (Amanda Tapping), and his little brother, Philip (Mark Hills), Nate relentlessly pursues the life of a drug kingpin.

In Canada, Nicole Grefard (Merritt Patterson) introduces Nate and Christopher (or “Topher”) to her father, John (John C. McGinely), her mother, Elke (Christina Cox), and her little sister, Ella. John, the mastermind behind growing and selling a high quality strain of marijuana, becomes Nate and Topher’s trusted supplier. And Nate further strengthens his empire by forming a partnership with Barry Lerner (Ron Perlman). 

Nate builds a team of runners, including Topher, Scuzz (Bryce Hodgson), and others. Millions are rolling in, as Nate’s team sneaks bricks of marijuana across the Canadian border. But Nate runs into some trouble during a feud with his rival, Brendan Butler (Aaron Yoo).

My Thoughts- Really? THIS guy? If you take one look at Nate Norman, you’d never guess he was capable of smoothly running a weed empire worth millions. Jonathan Daniel Brown delivers a convincing and good performance as Nate Norman. The nasally voice, Nate’s awkward demeanor, his attempts at trying to play it cool during Nate’s close calls, and Nate’s hilarious transition to being a more cocky drug kingpin. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a show-stealing performance, but there’s no denying Brown’s dedication to playing Nate Norman.

Ron Perlman brings a strong and commanding presence to Barry Lerner. The scene in the car, where Barry warns Nate about betraying him is terrific. Perlman is genuinely menacing, while Barry calmly threatens Nate. A good scene, with a bit of humor added to it, because Barry’s young and oblivious son is in the backseat, while Barry goes over the gory details for what’ll happen, if Nate flips on him.

John C. McGinely plays the enlightened weed supplier. Together, The Grefard Family shares a bond as a carefree and relaxed clan. They’re basically stoner hippies, and with limited screen time, McGinely really nails John for one of the best performances in the movie, easily. 

Brendan Butler? Oh, boy. Kudos to Aaron Yoo for believably playing an egotistical and annoying shithead. Butler is obviously trying way too hard to be tough and crazy, because he’s a deeply insecure young man.

Nate’s empire crumbles, and he’s going to jail! Is it a big surprise? Well, no. You could see it all coming from a mile away. As soon as Topher starts complaining about Nate screwing him out of his fair share of the money, you know what’s coming. 

Someone in the crew, who was trying to make some extra money on the side gets caught, and guess what? He chooses to be an informant to save his own ass. Of course, Kid Cannabis has a heavier comedic tone, but if you’ve seen enough crime dramas, you should know there’s never a happy ending for the big kingpin. 

Although, I’ll give a thumbs up for how they presented the interrogations. Everyone in Nate’s crew turns on him. Topher is shown as the last one to expose Nate as the ringleader. Just going by his facial expressions, Topher looks like someone, who’s conflicted about giving up his friend, but he’s also angry and bitter about Nate treating him like another lackey, after they started the business together by themselves, while Topher was doing most of the groundwork and the heavy lifting. Remember, Topher is the one, who started the conversation with Nicole, a conversation that led both of them to John.

Clowns. They’re both clowns. It’s hard to believe Nate Norman and Brendan Butler were able to pull this off, building two empires, while raking in tons of cash. But I guess that’s the appeal of Kid Cannabis? The irony and the absurdity for two young guys, cosplaying as hardcore gangsters, works as a crazy story that’s almost too impossible to believe. And of course, when Nate finally realizes he’s way in over his head for trying to control his crew, while dodging the authorities, it’s too late.

Kid Cannabis follows a lot of the familiar tropes for movies based on a true crime story. I didn’t need to do any kind of research online, or use Google to figure out how Nate’s story ends. The mistrust between Nate and Topher, Topher questioning Nate’s leadership, crack’s in Nate’s crew, Nate’s greed, his ego, his carelessness, AND you add cocaine into the mix? Too many missteps and bad habits. It’s only a matter of time before it all comes back to bite you in the ass.

A strange real-life story, because I can at least understand why Nate chose a risky path. He’s a high school dropout, who works a dead end job delivering pizzas for a living. And Nate’s mother works as a waitress, so of course money is tight.

You could say being broke, and the frustrations for living a life that’s clearly going nowhere gave Nate the push that he needed. But Nate was truly inspired, when he delivered a pizza to a successful weed dealer named Taser (Lochlyn Munro). The big house, lots of women, and Taser is a wealthy and confident man. 

Is it foolish to risk your life and a lengthy jail sentence for that lifestyle? Yes, but you can also understand why it appeals to Nate. He’s a geeky and socially awkward guy, who was bullied in high school. Nate is shy and nervous around women, so of course he’s going to jump all over the chance to be the cool guy in town, knowing women will throw themselves at him, because he’s rich and powerful. Simply put, tearing off the label for being a loser means A LOT to someone like Nate.

The tedious cliches are hard to ignore. And what happened to the relationship between Nicole and Topher? Nicole just disappears, as the story progresses. No explanations, and they didn’t mention her again, after she helps Topher with one of his weed runs through the woods. Nicole is the reason why Nate and Topher were able to take their business to the next level, so the vanishing act is kind of strange.

But Kid Cannabis is still an entertaining true crime comedy. Director/writer John Stockwell makes some successful attempts to bring an energetic spark to Kid Cannabis. A handful of GoPro style shots, and the numerous scenes featuring security camera footage works to add more realism to the movie. And the violence is kept to a minimum here. You’ll only see one bloody scene, when a hitman Brendan hired turns on him by choking and stabbing Brendan to death. Giovanni (Corey Large) brutally murders Brendan, while his brother watches, one of the scenes that’s on a short list of heavy and series moments. 

Kid Cannabis features a well-rounded cast, including two notable and good performances from John C. McGinely and Ron Perlman. If we’re talking about different personalities, Bryce Hodgson’s Scuzz stands out in Nate’s crew of grunts, as the rebellious live-wire, who’s not afraid to challenge Nate’s authority. The laughs are also consistent. One scene that sticks out for me happens, when Nate, wearing an obvious fake mask, goes to visit a lawyer named Joe Loya (Ben Cotton) for legal advice. A genuinely hilarious scene from start to finish. 

Also, Kid Cannabis opens with some social commentary about “the war on pot.” Nate starts off the movie talking about the feds prioritizing spending $42 billion going after his operation over the war on terror, and stopping Osama Bin Laden. And let’s not forget Teressia tearfully dismissing Nate’s impending legal troubles, because “it’s just pot.” 

Kid Cannabis is a refreshing pick, if you’re looking for something different in the realm of stoner comedies. Maybe it’s a toss up for landing on the side of sympathy for Nate, what he did, and how he chose to handled everything. But one thing’s for sure, the story about a young pizza delivery driver turned weed kingpin from a small town in Idaho, is filled with a hefty amount of turbulent ups, downs, twists, and turns. 

Rating- 7/10

Amber Alert (2012)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- In 2009, Samantha Green (Summer Bellessa) and Nathan Riley’s (Chris Hill) audition tapes for a reality show are interrupted in Arizona, when Nate notices a grey Honda Accord that fits the description for a recent Amber Alert involving a kidnapped young girl. Samantha’s little brother, Caleb (Caleb Thompson) records everything, while Samantha urges Nate to follow the car. 

The driver, Michael Randolph Muller (Jasen Wade), tries to reassure the trio the Amber Alert is nothing more than one big misunderstanding. Brooke Layton (Brooke Thompson) is supposedly his daughter. Muller, dealing with custody problems and his ex-wife, apparently wanted more time with Brooke, but Samantha suspects something is fishy. Is Muller telling the truth? Or, is it possible he’s hiding dark secrets? 

My Thoughts- I have a lot of mixed feelings for Caleb recording. On one hand, yeah, you could say they need to document everything for proof, BUT when a police officer finally gets involved, the footage is basically useless. What’s the point of recording, if law enforcement already has the necessary information (the description of the car, license plate number), and on top of that, Samantha is giving out details for Muller’s exact location?

It’s strange, because you could possibly make an argument for Nate and Samantha really needing the camera during the finale for definitive proof, and the light as a guide to see through the darkness. Still, more often than not, it’s hard to come up with legitimate reasons for Caleb recording. Why? So we can see Nate and Samantha constantly arguing, and Samantha giving Nate stern lectures about morality? Outside of the need to show the viewers what’s going on, you can point to more than one scene, where’s there no need for recording. That’s a problem, because the logic behind found-footage just falls apart during long stretches of the movie.

The police? I have to believe they were aiming for some kind of social commentary about how law enforcement responds and reacts to Amber Alerts. When Officer Murray (Tom Murray) makes an appearance, there’s a sense of relief. FINALLY! Someone, who’s in a position to help, to actually do something, is here. But guess what? Nothing happens. Officer Murray gives instructions to go to a police station. He drives off, and that’s it?

I sincerely hope a message about cops and how they handle Amber Alerts was the main goal here. Otherwise, Amber Alert is basically about two friends and a young kid becoming vigilantes and risking their lives, because the police are too slow and too inept to help and do their jobs. 

The ending completely caught me off guard. I’m not talking about the reveal for Muller being a disgusting and sadistic creep, who lied to Nate and Samantha on the side of the road. It was obvious Muller was lying. Too many holes in the story about his “ex-wife.” And Nate wanted to do everything he possibly could to avoid a confrontation or a fight with Muller, so they just accepted his story.

The truly shocking parts for me happened, when the insides of Muller’s house were revealed. It’s dark, the guns on the counter, everything is covered up, the house looks like a dungeon, and Muller keeps personal items as trophies from his victims. Sexual abuse is a topic that comes up a lot throughout the movie, but when you actually see what Muller’s been up to, and what he plans to do to Brooke Layton (his latest victim), it’s enough to bring a grossed out reaction out of you. And to make matters worse, Muller keeps Brooke locked in a cage.

Caleb is wounded, Muller kills Samantha and Nate, and Nate dies in a shootout against Muller, but Brooke survives. A truly tense finale and a bleak ending. Some good horror elements, featuring Nate, Samantha, and Brooke quietly sneaking around in the dark, hoping to escape, while Muller waits in the shadows. And the screams for help from Brooke before the scene ends are truly horrifying, when you realize there’s a kid alone in a house with three dead bodies.

Amber Alert puts a lot of effort into a dedicated approach for realism. Blurred out license plates, bleeping out phone numbers and addresses, and at some point, everyone has experienced an Amber Alert, when you get that notification on your phone. It’s an unsettling feeling to have, if the alert is close enough.

The home stretch takes a dark and disturbing turn, leading to a finale that’s a real nail-biter. But the problems for Amber Alert are hard to ignore. Yes, you could say they needed the camera and they needed to record in the house, but everything else? There’s still no reason Caleb should’ve been recording. 

Samantha and Nate’s constant bickering? Oh, boy. Way too much of the tiresome and continuous shouting matches between Samantha and Nate, and it gets worse, when you realize all the yelling eats up a good sixty to seventy percent of the movie. It’s also easy to notice a tedious and repetitive pattern for storytelling. Slow down! Don’t get too close to Muller! No, no speed up, you’re gonna lose him! Or, let’s keep a safe distance, so we can see what he’s going to do next. 

Amber Alert is another one of those films, where they have great material to work with, especially if you’re doing a found-footage film, and you want to make things feel more realistic. A strong effort for a low budget film using limited resources, with a spirited cast. Good horror elements mixed in with the ending, but the overall execution just didn’t work for me.

Rating- 3/10 

Amber Alert (2012)(Minor Spoilers)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- In 2009, Samantha Green (Summer Bellessa) and Nathan Riley’s (Chris Hill) audition tapes for a reality show are interrupted in Arizona, when Nate notices a grey Honda Accord that fits the description for a recent Amber Alert involving a kidnapped young girl. Samantha’s little brother, Caleb (Caleb Thompson) records everything, while Samantha urges Nate to follow the car. 

The driver, Michael Randolph Muller (Jasen Wade), tries to reassure the trio the Amber Alert is nothing more than one big misunderstanding. Brooke Layton (Brooke Thompson) is supposedly his daughter. Muller, dealing with custody problems and his ex-wife, apparently wanted more time with Brooke, but Samantha suspects something is fishy. Is Muller telling the truth? Or, is it possible he’s hiding dark secrets? 

My Thoughts- I have a lot of mixed feelings for Caleb recording. On one hand, yeah, you could say they need to document everything for proof, BUT when a police officer finally gets involved, the footage is basically useless. What’s the point of recording, if law enforcement already has the necessary information (the description of the car, license plate number), and on top of that, Samantha is giving out details for Muller’s exact location?

It’s strange, because you could possibly make an argument for Nate and Samantha really needing the camera during the finale for definitive proof, and the light as a guide to see through the darkness. Still, more often than not, it’s hard to come up with legitimate reasons for Caleb recording. Why? So we can see Nate and Samantha constantly arguing, and Samantha giving Nate stern lectures about morality? Outside of the need to show the viewers what’s going on, you can point to more than one scene, where’s there no need for recording. That’s a problem, because the logic behind found-footage just falls apart during long stretches of the movie.

The police? I have to believe they were aiming for some kind of social commentary about how law enforcement responds and reacts to Amber Alerts. When Officer Murray (Tom Murray) makes an appearance, there’s a sense of relief. FINALLY! Someone, who’s in a position to help, to actually do something, is here. But guess what? Nothing happens. Officer Murray gives instructions to go to a police station. He drives off, and that’s it?

I sincerely hope a message about cops and how they handle Amber Alerts was the main goal here. Otherwise, Amber Alert is basically about two friends and a young kid becoming vigilantes and risking their lives, because the police are too slow and too inept to help and do their jobs. 

Amber Alert puts a lot of effort into a dedicated approach for realism. Blurred out license plates, bleeping out phone numbers and addresses, and at some point, everyone has experienced an Amber Alert, when you get that notification on your phone. It’s an unsettling feeling to have, if the alert is close enough.

The home stretch takes a dark and disturbing turn, leading to a finale that’s a real nail-biter. But the problems for Amber Alert are hard to ignore. Yes, you could say they needed the camera and they needed to record in the house, but everything else? There’s still no reason Caleb should’ve been recording. 

Samantha and Nate’s constant bickering? Oh, boy. Way too much of the tiresome and continuous shouting matches between Samantha and Nate, and it gets worse, when you realize all the yelling eats up a good sixty to seventy percent of the movie. It’s also easy to notice a tedious and repetitive pattern for storytelling. Slow down! Don’t get too close to Muller! No, no speed up, you’re gonna lose him! Or, let’s keep a safe distance, so we can see what he’s going to do next. 

Amber Alert is another one of those films, where they have great material to work with, especially if you’re doing a found-footage film, and you want to make things feel more realistic. A strong effort for a low budget film using limited resources, with a spirited cast. Good horror elements mixed in with the ending, but the overall execution just didn’t work for me.

Rating- 3/10 

Coming Attractions- The Alto Knights

 

Director- Barry Levinson

Release Date- March 21, 2025

Robert De Niro playing dual roles is more than enough for me. You could say De Niro is more streaky in the later stages of his career, but there’s no denying the man is still capable of delivering great performances. Whether it’s Goodfellas, Casino, The Godfather Part II, The Irishman, and other movies, De Niro is always at his best in gangster biopics and crime dramas. 

I’m also interested to see Cosmo Jarvis’ performance as Vincent “Chin” Gigante. Vincent D’ Onofrio sets the bar pretty high on Godfather Of Harlem. I know it’s a TV series, so D’Onofrio has more time and breathing room to portray a detailed and fleshed out version of Gigante, but D’Onofrio is always the first person, who pops into my head, when I think of Gigante.

Coming Attractions- Locked

 

Director- David Yarovesky

Release Date- March 21, 2025

Based on 4x4 (2019), the trailer for Locked shows a lot of promise. One thing that’s noticeable is, Bill Skarsgard’s character might be a thief, but he’s also not portrayed as a devious or scummy person. You get the feeling he’s someone, who’s either going through something, or he’s fallen on hard times for one reason or another. Giving the dog water, and his horrified reaction to the car possibly hitting the little girl shows he’s someone with a moral compass, and he’s currently suffering from the consequences of a big mistake.

Lots of teases for tense scenes and close calls, and Anthony Hopkins looks like a good fit for his role. I’m guessing Locked will feature one of those topsy-turvy revelations. Just looking at the trailer, Hopkins is a rich and morally bankrupt madman, who gets off on punishing sinners, or people, who are beneath him. 

Black Mass (2015)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Flanked and supported by his enforcers Kevin Weeks (Jesse Plemons), Steve Flemmi (Rory Cochrane), John Martorano (W. Earl Brown), FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton), and FBI agent John Morris (David Harbour), Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny Depp) builds a criminal empire in Boston during the 1970s and 1980’s. Bulger’s relationship with his brother William (Benedict Cumberbatch), the President of the Massachusetts Senate, brings some peace to his life. 

Connolly tangles with his superior, Charles McGuire  (Kevin Bacon) over restrictions for Whitey’s rampages, but a bigger problem threatens to expose Connolly’s dirty tactics. Whitey’s seemingly invincible shield is threatened, when Assistant US Attorney Fred Wyshak (Corey Stoll) returns to Boston, fiercely determined to put a stop to Bulger’s tyranny.

My Thoughts- Whoa, that’s really Johnny Depp! That was my reaction to the first Black Mass trailer years ago. It’s not just the makeup, or the thinning white hair, Johnny Depp truly takes a dedicated approach to becoming Whitey Bulger. The voice, the mannerisms, the leering, the cold stares, and Depp does a good job of being a convincing cold blooded and narcissistic killer with sociopathic tendencies. Of course, it’s obvious Depp exaggerates every now and then to play up the tough guy side of Bulger, but he still reels it in just enough so his overall performance isn’t too hammy or ridiculous.

Depp also shows the more normal and human side of Bulger. During scenes and interactions with his brother, William or “Billy,” his mother (Mary Klug), his girlfriend, Lindsey Cyr (Dakota Johnson), and their son, Douglas (Luke Ryan), there’s a slight chance for believing Bulger was capable of being a good guy. That, and Bulger apparently had a soft spot for helping elderly women, namely Mrs. Cody (Jamie Donnelly). But you’re quickly reminded Bulger was an evil and scummy man throughout the movie. Bulger’s cruelty cancels out the possibility of him being a deeply flawed person, with the potential to turn his life around, if he just made some serious changes.

A number of scenes to confirm that Whitey Bulger wasn’t a good bad guy, or a sort of Robin Hood figure, and he surely wasn’t misunderstood. One big scene involves Bulger viciously murdering Deborah Hussey (Juno Temple). There’s also the creepy scene, where Bulger intimidates John Connolly’s wife, Marianne (Julianne Nicholson), another example of Bulger being a petty bully. 

When you see how John Connolly operates, it’s easy to notice just how phony and full of crap he truly is, a man only concerned with feeding his own ego. It’s not a surprise Bulger and Connolly formed a duo. They’re both narcissists, egomaniacs, and pathological liars in their own ways, so of course they’ll form a bond as a well oiled machine for all the wrong reasons. 

Joel Edgerton delivers a strong performance as Connolly. Edgerton is effortlessly convincing, as the flaky FBI agent, who actually believes in his own BS, and there’s no denying that Connolly basically worships Bulger. 

The foundation for Connolly’s loyalty is rooted in Bulger looking out for him as a kid, and Whitey was a hero of sorts for Connolly. Did Connolly take things too far by looking the other way and enabling Bulger to run roughshod through Boston? Of course he did, but you can understand why he did it, and why his need for respect and validation from Bulger was ultimately his undoing.

So Whitey makes a final goodbye call to Bill, then the story fast forwards to Whitey’s arrest in 2011 after the long manhunt, and that’s it? A flat and dull ending for a story that’s loaded with material. I understand they had to condense things, otherwise Black Mass might’ve had a runtime almost hitting four total hours. But there’s no real suspense or drama leading up to the big ending. 

If you don’t know anything about Bulger’s life, you can still easily see where everything is going, when the walls start closing in, and the final series of events ends with a dry whimper. There’s a scene towards the end, where Connolly is heartbroken, and complaining about Whitey using him, when it’s clear lengthy jail sentences are coming. I laughed out loud, because Connolly is trying to play the victim, when he was fully aware of what he was doing.

I circled back around to Black Mass again after reading Whitey: The Life Of America’s Most Notorious Mob Boss, by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. To be clear, Black Mass is not based on this book. Black Mass is actually based on Black Mass: The True Story Of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI And The Irish Mob, also written by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill. 

I can understand leaving stuff out or exaggerating certain events and characteristics for entertainment purposes, or to try and help the movie move at a faster pace. But I’m kind of surprised they didn’t mention Teresa Stanley and Catherine Greig, ESPECIALLY Greig. No appearances from Whitey’s girlfriends after things fell apart with Lindsey Cyr. Stanley and Greig played big roles in Whitey’s life, with Stanley eventually talking to authorities, and the fallout from that, including Stanley being shunned and ostracized by Bulger’s family.

Catherine Greig was Whitey Bulger’s loyal ride or die support system. Hell, you could’ve made an entire movie about Bulger and Greig hiding out in Santa Monica for over a decade, freely living the golden years of their lives as retirees, using Charlie and Carol Gasko as aliases. 

Black Mass is a fast tracked and microwaved version of Whitey Bulger’s story. This is a movie that’s supposed to be about an “unholy alliance” between one of the more memorable and ruthless crime bosses using the FBI to strengthen his reign of terror.

The enormity of Bulger’s real life story is something that should’ve packed a more powerful punch. There’s still more meat on the bones for Bulger supposedly being the secret weapon to take down the Italian mafia and Gennaro “Jerry” Angiulo (Bill Haims) in Boston, and how much did Bill Bulger really know about his brother’s life of crime? But Black Mass goes with the routine step by step rise and fall approach to storytelling for a crime lord, concluding with a dull and lifeless ending.

Still, it’s almost impossible to ignore Black Mass’ impeccable ensemble cast, led by an outstanding performance from Johnny Depp. Dakota Johnson and Corey Stoll also made strong impressions with only a handful of appearances and limited screen time. 

Corey Stoll nails Fred Wyshak, the “bulldog,” who flat out refuses to tolerate Connolly’s buffoonery. The scene, where Wyshak meets Connolly for the first time is loaded with so many little nuances. How Wyshak waits for Connolly to lower his guard before tearing him apart, and how Wyshak didn’t fall for Connolly’s smooth talking and his schemes, rejecting a pair of Red Sox tickets and a drink at a bar. His eyes and the look on Corey Stoll’s face tells the whole story: Wyshak immediately sees right through Connolly’s persona, and Wyshsk knows he’s someone, who can’t be trusted. 

Black Mass had the potential and all the ingredients to be a great film, but it’s still a solid biopic. There’s more than enough brutal violence on the crime drama side of things, and the cast is loaded with noteworthy performances. Walking the fine line for embellishing facts and how things played out in real life (e.g. how Whitey murdered Brian Halloran broad daylight), and trying to balance both sides will always be a problem for any kind of biopic. But Black Mass churns out enough positives for mostly successful results. 

Rating- 8/10 

Coming Attractions- Longlegs (2024)

 

Director- Osgood Perkins

Cast- Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Alicia Witt, Blair Underwood

Release Date- July 12, 2024

We’re clearly getting a darker version of an unhinged and nutty Nicolas Cage in Longlegs. It’s an ambiguous trailer, where you have to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Maika Monroe is the detective that’s chasing Cage, and she’ll have to outthink him and play his game, if she wants to catch him. 

I’m sure Cage will deliver a phenomenal performance. He’s an actor that doesn’t have a comfort zone, and he’s always willing to take chances on something different. Monroe should be a good fit for her character, playing the sharp and resourceful detective, who realizes she’s truly dealing with a monster. 

Longlegs has a lot of mystery surrounding it so far, and they did a good job of providing an intriguing trailer without giving away too much. 

In The Blood (2014)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major character deaths or reveals**

In 2002, a teenage Ava lives with her father, Casey (Stephen Lang) in a shabby Bridgeport, Conneticut home. As a hardened outlaw, Casey trains his daughter to be a lethal fighting machine with rigorous survival exercises and intense sparring sessions.

One night, a group of thugs invade Casey and Ava’s home. The intruders murder Casey, but Ava turns the tables with a shotgun. Ava murders the remaining thugs to survive the attack, but a callous Ava refuses to shed one tear for her father’s death.

Twelve years later, a reformed Ava (Gina Carano) prepares for her wedding ceremony in Arlington, Virgina. Derek Grant (Cam Gigandet) met Ava at a narcotics  anonymous meeting, and he’s ready to trust and spend the rest of his life with her, but Derek’s wealthy father, Robert (Treat Williams) doesn’t trust Ava and her motvations for marrying Derek. Ava’s troubled past raises a red flag for Robert, and the thought of Ava devising a scheme to marry Derek for a piece of the family fortune is too much to handle, so Mr. Grant pushes Derek to sign a prenuptial agreement. To prove his loyalty to Ava, Derek refuses his father’s request, and he tears the prenup in half to erase any doubts.

After the wedding,  Derek and Ava take a trip to a Caribbean island for their honeymoon, and Derek uses his grandfather’s old house as a vacation home. On the island, Derek and Ava meet a friendly local named Manny (Ismael Cruz Cordova). Manny convinces Derek and Ava to join him for a wild night at a local nightclub. Here, Ava and Derek cross paths with Big Biz (Danny Trejo), a powerful and respected gangster on the island. Big Biz tries to seduce Ava, but Derek intervenes. Ava fights off an assault to protect Derek, and Manny helps the couple escape in a taxi. After the brawl, Big Biz’s rival, Silvio Lugo (Amaury Nolasco) issues a stern warning about disrupting the peaceful and festive environment at the club. 

In the morning, Derek and Ava take a chance on ziplining after a persuasive pitch from Manny. The ziplining instructor JoJo (Oscar H. Guerrero) reassures a nervous Ava, but Derek suffers a nasty leg injury after a potentially fatal fall from faulty equipment on the zipline.

JoJo calls for an ambulance, but Manny disappears. Ava tries to fight her way into the ambulance with Derek, but the paramedics deny Ava’s attempts for insurance concerns. Ava follows the ambulance to the hospital. She loses Derek and the ambulance after a fall, but a friendly local helps Ava with a ride to the hospital.  

At the hospital, Ava runs into an unpleasant surprise, when Leta (Yvette Yates), a receptionist,  can’t find any records of Derek’s name in the system. Ava forces her way through the doors, but after a quick search, it’s clear Derek is not in the hospital.

Ava  turns to the local police for help after an unsuccessful search in every clinic and hospital on the island. Police Chief Ramon Garza (Luis Guzman) is reluctant to help Ava, and after a visit from Derek’s family, Ava takes matters into her own hands to find and rescue Derek. 

Ava suspects a cover up after JoJo completely denies knowing, seeing, and assisting Derek, Ava, and Manny on the zipline. A determined Ava embarks on a bloody and deadly mission to find Manny and the paramedics for more answers, and rescue Derek before it‘s too late. But during the fight to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy, Ava unintentionally brings the bitter feud between Big Biz and Silvio to a dangerous boiling point.

Gina Carano has the tools to carve out a sustainable career for herself, as a recognizable face and name in the action genre. When it comes to sex appeal, she has the perfect balance. You notice Carano’s beauty, but her looks are never the main focus for her character, because she has what it takes to be a physical force. That, or Carano’s character(s) can use her good looks to deceive any adversaries (the bathroom scene on the boat is a good example for In The Blood.), and Carano’s MMA background is no secret, so she can rely on a touch of legitimacy for her film roles.

Carano’s Ava is a no-nonsense fighting machine, and Carano delivers another entertaining performance in her comfort zone here. Carano delivers on the physical side of things, and it’s not limited to the fight scenes. Carano carries herself well with convincing body language and an unflinching demeanor, and she’s decent enough in a few emotional scenes.

Although, I will say this, In The Blood constantly tip-toes on a suspension of disbelief line with Ava throughout the movie. Flashbacks show Ava’s tough training sessions with her strict father, and yes, in real life Carano has the MMA credentials, but it’s hard to ignore In The Blood constantly going way over the top to showcase Ava’s deadly combat skills. One scene that sticks out as an example, is Ava trying to fight her way out of the police station, and it takes an entire group of cops to restrain her, and force her to the ground.

As far as the rest of the cast goes, I can’t say too much. Danny Trejo fans shouldn’t get their hopes up too high, because Trejo’s screen time is limited here, and you can say the same thing about Cam Gigandet. If we’re talking about personalities, Trejo plays the powerful hot head, while Gigandet is the loyal husband, and that’s about it. Nolasco’s Silvio is your typical cocky and greedy bad guy, he’s a bully, and that’s about it.

There’s some potential for a feud between Treat Williams’ Robert and Carano’s Ava. To give an example, there’s a scene, where Robert accuses Ava of planning Derek’s disappearance to collect some of the family fortune, and Ava responds to the accusations with a defiant “f*** you.” Robert resented Ava, because he believes she’s nothing more than a junkie and a crazy fraud, who’s trying to take advantage of his son, but Ava is willing to fight and die for Derek, because he saved her from a miserable life. The bitter distrust on Robert’s side, and Ava’s loyalty is believable, but the big problem is the feud never has a chance to develop, because Williams’ screen time is limited, and his character disappears after the visit to the island.

Overall, director John Stockwell’s work behind the camera is hit-and-miss. The editing for Ava and Derek’s honeymoon highlight reel and Ava’s risky bike ride through the city looks and feels clunky and choppy. The hiccups are not enough to drag In The Blood down into the gutter quality wise, but they’re noticeable.

If you’re looking for an artsy and stylish action/crime thriller, In The Blood is not for you. But if you’re looking for some mindless fun action, and hard hitting fight scenes, In The Blood is a satisfying film. Yes, the torture, interrogate, fight, kick ass, and repeat formula during Ava’s “WHERE’S MY HUSBAND?!?!” mission feels repetitive and tedious at times, but Carano consistently delivers a good show throughout In The Blood on the physical side of the film. Again, In The Blood is not a masterpiece, the dialogue sounds rigid and contrived most of the time, and the characters are one-dimensional, but if you’re looking for an entertaining guilty pleasure, it’s worth a try. And the big twist at the at the end is a little far-fetched, but it's a genuine and refreshing surprise. 

As I said before, Gina Carano has a future in the action world. For now, I won’t go as far as using the superstar tag, but she has what it takes to make a real name for herself. Haywire is still Carano’s best starring action role to date, and nothing comes close. It’s true Carano was surrounded by a talented cast in Haywire, and you can say the likes of Fassbender and McGregor helped hide her flaws, but Carano doesn’t need to deliver an Oscar worthy performance. The potential is there, and she can build her career around the persona of a lethal action heroine, but she needs more time and more films to build a more solid résumé.

Rating: 6/10

In The Blood (2014)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

In 2002, a teenage Ava lives with her father, Casey (Stephen Lang) in a shabby Bridgeport, Conneticut home. As a hardened outlaw, Casey trains his daughter to be a lethal fighting machine with rigorous survival exercises and intense sparring sessions.

One night, a group of thugs invade Casey and Ava’s home. The intruders murder Casey, but Ava turns the tables with a shotgun. Ava murders the remaining thugs to survive the attack, but a callous Ava refuses to shed one tear for her father’s death.

Twelve years later, a reformed Ava (Gina Carano) prepares for her wedding ceremony in Arlington, Virgina. Derek Grant (Cam Gigandet) met Ava at a narcotics  anonymous meeting, and he’s ready to trust and spend the rest of his life with her, but Derek’s wealthy father, Robert (Treat Williams) doesn’t trust Ava and her motvations for marrying Derek. Ava’s troubled past raises a red flag for Robert, and the thought of Ava devising a scheme to marry Derek for a piece of the family fortune is too much to handle, so Mr. Grant pushes Derek to sign a prenuptial agreement. To prove his loyalty to Ava, Derek refuses his father’s request, and he tears the prenup in half to erase any doubts.

After the wedding,  Derek and Ava take a trip to a Caribbean island for their honeymoon, and Derek uses his grandfather’s old house as a vacation home. On the island, Derek and Ava meet a friendly local named Manny (Ismael Cruz Cordova). Manny convinces Derek and Ava to join him for a wild night at a local nightclub. Here, Ava and Derek cross paths with Big Biz (Danny Trejo), a powerful and respected gangster on the island. Big Biz tries to seduce Ava, but Derek intervenes. Ava fights off an assault to protect Derek, and Manny helps the couple escape in a taxi. After the brawl, Big Biz’s rival, Silvio Lugo (Amaury Nolasco) issues a stern warning about disrupting the peaceful and festive environment at the club. 

In the morning, Derek and Ava take a chance on ziplining after a persuasive pitch from Manny. The ziplining instructor JoJo (Oscar H. Guerrero) reassures a nervous Ava, but Derek suffers a nasty leg injury after a potentially fatal fall from faulty equipment on the zipline.

JoJo calls for an ambulance, but Manny disappears. Ava tries to fight her way into the ambulance with Derek, but the paramedics deny Ava’s attempts for insurance concerns. Ava follows the ambulance to the hospital. She loses Derek and the ambulance after a fall, but a friendly local helps Ava with a ride to the hospital.  

At the hospital, Ava runs into an unpleasant surprise, when Leta (Yvette Yates), a receptionist,  can’t find any records of Derek’s name in the system. Ava forces her way through the doors, but after a quick search, it’s clear Derek is not in the hospital.

Ava  turns to the local police for help after an unsuccessful search in every clinic and hospital on the island. Police Chief Ramon Garza (Luis Guzman) is reluctant to help Ava, and after a visit from Derek’s family, Ava takes matters into her own hands to find and rescue Derek. 

Ava suspects a cover up after JoJo completely denies knowing, seeing, and assisting Derek, Ava, and Manny on the zipline. A determined Ava embarks on a bloody and deadly mission to find Manny and the paramedics for more answers, and rescue Derek before it‘s too late. But during the fight to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy, Ava unintentionally brings the bitter feud between Big Biz and Silvio to a dangerous boiling point.

Gina Carano has the tools to carve out a sustainable career for herself, as a recognizable face and name in the action genre. When it comes to sex appeal, she has the perfect balance. You notice Carano’s beauty, but her looks are never the main focus for her character, because she has what it takes to be a physical force. That, or Carano’s character(s) can use her good looks to deceive any adversaries (the bathroom scene on the boat is a good example for In The Blood.), and Carano’s MMA background is no secret, so she can rely on a touch of legitimacy for her film roles.

Carano’s Ava is a no-nonsense fighting machine, and Carano delivers another entertaining performance in her comfort zone here. Carano delivers on the physical side of things, and it’s not limited to the fight scenes. Carano carries herself well with convincing body language and an unflinching demeanor, and she’s decent enough in a few emotional scenes.

Although, I will say this, In The Blood constantly tip-toes on a suspension of disbelief line with Ava throughout the movie. Flashbacks show Ava’s tough training sessions with her strict father, and yes, in real life Carano has the MMA credentials, but it’s hard to ignore In The Blood constantly going way over the top to showcase Ava’s deadly combat skills. One scene that sticks out as an example, is Ava trying to fight her way out of the police station, and it takes an entire group of cops to restrain her, and force her to the ground.

As far as the rest of the cast goes, I can’t say too much. Danny Trejo fans shouldn’t get their hopes up too high, because Trejo’s screen time is limited here, and you can say the same thing about Cam Gigandet. If we’re talking about personalities, Trejo plays the powerful hot head, while Gigandet is the loyal husband, and that’s about it. Nolasco’s Silvio is your typical cocky and greedy bad guy, he’s a bully, and that’s about it.

There’s some potential for a feud between Treat Williams’ Robert and Carano’s Ava. To give an example, there’s a scene, where Robert accuses Ava of planning Derek’s disappearance to collect some of the family fortune, and Ava responds to the accusations with a defiant “f*** you.” Robert resented Ava, because he believes she’s nothing more than a junkie and a crazy fraud, who’s trying to take advantage of his son, but Ava is willing to fight and die for Derek, because he saved her from a miserable life. The bitter distrust on Robert’s side, and Ava’s loyalty is believable, but the big problem is the feud never has a chance to develop, because Williams’ screen time is limited, and his character disappears after the visit to the island.

So what happened to Derek? Was it a kidnapping? Are the kidnappers asking for a ransom? Is he dead? Well, after torturing him in the night club at a bathroom, Ava forces a reluctant Manny to help her find Derek and his kidnappers. To add to that, the two paramedics played a part in Derek’s disappearance.

Eventually, Ava escapes police custody twice, she foils a last second execution attempt, and after a chat with Chief Garza, Ava learns the truth about Derek’s disappearance: Derek died on the operating table during a botched surgery, and Chief Garza played a part in covering up the death as a favor to the doctor. An enraged Ava gives Chief Garza a choice for his death. Ava gives Garza the choice of a box cutter or a gun, and Garza chooses the cutter, because he doesn’t want to startle  his sleeping daughter.

But wait a minute! It’s not over yet. Ava wants to “finish” her mission, so she infiltrates the hospital. Ava kills the receptionist (Leta), who lied to her earlier in the film, and she tortures the doctor, who performed the surgery on Derek  for more answers….and Ava witnesses a shocking revelation, when she spots a wheelchair-bound  Derek entering the hospital with Silvio and his men.

Silvio suffers from a rare type of cancer, and he needs stem cell transfusions for bone marrow. Derek is a perfect match, and Silvio constantly uses Derek as a reliable source to prolong his life.

Using a doctor’s outfit as a disguise, Ava rescues Derek from the hospital, but a wounded and drugged Silvio (Ava sabotaged Silvio’s IV at the hospital) chases Ava and Derek through the island with help from his crew and a few locals. Manny helps Derek and Ava hide, but Silvio and his gang trap Ava and Derek in Manny’s neighborhood. Derek and Ava systemically eliminate Silvio’s gang, and Ava faces Silvio in a one on one fight.

During the fight, Ava turns the tables on Silvio, and she holds a knife to his throat. The neighborhood cheers for Silvio’s death, but Big Biz interrupts the fight. Ava reluctantly gives the knife to Big Biz, and Biz uses the knife to murder Silvio. Why did Biz murder Silvio? Silvio was bad for business. The deaths of two Americans would hurt the island from a financial standpoint, and Biz wasn’t happy about the idea of Silvio risking his way of life (i.e. money from American men paying for his prostitutes, gambling, etc.). Biz reclaims his spot as the dominant force on the island, and he allows Derek and Ava to leave. To end the movie, Derek and Ava say their good-byes to Manny, and they leave the island together for the long trip home.

No real complaints about the big showdown between Silvio and Ava, and a few extra bonus points for the “Derek is still alive” twist. It’s a genuine surprise, because after Graza’s confession, you had to believe Derek was gone for good. Also, I’m glad they avoided a clichéd “islanders kidnap wealthy Americans for profit in an underground operation” twist. Silvio’s cancer revelation and Silvio using Derek to stay alive is a little far-fetched, but it’s nice to see an action/crime thriller take a chance on something different.

Overall, director John Stockwell’s work behind the camera is hit-and-miss. The editing for Ava and Derek’s honeymoon highlight reel and Ava’s risky bike ride through the city looks and feels clunky and choppy. The hiccups are not enough to drag In The Blood down into the gutter quality wise, but they’re noticeable.

If you’re looking for an artsy and stylish action/crime thriller, In The Blood is not for you. But if you’re looking for some mindless fun action, and hard hitting fight scenes, In The Blood is a satisfying film. Yes, the torture, interrogate, fight, kick ass, and repeat formula during Ava’s “WHERE’S MY HUSBAND?!?!” mission feels repetitive and tedious at times, but Carano consistently delivers a good show throughout In The Blood on the physical side of the film. Again, In The Blood is not a masterpiece, the dialogue sounds rigid and contrived most of the time, and the characters are one-dimensional, but if you’re looking for an entertaining guilty pleasure, it’s worth a try.

As I said before, Gina Carano has a future in the action world. For now, I won’t go as far as using the superstar tag, but she has what it takes to make a real name for herself. Haywire is still Carano’s best starring action role to date, and nothing comes close. It’s true Carano was surrounded by a talented cast in Haywire, and you can say the likes of Fassbender and McGregor helped hide her flaws, but Carano doesn’t need to deliver an Oscar worthy performance. The potential is there, and she can build her career around the persona of a lethal action heroine, but she needs more time and more films to build a more solid résumé.

Rating: 6/10

3 Days To Kill (2014)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers. No major reveals or character deaths**

Veteran CIA agent Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner) embarks on a mission to capture and eliminate a merciless arms dealer. The Wolf (Richard Sammel) is trying to sell a dirty bomb at a hotel, but he needs to conceal his identity, so The Wolf uses The Albino (Tomas Lemarquis), the top associate in The Wolf’s organization, as a representative to close the deal. Vivi Delay (Amber Heard), a lethal and trusted assassin in the CIA, leads the mission, and Vivi assumes the position of a lookout.

At the hotel, the mission goes awry, when The Albino recognizes one of the CIA agents. After a shootout, Ethan chases The Albino, but dizziness, a bloody nose, and a bad cough overwhelm Ethan. Ethan loses consciousness, but Ethan maims The Albino with one shoot to the leg. At the hospital, Ethan learns the truth about his bad cough: Terminal brain cancer spread into Ethan’s lungs, and Ethan will die in the coming months.

Clinging to one last chance for redemption with his family, Ethan unceremoniously retires, and Ethan returns to his home in Paris. Ethan works out a deal for boundaries and living arraignments with a squatting African family and the leader, Jules (Eriq Ebouaney), but time is running out. Ethan explains the situation to his estranged wife, Christine (Connie Nielsen), but Ethan makes a willing choice to hide the truth from his resentful teenage daughter, Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld), because Ethan is desperate to repair his broken relationship with Zoey.

Meanwhile, Vivi presents an irresistible offer to Ethan: Vivi will inject Ethan with an experimental drug to cure the cancer, and the drug will prolong Ethan’s life, giving Ethan the chance to enjoy more time with his family without any worries. The catch? In return, Vivi wants Ethan to hunt and kill The Wolf.

A begrudging Ethan accepts Vivi’s offer, but Ethan runs into a series of problems, when Christine suddenly departs for a business trip. Ethan tries to balance an awkward bonding experience with Zoey, troubles with Zoey’s boyfriend, Hugh (Jonas Bloquet), and his mission to kill The Wolf, with a pushy and persistent Vivi watching his every move. Can Ethan complete his mission, and regain Zoey’s trust before it’s too late?

Call me crazy, but am I the only one, who noticed a lack of enthusiasm from Kevin Costner? I get the whole point of Ethan being this worn out veteran, who’s staggering around on his last legs, but Costner is kind of dull in the leading role. Costner has a few moments of hilarity during the bonding experience with Zoey, but overall, I couldn’t shake the feeling of a seemingly bored Kevin Costner in the leading role.

Amber Heard’s Vivi had some potential as a femme fatale, but Heard’s character is restricted to here and there appearances. On top of that, Vivi is supposed to be a walking lethal weapon, but where’s the visual evidence to back up Vivi’s credentials (and no, the one lame kill at the end doesn‘t count)? More often than not, Vivi shows off her driving skills, she’s throwing her weight around as the boss (i.e. Vivi’s demands for that poor guy to give up his suit for Ethan), or Vivi’s just sitting around in a strip club watching a show, and that’s it. 

Hailee Steinfeld delivers a solid performance as Zoey, but her character is a clichéd “You can’t tell me what to do!” teenage brat. And Connie Nielsen is believable as, the conflicted wife, who’s trying to give Ethan a second chance, but she’s reluctant to trust Ethan again.

The bad guys? Eh, I can’t say too much about them. Richard Sammel’s The Wolf is a generic villain, who sells and trades weapons of mass destruction, as the most “dangerous threat in the world.” And Lemarquis’s The Albino is limited to cold stares, and sporadic lines of dialogue.

Redundancy. It’s a big problem in 3 Days To Kill, because they stick to a formula for three running gags. First, you have Ethan’s “Hey! I’m trying to bond with my daughter!” interruptions during Ethan’s interrogation/torture scenes with kidnapped victims. Ethan’s on the phone with Zoey, or Ethan’s in the car with Zoey, and he takes a break to silence his victim, because you know, bonding with Zoey is important.

The purple bike? Oy vey. Ethan buys a purple (Zoey’s favorite color as a child) bicycle for Zoey as a present, but Zoey refuses to ride the bike throughout the movie, because she’s too embarrassed. Although, to be fair, Zoey eventually gives in to Ethan’s requests towards the end. 

Also, you have the ring tone gag. Zoey downloads a poppish ring tone on Ethan’s phone in an attempt to modernize Ethan. Yeah, I get the irony of a fuddy-duddy adjusting to the modern world with a pop song ring tone, but the reoccurring ring tone gag hits an annoying point after the first time. That’s the big problem with all the running gags here: They’re funny, when you see them for the first time. After that? They’re stale, because you’re seeing the same pattern/routine over and over again.

And it’s not a gag, but Ethan’s blackout/nose bleed sequences during a confrontation with the bad guys (The Albino and The Wolf) is another bad case of overkill here. Before the big kill(s), Ethan stumbles around, he falls to the ground, and he can’t pull the trigger, because he’s too weak. The problem? It’s hard to jump to the edge of your seat, when Ethan falls to the ground, because you know there’s a 99.9% chance he’ll survive to continue the fight.

In the end, I won’t sit here and lie to you, because 3 Days To Kill pulled a few laughs out of me, but the final product is one big mess. The finale is loaded with head-shaking inconsistencies, and to add to a laundry list of problems, 3 Days To Kill features one too many sub-plots. A prime example is the sub-plot with Jules’ family.

The sub-plot with Jules’ family feels useless in the grand scheme of things, because Jules and his family don’t add anything significant to the story, and truth be told, I COMPLETELY forgot about Jules and his family at one point. Why? Because the story is too convoluted. We’re dealing with a man, who’s dying of cancer, Ethan is trying to make up for lost time with Zoey and Christine before his death, Ethan is hunting two villains, and 3 Days To Kill adds another pancake to the stack with another sub-plot for Ethan and Vivi’s storyline together. To make matters worse, 3 Days To Kill’s overstuffed problem hinders the development for other storylines.

3 Days To Kill wants to be a comedy, an action film, and they squeeze in a storyline about a dying man fighting for one last chance to bond with his family. It’s too much, and unfortunately, I’ll remember 3 Days To Kill as a film with a ton of potential, but a bad case of overkill and redundancy ruined everything.

Rating: 3/10

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3 Days To Kill (2014)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Veteran CIA agent Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner) embarks on a mission to capture and eliminate a merciless arms dealer. The Wolf (Richard Sammel) is trying to sell a dirty bomb at a hotel, but he needs to conceal his identity, so The Wolf uses The Albino (Tomas Lemarquis), the top associate in The Wolf’s organization, as a representative to close the deal. Vivi Delay (Amber Heard), a lethal and trusted assassin in the CIA, leads the mission, and Vivi assumes the position of a lookout.

At the hotel, the mission goes awry, when The Albino recognizes one of the CIA agents. After a shootout, Ethan chases The Albino, but dizziness, a bloody nose, and a bad cough overwhelm Ethan. Ethan loses consciousness, but Ethan maims The Albino with one shoot to the leg. At the hospital, Ethan learns the truth about his bad cough: Terminal brain cancer spread into Ethan’s lungs, and Ethan will die in the coming months.

Clinging to one last chance for redemption with his family, Ethan unceremoniously retires, and Ethan returns to his home in Paris. Ethan works out a deal for boundaries and living arraignments with a squatting African family and the leader, Jules (Eriq Ebouaney), but time is running out. Ethan explains the situation to his estranged wife, Christine (Connie Nielsen), but Ethan makes a willing choice to hide the truth from his resentful teenage daughter, Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld), because Ethan is desperate to repair his broken relationship with Zoey.

Meanwhile, Vivi presents an irresistible offer to Ethan: Vivi will inject Ethan with an experimental drug to cure the cancer, and the drug will prolong Ethan’s life, giving Ethan the chance to enjoy more time with his family without any worries. The catch? In return, Vivi wants Ethan to hunt and kill The Wolf.

A begrudging Ethan accepts Vivi’s offer, but Ethan runs into a series of problems, when Christine suddenly departs for a business trip. Ethan tries to balance an awkward bonding experience with Zoey, troubles with Zoey’s boyfriend, Hugh (Jonas Bloquet), and his mission to kill The Wolf, with a pushy and persistent Vivi watching his every move. Can Ethan complete his mission, and regain Zoey’s trust before it’s too late?

Call me crazy, but am I the only one, who noticed a lack of enthusiasm from Kevin Costner? I get the whole point of Ethan being this worn out veteran, who’s staggering around on his last legs, but Costner is kind of dull in the leading role. Costner has a few moments of hilarity during the bonding experience with Zoey, but overall, I couldn’t shake the feeling of a seemingly bored Kevin Costner in the leading role.

Amber Heard’s Vivi had some potential as a femme fatale, but Heard’s character is restricted to here and there appearances. On top of that, Vivi is supposed to be a walking lethal weapon, but where’s the visual evidence to back up Vivi’s credentials (and no, the one lame kill at the end doesn‘t count)? More often than not, Vivi shows off her driving skills, she’s throwing her weight around as the boss (i.e. Vivi’s demands for that poor guy to give up his suit for Ethan), or Vivi’s just sitting around in a strip club watching a show, and that’s it. 

Hailee Steinfeld delivers a solid performance as Zoey, but her character is a clichéd “You can’t tell me what to do!” teenage brat. And Connie Nielsen is believable as, the conflicted wife, who’s trying to give Ethan a second chance, but she’s reluctant to trust Ethan again.

The bad guys? Eh, I can’t say too much about them. Richard Sammel’s The Wolf is a generic villain, who sells and trades weapons of mass destruction, as the most “dangerous threat in the world.” And Lemarquis’s The Albino is limited to cold stares, and sporadic lines of dialogue.

Redundancy. It’s a big problem in 3 Days To Kill, because they stick to a formula for three running gags. First, you have Ethan’s “Hey! I’m trying to bond with my daughter!” interruptions during Ethan’s interrogation/torture scenes with kidnapped victims. Ethan’s on the phone with Zoey, or Ethan’s in the car with Zoey, and he takes a break to silence his victim, because you know, bonding with Zoey is important.

The purple bike? Oy vey. Ethan buys a purple (Zoey’s favorite color as a child) bicycle for Zoey as a present, but Zoey refuses to ride the bike throughout the movie, because she’s too embarrassed. Although, to be fair, Zoey eventually gives in to Ethan’s requests towards the end. 

Also, you have the ring tone gag. Zoey downloads a poppish ring tone on Ethan’s phone in an attempt to modernize Ethan. Yeah, I get the irony of a fuddy-duddy adjusting to the modern world with a pop song ring tone, but the reoccurring ring tone gag hits an annoying point after the first time. That’s the big problem with all the running gags here: They’re funny, when you see them for the first time. After that? They’re stale, because you’re seeing the same pattern/routine over and over again.

And it’s not a gag, but Ethan’s blackout/nose bleed sequences during a confrontation with the bad guys (The Albino and The Wolf) is another bad case of overkill here. Before the big kill(s), Ethan stumbles around, he falls to the ground, and he can’t pull the trigger, because he’s too weak. The problem? It’s hard to jump to the edge of your seat, when Ethan falls to the ground, because you know there’s a 99.9% chance he’ll survive to continue the fight.

So we’re in the final moments of the movie, and Ethan murdered The Albino at a subway station. Eventually, Ethan and Christine accompany Zoey to a party  Hugh’s father is hosting the party…and The Wolf is a guest at the party, because he’s a business partner with Hugh’s father.

The Wolf orders his men to hunt and kill Ethan at the party, but Ethan survives the assault. Vivi shows up to ensure the deal for Ethan killing The Wolf, but Ethan’s cancer overwhelms him at the last second. Ethan’s on the ground, and Vivi orders him to pull the trigger. But Ethan ignores Vivi’s demands, because he promised Christine he would retire with no questions asked. Ethan drops his gun, and Vivi uses her gun to murder The Wolf

After the massacre, Ethan is still alive, and he’s enjoying Christmas with Zoey and Christine. Ethan opens a mysterious present, and it’s another syringe full of the cancer medicine. To end the movie, it’s revealed Vivi delivered the syringe, and they show a shot of Vivi standing on a nearby cliff, with a clear view of Ethan and his family.

I don’t get it. Ethan bludgeons, tortures, and kills people throughout the movie, BUT at the end, he makes an out of the blue decision to spare a dangerous arms dealer, because he promised (keep in mind, Ethan promised retirement in the early stages of the movie) Christine retirement? 

And what about Vivi? She’s supposed to be this cold-hearted and uncompromising vixen. One minute, she murders The Wolf in cold blood, because Ethan disobeyed a direct order. But she shows compassion out of nowhere with another syringe to extend Ethan’s life? Again, I don’t get it, because the finale for 3 Days To Kill is loaded with one too many inconsistencies.

In the end, I won’t sit here and lie to you, because 3 Days To Kill pulled a few laughs out of me, but the final product is one big mess. The finale is loaded with head-shaking inconsistencies, and to add to a laundry list of problems, 3 Days To Kill features one too many sub-plots. A prime example is the sub-plot with Jules’ family.

The sub-plot with Jules’ family feels useless in the grand scheme of things, because Jules and his family don’t add anything significant to the story, and truth be told, I COMPLETELY forgot about Jules and his family at one point. Why? Because the story is too convoluted. We’re dealing with a man, who’s dying of cancer, Ethan is trying to make up for lost time with Zoey and Christine before his death, Ethan is hunting two villains, and 3 Days To Kill adds another pancake to the stack with another sub-plot for Ethan and Vivi’s storyline together.

To make matters worse, 3 Days To Kill’s overstuffed problem hinders the development for other storylines. Need an example? The storyline with Hugh’s father as The Wolf’s business partner. That’s a major development at the end, but it’s another useless storyline, and they ruined the potential for any real shock value with the reveal, because there’s no explanation whatsoever for the origins of the partnership between Hugh’s father and The Wolf.

3 Days To Kill wants to be a comedy, an action film, and they squeeze in a storyline about a dying man fighting for one last chance to bond with his family. It’s too much, and unfortunately, I’ll remember 3 Days To Kill as a film with a ton of potential, but a bad case of overkill and redundancy ruined everything.

Rating: 3/10

My ebooks are only $0.99, and you can follow the links to learn more about both books-

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U


Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Primal Fear (1996)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no major twists or reveals**

In Chicago, a young Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) is the prime suspect in Archbishop Rushman’s (Stanley Anderson) murder. Archbishop Rushman is a powerful and respected member of the community, who took care of Aaron as a child.

During his tenure as an altar boy, Aaron lived a life of safety and protection with his girlfriend, Linda (Azalea Davila), so if Aaron is the murder, then why did he turn on his mentor and father figure? The state attorney John Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) and Bud Yancy (Terry O’Quinn) are pushing for the death penalty, and they select Janet Venable (Laura Linney) as the prosecutor.

A famed defense attorney named Martin Vail (Richard Gere) agrees to represent Aaron free of charge. With help from his team of trusted associates Tommy Goodman (Andre Braugher), Naomi Chance (Maura Tierney), and Dr. Molly Arrington (Frances McDormand), a psychiatrist, Martin vows to clear Aaron of all charges. Shaughnesy and Yancy are still holding a grudge against Martin for his decision to quit his job as a prosecutor, and Martin is forced to deal with some bitter feelings from Janet, because Martin and Janet shared a one night stand in the past.

Martin’s mission to win the case for Aaron takes a series of unexpected turns, when Martin discovers Shaughnessy’s ties to old land deals, the Archbishop’s influence over the land deals, and Joey Pinero’s (Steven Bauer), a local thug and one of Martin‘s clients, involvement  in the land deals. Martin has plans to use a controversial tape as the clincher to prove Aaron’s innocence, but things change, when Roy, Aaron’s violent and sadistic alter ego, emerges……..

You’ll see one of the best performances in Edward Norton’s career here, and for those of you, who don‘t know, Primal Fear is Edward Norton‘s first feature film. As Aaron, Norton is this broken and paranoid victim, who’s looking for a shoulder to lean on, but in the blink of an eye, Norton switches gears to become Roy. As Roy, Norton is this hateful sociopath, with a nasty mean streak, and Roy won’t hesitate to rip your head off. Norton’s versatile performance is something to admire, and Norton’s Aaron gives Derek Vinyard in American History X a tough challenge for the best performance in his career.

Richard Gere is a solid leading man as Martin. Martin is a persistent defense attorney, who refuses to quit, and he’s willing to risk everything to save Aaron. Martin will put his toes on line, but he never crosses it, and Gere’s convincing performance will persuade you to believe in Martin’s motivations and his point of view on life, and the legal system.

Laura Linney is believable, as the merciless prosecutor, who’s holding a grudge against Martin. Mahoney’s Shaughnessy is a corrupt and nasty authority figure, who abuses his powers, and Alfre Woodard (Judge Shoat) is the strict no-nonsense judge. Steven Bauer? I can’t say too much about him, because Bauer’s screen time is limited to here and there appearances. McDormand is a suitable choice for her role, but McDormand’s character is overshadowed by Norton, Gere, and others during her screen time. 

Primal Fear is loaded with sub-plots. Aaron’s relationship with Archbishop Rushman, Roy taking control of Aaron, Joey and his legal troubles. But if I had to pick a stand-out favorite, I would go with the feud between Janet and Martin. Janet resents Martin for his holier-than-thou attitude.

Martin’s act as the defense attorney, who’s motivated by a good will mission can’t fool Janet, because she knows Martin is motivated by money and big headlines. There’s a scene, where Janet is about to light up a cigarette in the halls of the courthouse. Martin tries to lecture Janet about respect, but Janet knocks Martin off of his soap box, when she pulls out a magazine with Martin’s picture on the cover. Martin tries to play the role of protector for Janet. Martin pushes Janet to follow his lead, and leave Shaughnessy, because Janet is just dancing around on strings, with Shaughnessy and Yancy as the puppeteers. But Janet won’t budge, because she’s still holding on to some bitter feelings for Martin. Linney and Gere did a good job of selling the friendly rivalry between Janet and Martin, and they provide most of the laughs in Primal Fear during a handful of back and forth bickering scenes.

Primal Fear is a sturdy crime thriller with a few good twists and turns along the way, and the final shocker is guaranteed to blow you away. Aaron’s big moment on the stand as the final witness doesn’t live up to expectations. I give Norton, Gere, and Linney all the credit in the world for doing their best to make it work, but I couldn’t feel anything during the big moment(s). Still, it’s hard to complain about missed opportunities during Aaron’s time on the stand, because the big twist at the end provides a satisfying pay-off. Primal Fear is worth the time for Edward Norton’s nutty performance, and you’ll see why he earned his Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Primal Fear (1996)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

In Chicago, a young Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) is the prime suspect in Archbishop Rushman’s (Stanley Anderson) murder. Archbishop Rushman is a powerful and respected member of the community, who took care of Aaron as a child.

During his tenure as an altar boy, Aaron lived a life of safety and protection with his girlfriend, Linda (Azalea Davila), so if Aaron is the murder, then why did he turn on his mentor and father figure? The state attorney John Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) and Bud Yancy (Terry O’Quinn) are pushing for the death penalty, and they select Janet Venable (Laura Linney) as the prosecutor.

A famed defense attorney named Martin Vail (Richard Gere) agrees to represent Aaron free of charge. With help from his team of trusted associates Tommy Goodman (Andre Braugher), Naomi Chance (Maura Tierney), and Dr. Molly Arrington (Frances McDormand), a psychiatrist, Martin vows to clear Aaron of all charges. Shaughnesy and Yancy are still holding a grudge against Martin for his decision to quit his job as a prosecutor, and Martin is forced to deal with some bitter feelings from Janet, because Martin and Janet shared a one night stand in the past.

Martin’s mission to win the case for Aaron takes a series of unexpected turns, when Martin discovers Shaughnessy’s ties to old land deals, the Archbishop’s influence over the land deals, and Joey Pinero’s (Steven Bauer), a local thug and one of Martin‘s clients, involvement  in the land deals. Martin has plans to use a controversial tape as the clincher to prove Aaron’s innocence, but things change, when Roy, Aaron’s violent and sadistic alter ego, emerges……..

You’ll see one of the best performances in Edward Norton’s career here, and for those of you, who don‘t know, Primal Fear is Edward Norton‘s first feature film. As Aaron, Norton is this broken and paranoid victim, who’s looking for a shoulder to lean on, but in the blink of an eye, Norton switches gears to become Roy. As Roy, Norton is this hateful sociopath, with a nasty mean streak, and Roy won’t hesitate to rip your head off. Norton’s versatile performance is something to admire, and Norton’s Aaron gives Derek Vinyard in American History X a tough challenge for the best performance in his career.

Richard Gere is a solid leading man as Martin. Martin is a persistent defense attorney, who refuses to quit, and he’s willing to risk everything to save Aaron. Martin will put his toes on line, but he never crosses it, and Gere’s convincing performance will persuade you to believe in Martin’s motivations and his point of view on life, and the legal system.

Laura Linney is believable, as the merciless prosecutor, who’s holding a grudge against Martin. Mahoney’s Shaughnessy is a corrupt and nasty authority figure, who abuses his powers, and Alfre Woodard (Judge Shoat) is the strict no-nonsense judge. Steven Bauer? I can’t say too much about him, because Bauer’s screen time is limited to here and there appearances. McDormand is a suitable choice for her role, but McDormand’s character is overshadowed by Norton, Gere, and others during her screen time. 

Primal Fear is loaded with sub-plots. Aaron’s relationship with Archbishop Rushman, Roy taking control of Aaron, Joey and his legal troubles. But if I had to pick a stand-out favorite, I would go with the feud between Janet and Martin. Janet resents Martin for his holier-than-thou attitude.

Martin’s act as the defense attorney, who’s motivated by a good will mission can’t fool Janet, because she knows Martin is motivated by money and big headlines. There’s a scene, where Janet is about to light up a cigarette in the halls of the courthouse. Martin tries to lecture Janet about respect, but Janet knocks Martin off of his soap box, when she pulls out a magazine with Martin’s picture on the cover.

Martin tries to play the role of protector for Janet. Martin pushes Janet to follow his lead, and leave Shaughnessy, because Janet is just dancing around on strings, with Shaughnessy and Yancy as the puppeteers. But Janet won’t budge, because she’s still holding on to some bitter feelings for Martin. Linney and Gere did a good job of selling the friendly rivalry between Janet and Martin, and they provide most of the laughs in Primal Fear during a handful of back and forth bickering scenes.

So who’s the killer? Aaron urges Martin to believe in a third man, who was in the room during the murder. Well, after some sleuthing around, and with some help from Dr. Arrington, Martin finds the third man, but there’s one big problem: Roy is the third man. Yep. In his mind, Roy is Aaron’s guardian/enforcer, when Aaron is backed into a corner from pressure, bullying, or any attacks. So Roy murdered Archbishop Rushman, but Martin knows he can’t switch his plea to insanity during the trial.

Martin is out of tricks and plans to win the case, because his entire defense revolved around a third man theory. But Martin uses Janet for one last chance to win the trial. Martin knows Judge Shoat and Shaughnessy will change their minds, if Roy emerges out of nowhere.

The key? Someone has to push Aaron to the edge, so Roy can step in and take over. Enter Janet. During the finale, Aaron is on the stand, and Janet unleashes a harsh attack. She tries to walk away after her series of questions, but Roy takes over. Roy jumps out of his seat, and he tries to choke Janet. After Aaron’s outburst, Judge Shoat announces a mistrial in her private chambers, and Janet is a nervous wreck, because she lost her job. Long story short, Shaughnessy and Yancy threatened Janet’s job, if she didn’t win the case. Martin tries to comfort Janet, but Janet is hesitant to accept Martin’s open arms.

But it’s not over yet! To close out the movie, Martin takes the time to visit Aaron in his cell to say good-bye. Martin and Aaron embrace, but Aaron makes one crucial mistake, when he sends out his get well wishes for Roy’s attack on Janet. Remember, Aaron is supposed to be lost in a blackout, when Roy takes control of his body, so there’s no way he could’ve known about the attack on Janet……unless Aaron created Roy to fool everyone. That’s right. Roy is not real, and Aaron is not a victim of a multiple personality disorder. Roy was a creation, and Aaron admits he exaggerated his own personality (the innocent act, the stuttering, etc.) to trick Martin and everyone else.

A disgusted Martin walks away from Aaron‘s cell, while Aaron taunts him. Aaron brags about murdering the Archbishop, and Aaron admits he murdered Linda, because Linda was a promiscuous girlfriend, who toyed with Aaron‘s emotions. Martin uses the backdoor to exit the courthouse, because he’s too ashamed to face the crowd of reporters and Aaron’s supporters at the front doors.

A great shocker to end the movie. Martin put all of his faith and trust in innocent Aaron, but Aaron duped him. Norton did a good job of showing no remorse during his cocky confession. When Martin puts the pieces of the puzzle together, Aaron starts clapping and laughing in Martin’s face, because he knows it’s too late to do anything. Throughout the movie, Aaron played the role of this sympathetic kid with a soft southern accent, and a stuttering problem. Deep down inside, Aaron was a cold-blooded murder, who wore a mask in front of everyone, but he waited for the right moment to pull it off. 

And kudos to Gere for Martin’s devastated body language and facial expressions. Martin couldn’t bask in the glory of his victory with reporters and supporters for Aaron, so he had to sneak out the back door. Martin fought and risked everything for a guilty man, and on top of that, he’s the primary reason for Janet’s joblessness. The final shot of the movie shows Martin standing outside the courthouse, and he’s still in a state of shock. The blank stare on Gere’s face is just perfect, and the Aaron twist is something to remember.

Primal Fear is a sturdy crime thriller with a few good twists and turns along the way, and the final shocker is guaranteed to blow you away. Aaron’s big moment on the stand as the final witness doesn’t live up to expectations. I give Norton, Gere, and Linney all the credit in the world for doing their best to make it work, but I couldn’t feel anything during the big moment(s). Still, it’s hard to complain about missed opportunities during Aaron’s time on the stand, because the big twist at the end provides a satisfying pay-off. Primal Fear is worth the time for Edward Norton’s nutty performance, and you’ll see why he earned his Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The Town (2010)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review review contains MINOR spoilers, no character deaths or major surprises**

In Boston, four Charlestown natives work together as a notorious crew of robbers. Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), James (or “Jem”) Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Albert “Gloansy” Magloan (Slaine), and Desmond Elden (Owen Burke) run into some trouble after a routine robbery one morning. Jem takes Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), the bank’s assistant manager, as a hostage for some collateral, but the group releases Claire with no real harm.

As time passes, Jem is afraid of Claire’s potential testimony as the only witness, so Jem suggests killing Claire, but Doug decides to follow Claire for a personal evaluation instead. Unbeknownst to Claire, Doug is spying on her, and during his investigation, Doug develops feelings for Claire.

But Doug can’t bask in glory of his newfound happiness. As the mastermind and organizer behind each robbery, Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite) uses his flower shop as a front with protection from his trusted bodyguard, Rusty (Dennis McLaughlin), and he refuses to hire the entire crew without Doug’s participation. Doug is contemplating retirement, but Fergie refuses to accept his resignation, and Fegie promises retaliation with Claire’s death. On top of all that, Doug tries to distance himself from his ex-girlfriend and Jem’s sister, Kris (Blake Lively).

With a limited number of options in front of him, Doug reluctantly agrees to continue a life of crime, but things change after a botched robbery. The crew is pursued by a relentless FBI Special Agent named Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm). Frawley promises to cripple Doug and his crew with help from his right hand man, Dino Ciampa (Titus Welliver).

Doug tries to come up with a last minute exit strategy, but Fergie’s latest target complicates the situation. A haul worth millions of dollars is too tempting to pass up, so Fergie sends Doug and his crew on their most lucrative mission ever: Together, Doug and his crew will steal money from the cash room at Fenway Park.

Ben Affleck is a capable leading man, and he’s able to showcase some believable intensity every now and then (i.e. during his arguments with Jem). Jeremy Renner received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Jem here. Renner nails the “stubborn and hardened criminal, who won’t go down without fight” character, and he easily delivers one of the best performances in this film.

Rebecca Hall is convincing as Claire, and Hall did a good job of showing some real devastation, when Claire learns the truth about Doug’s second life. Blake Lively is spot on as this trashy druggie, who’s a complete train wreck in every way imaginable. And it’s not fair to judge Chris Cooper (he portrays Stephen MacRay, Doug’s father) here. Cooper’s screen time is limited to one appearance during a visit from Doug in jail, and that’s it.

Doug MacRay is an anti-hero, and John Hamm’s Frawley is the perfect foil for his character. Hamm is a sneering bully as Frawley, and Frawley has a snobbish superiority complex (i.e. mocking Doug with a Boston accent during the interrogation scene). Yeah, Doug MacRay is a criminal, but he’s also a hard working Average Joe, who makes a living by working construction. Frawley? He’s this pompous jerk, who enjoys taunting and tormenting Doug, and everyone close to him (including Claire). You’ll be rooting for Doug and his crew to escape in the end, because Hamm’s confident and unapologetic performance as Frawley is very convincing.

The Town is a sharp, tense, and efficient crime drama, featuring a formidable cast. The Town won’t change the landscape for crime dramas, but this one deserves credit for avoiding a finale that’s loaded with tragedy and sappy melodrama, because The Town allows a few rays of sunshine to break through the dark clouds. And it’s not his best film as a director (i.e. Gone Baby Gone and Argo), but Ben Affleck’s precise and smooth work behind the camera for The Town deserves praise and recognition.

Rating: 9/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The Town (2010)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

In Boston, four Charlestown natives work together as a notorious crew of robbers. Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck), James (or “Jem”) Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), Albert “Gloansy” Magloan (Slaine), and Desmond Elden (Owen Burke) run into some trouble after a routine robbery one morning. Jem takes Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), the bank’s assistant manager, as a hostage for some collateral, but the group releases Claire with no real harm.

As time passes, Jem is afraid of Claire’s potential testimony as the only witness, so Jem suggests killing Claire, but Doug decides to follow Claire for a personal evaluation instead. Unbeknownst to Claire, Doug is spying on her, and during his investigation, Doug develops feelings for Claire.

But Doug can’t bask in glory of his newfound happiness. As the mastermind and organizer behind each robbery, Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite) uses his flower shop as a front with protection from his trusted bodyguard, Rusty (Dennis McLaughlin), and he refuses to hire the entire crew without Doug’s participation. Doug is contemplating retirement, but Fergie refuses to accept his resignation, and Fegie promises retaliation with Claire’s death. On top of all that, Doug tries to distance himself from his ex-girlfriend and Jem’s sister, Kris (Blake Lively).

With a limited number of options in front of him, Doug reluctantly agrees to continue a life of crime, but things change after a botched robbery. The crew is pursued by a relentless FBI Special Agent named Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm). Frawley promises to cripple Doug and his crew with help from his right hand man, Dino Ciampa (Titus Welliver).

Doug tries to come up with a last minute exit strategy, but Fergie’s latest target complicates the situation. A haul worth millions of dollars is too tempting to pass up, so Fergie sends Doug and his crew on their most lucrative mission ever: Together, Doug and his crew will steal money from the cash room at Fenway Park.

Ben Affleck is a capable leading man, and he’s able to showcase some believable intensity every now and then (i.e. during his arguments with Jem). Jeremy Renner received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Jem here. Renner nails the “stubborn and hardened criminal, who won’t go down without fight” character, and he easily delivers one of the best performances in this film.

Rebecca Hall is convincing as Claire, and Hall did a good job of showing some real devastation, when Claire learns the truth about Doug’s second life. Blake Lively is spot on as this trashy druggie, who’s a complete train wreck in every way imaginable. And it’s not fair to judge Chris Cooper (he portrays Stephen MacRay, Doug’s father) here. Cooper’s screen time is limited to one appearance during a visit from Doug in jail, and that’s it.

Doug MacRay is an anti-hero, and John Hamm’s Frawley is the perfect foil for his character. Hamm is a sneering bully as Frawley, and Frawley has a snobbish superiority complex (i.e. mocking Doug with a Boston accent during the interrogation scene). Yeah, Doug MacRay is a criminal, but he’s also a hard working Average Joe, who makes a living by working construction. Frawley? He’s this pompous jerk, who enjoys taunting and tormenting Doug, and everyone close to him (including Claire). You’ll be rooting for Doug and his crew to escape in the end, because Hamm’s confident and unapologetic performance as Frawley is very convincing.

Of course, Doug and his crew are caught by Frawley, and a blockade of police officers and FBI agents during the Fenway robbery. Long story short, Kris (with her daughter) begged Doug to runaway with her after the Fenway robbery, so they could be together as a happy family. But Doug is in love with Claire, so he rejects Kris and her daughter. Kris’ revenge? She reveals crucial details (as the old saying goes, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned) about the Fenway robbery to Frawley.

Anyway, Jem, Albert, and Desmond suffer brutal deaths during a series of shootouts, but Doug is still alive. Doug rushes to the flower shop to kill Rusty and Fergie, and after one last good-bye to Claire, Doug leaves a “Go f*** yourself” note on Frawley’s car. Earlier in the movie, Frawley promised Doug he would beg for his life and a deal after his capture, and Frawley wanted to be the first one to tell Doug “Go f*** yourself.” So in the end, Doug took his last shot to flip a proverbial middle finger to Frawley.

I appreciate The Town’s approach to avoid excessive melodrama for the final series of events. So many crime dramas succumb to a familiar pattern for the ending: the bad guys are caught and arrested by a large group of cops after a setup, or the bad buys are shot to death by a large group of cops during a final stand. In The Town, Doug escapes to Florida to live out his dreams of a quieter and peaceful life, and as a going away present, Doug leaves a bag full of money for Claire to help renovate a local hockey arena for children. All in the all, The Town gives the audience a nice balance of happiness and the inevitable tragic demise during the downfall for the criminals, so everything isn’t too over the top either way. Good stuff.

The Town is a sharp, tense, and efficient crime drama, featuring a formidable cast. The Town won’t change the landscape for crime dramas, but this one deserves credit for avoiding a finale that’s loaded with tragedy and sappy melodrama, because The Town allows a few rays of sunshine to break through the dark clouds. And it’s not his best film as a director (i.e. Gone Baby Gone and Argo), but Ben Affleck’s precise and smooth work behind the camera for The Town deserves praise and recognition.

Rating: 9/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1