Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

 

**This post contains spoilers** 

The Story- Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) reluctantly team up to protect Shaw’s sister and  MI6 agent, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby). Carrying a deadly virus, Hattie is pursued by Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), a former MI6 agent and Eteon’s number one cybernetically enhanced operative. Eteon, a terrorist organization powered by advanced technology and weapons, plans to unleash the virus to fulfill their vision for an evolved future. 

Hobbs, Shaw, and Hattie will have to work together to defeat Eteon and Brixton. But the trio runs into a big problem, when their plans unravel during a botched mission at Eteon’s base in Ukraine. 

My Thoughts- The playful one-upsmanship and the banter between Johnson and Statham is truly the driving force behind Hobbs & Shaw. Johnson and Statham have undeniable chemistry together, and the split screen for Hobbs and Shaw’s morning routines was a nice touch. You’ll see some noticeable similarities between the two. But the differences are still clear, with Shaw being more sophisticated and polished, while Hobbs is more of a rugged, down to earth guy, who likes to flex his muscles. 

Brixton Lore leans too much on the cool bad guy (“I’m Black Superman!”) side of things at times, but Idris Elba is still a fantastic villain here. Yeah, all the fancy gadgetry and high tech accessories and weapons strengthens Brixton’s character, as this seemingly unstoppable and intimidating threat, but Elba has a strong presence. Elba’s impressive charisma and his confident performance as Brixton is one of the bigger highlights in the movie, truly a great choice for the main adversary to match the superstar duo of Hobbs and Shaw. 

Hattie Shaw is resourceful and fierce. Vanessa Kirby delivers a solid performance as Hattie, and Hattie’s sharp sarcasm is good for a few laughs. Ryan Reynolds brings his usual brand of snappy humor. I can’t think of too many actors, who could simultaneously explain the seriousness of a deadly virus being unleashed on the world with gory details, while also adding in comedic bits to the explanation, without undermining the severity of the situation. But Reynolds nailed the scene at the diner, when he tells Hobbs about the virus.

Kevin Hart makes the most of his brief screen time, with a few appearances as a spirited goofball. Eiza Gonzalez has a short role, but her character plays an important part in the story. Similar to Kevin Hart, Gonzalez doesn’t have a lot of screen time, but she still manages to make an impact as Madam M. And it’s always nice to see Helen Mirren reprise her role as Queenie. Eddie Marsan only has a handful of appearances as Professor Andreiko, but Marsan still delivers an impactful performance for an important character. 

The Rock makes an effort to bring some pro wrestling moments and references to Hobbs & Shaw. Hobbs’ People’s Eyebrow during a Face Time call with his daughter, Sam (Eliana Su’a), and Mateo (Joe Anoa’i/Roman Reigns) hits a Samoan Drop on an Eteon soldier, followed by a spear, complete with Reigns’ signature roar afterwards. 

Speaking of Reigns, I’m still wondering if he’ll make that big transition to Hollywood one day. Dave Bautista and Rock are the two big success stories for transitioning from pro wrestling to acting. Maybe Reigns will get a bigger role one day, and a chance to really show off what he can do.

The big final battle delivers a good amount of thrills, while proudly showcasing Johnson’s roots and his Samoan heritage. The irony of the supposedly superior and more technologically advanced Eteon suffering a decisive loss at the hands Hobbs, Shaw, Hattie, and the Samoans really works for a satisfying conclusion. In the end, Brixton and Eteon’s fancy technology couldn’t overcome teamwork, friendship, pure heart, and grit, easily dismantling Eteon’s beliefs about the weak and ineffective human race needing to confirm to their crazy ideas for a technological evolution.

Brixton has a sad ending. Before The Eteon Director decommissions Brixton, you can tell at one point in his life, Brixton was probably a good guy. He lost his way and was sucked into Eteon’s radical agenda, and Elba did a good job of selling Brixton’s confusion and disbelief. A loyal and dedicated solider for Eteon, who risked his life, but he was disposed of like yesterday’s trash, when he failed. Throughout the movie, Brixton is a seemingly unstoppable force, so he genuinely couldn’t believe in the possibility of losing to Hobbs and Shaw.

Hobbs & Shaw is predictable. You know at some point, Hobbs and Shaw will have to truly trust each other. They’ll have to put aside their differences, squash their big egos, and cohesive teamwork was the simple secret to defeating Brixton. Executing Hattie to stop the spread of the virus? I never believed it was a possibility, because there was no point in teasing so many close calls, unless they ultimately planned on Hattie surviving.

Still, Hobbs & Shaw is an enjoyable film, featuring hard hitting and slick action sequences. It’s a pure adrenaline rush, moving at fast pace, with the right amount of cheesiness. The runtime is close enough to three hours, but Hobbs & Shaw never drags. The casting is superb. Everyone in the main cast feels like the right fit for their personas, and Hobbs is a character that perfectly plays to The Rock’s strengths as an actor. 

Hobbs & Shaw is a fun and big over the top action blockbuster, complete with explosions and slow motion fight scenes, and happy endings. Hobbs buries the hatchet with his brother, Jonah (Cliff Curtis), he reconnects with his family, and Sam finally gets to meet her grandmother, Sefina (Lori Pelenise Tuisano). Hattie and Deckard visit Queenie in prison, fulfilling Queenie’s wish of seeing her children together as brother and sister again. Oh, and of course there’s a cliffhanger with Hattie and Deckard working together to help Queenie break out of prison. 

There’s a lot of material to work with for a sequel. We still don’t know the true identity for The Director Of Eteon. It’s only a distorted voice to keep the secret, and The Voice is quick to let Hobbs and Shaw know they’re not in the clear yet after Brixton’s death. 

Will Hattie and Hobbs become a couple? A romance between the two is constantly teased. Hobbs being romantically involved with Shaw’s sister is worth pursuing to see how Shaw will react. I do wonder if Vanessa Kirby would return for a sequel. A lot of potential with Hobbs, Shaw, and Hattie working together, with Hattie being the voice of reason or the peacemaker, when Hobbs and Shaw inevitably butt heads. 

Rating- 7/10

Takers (2010)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- A tight crew of professional bank robbers contemplates accepting a high stakes job from Ghost (Tip Harris), a member of the gang, who just finished a five year prison sentence. Thomas (Idris Elba), John (Paul Walker), Jake (Michael Ealy), and A.J. (Hayden Christensen) all have their doubts, but the money is just too tempting to resist. 

The gang questions Ghost’s motivations, but John, A.J., Thomas, Jake, and his younger brother, Jesse (Chris Brown) execute their plans to follow through with the heist. The crew is pursued by Detective Jack Welles (Matt Dillion) and his partner, Eddie Hatcher (Jay Hernandez). Risks are apart of a bank robber’s life, and a betrayal from within the group threatens to jeopardize the mission.

My Thoughts-They’re bank robbers, but the crew in Takers are also presented as likable characters. Thomas is struggling to help his sister, Naomi (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) with her drug addiction. Jake is serious about caring for and protecting Jesse, and Jake loves his girlfriend, Lilly (Zoe Saldana). Thomas and A.J. are just two cool and easygoing  guys, who are dedicated team players. There’s nothing sleazy about the crew. They’re not into blowing all their money on drugs and women. It’s a gang featuring efficient professionals, a close family willing to die for each other, if things go south.

The opposition? Matt Dillion’s Jack is a burnt-out detective trying to juggle work and his family life, often prioritizing his duties as a detective over his own daughter. Eddie stole money from a drug bust, but he did it to try and help his family, because he’s drowning in debt. To cap off a sad ending for Eddie, he drops his guard during a face-off with Jesse, allowing Jesse to shoot and kill him.

Outside of just doing their jobs, there’s really not a strong conflict between both sides. You can look at the majority of the characters in Takers, and easily find redeemable qualities. I was hoping for a stronger blood feud, but it’s more of a simple “they’re bad guys, and we have to stop them” mindset from Jack’s side.

One big score! The job, where everything could possibly go wrong…and that’s exactly what happens. Ghost is a traitor, playing both sides. His plan involved pitting his crew and Sergei’s (Gideon Emery) gang against each other, allowing Ghost to take all the money for himself after everyone else is dead.

Okay. I get that, but did they REALLY have to make it so obvious? You can easily tell Ghost is still bitter about being caught on old job, that cost him five years of his life in prison. Ghost also resents Jake for stealing Lilly away from him, while he was locked away. The snide look Ghost gave Lilly before the heist, his constant smart remarks throughout the movie, and he’s very open about how resents the gang for forgetting about him. And to make matters worse, the crew openly acknowledges Ghost is someone, who can’t be trusted.

They could’ve tried to throw a curveball? At least make an attempt at a believable swerve, or tease the possibility of Ghost being a true team player. Ghost’s impending betrayal kills a lot of the tension in Takers. You know it’s coming eventually, so it’s just a lot of waiting around for the moment, when he officially turns on the gang.

T.I. delivers a solid performance. I could easily believe and buy into his character. Ghost has a skeevy personality, an irritating and cocky jerk, who only cares about himself and punishing his friends. Idris Elba always brings a strong presence to his characters. Thomas is a leader, and Elba does a good job of showing frustration and anger, as he tries to help Naomi through an agonizing rehab process. 

There’s a lot of showing off in the early stages of the movie. The crew lives a lavish lifestyle. They wear nice suits, a fancy club is their hangout spot, and it’s a cool all-star team of bank robbers. 

The opening heist provided a good spark for the movie. The action and the thrills picked up again after the chaotic fallout from the final heist. And the shootout scene at the hotel really worked, as the violent and intense turning point before the big standoff at the airport. Takers had a lot of potential. It’s predictable, but Takers is still a decent and entertaining heist film, that delivers a solid adrenaline rush during the home stretch.

Rating- 5/10