Showing posts with label Thriller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thriller. Show all posts
Synopsis: The mysterious murder of a US senator bearing the distinctive trademark of the legendary Soviet assassin "Cassius," forces Paul Shepherdson, a retired CIA operative, to team with rookie FBI agent, Ben Geary, to solve the crime. Having spent his career chasing Cassius, Shepherdson is convinced his nemesis is long dead, but is pushed to take on the case by his former supervisor, Tom Highland. Meanwhile, Agent Geary, who wrote his Master's thesis on Shepherdson's pursuit of the Soviet killer, is certain that Cassius has resurfaced. As Shepherdson and Geary work their way through crimes both past and present, they discover that Cassius may not be the person they always thought him to be, forcing both to re-examine everything and everyone around them.
Starring: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Odette Annable, Stana Katic, Martin Sheen, Chris Marquette, Tamer Hassan
Directed by: Michael Brandt
U.S. Rating: PG-13
It's been a while since I watched a good film with Richard Gere, in fact, it's been a while since I watch A film with Richard Gere. The waiting was worth, since The Double showed why Richard Gere is one of the strong and most prestigious actors in Hollywood.
The Double is one of those weird films that you think you know what to expect, since the trailer shows you basically "everything". Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere), a retired CIA operative works with a rookie FBI agent (Topher Grace) to solve a crime that has been commited by a legendary Soviet assassin. At least, that's what the CIA and the FBI think, but Paul believes they're incorrect, since he believes "Cassius", the legendary Soviet assassin is dead. The plot shows clearly that Richarg Gere is "Cassius" and he's been playing for both sides, as a "Double". Agent Geary has been studying "Cassius" throughout his all young career. He knows him, he knows everything about him, even though, not enough to notice that the person he's been obsessed, is his very own senior companion in this case. Paul (Cassius) feels some simpathy for Geary and tries to keep him away from the case and Cassius, since he knows that if he finds the real Cassius, he won't have any other option but killing him. While Geary gets closer to Cassius, he tries to end his personal mission, a mission that Geary will find with (ironically) Cassius' help. They will finally bring the whole Soviet assassins operation to the end, but everything will turn in a very unexpected way for Cassius and the audience
I think that more than the plot, the film was good because of the cast performace. Having Martin Sheen and Topher Grace working along with Richard Gere, made the film so worth and enjoyable to watch. It is definitely a must-watch thriller at home, a great film for an entertaining weekend at home.
I would rate this movie with a 3.5/5
Directed by: Michael Brandt
U.S. Rating: PG-13
It's been a while since I watched a good film with Richard Gere, in fact, it's been a while since I watch A film with Richard Gere. The waiting was worth, since The Double showed why Richard Gere is one of the strong and most prestigious actors in Hollywood.
The Double is one of those weird films that you think you know what to expect, since the trailer shows you basically "everything". Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere), a retired CIA operative works with a rookie FBI agent (Topher Grace) to solve a crime that has been commited by a legendary Soviet assassin. At least, that's what the CIA and the FBI think, but Paul believes they're incorrect, since he believes "Cassius", the legendary Soviet assassin is dead. The plot shows clearly that Richarg Gere is "Cassius" and he's been playing for both sides, as a "Double". Agent Geary has been studying "Cassius" throughout his all young career. He knows him, he knows everything about him, even though, not enough to notice that the person he's been obsessed, is his very own senior companion in this case. Paul (Cassius) feels some simpathy for Geary and tries to keep him away from the case and Cassius, since he knows that if he finds the real Cassius, he won't have any other option but killing him. While Geary gets closer to Cassius, he tries to end his personal mission, a mission that Geary will find with (ironically) Cassius' help. They will finally bring the whole Soviet assassins operation to the end, but everything will turn in a very unexpected way for Cassius and the audience
I think that more than the plot, the film was good because of the cast performace. Having Martin Sheen and Topher Grace working along with Richard Gere, made the film so worth and enjoyable to watch. It is definitely a must-watch thriller at home, a great film for an entertaining weekend at home.
I would rate this movie with a 3.5/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: Chris Farraday long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy, botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs, Chris is forced back into doing what he does best -- running contraband -- to settle Andy's debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian, to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills.
Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate, and sons become their target.
Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate, and sons become their target.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas Haas, Caleb Landry Jones
Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur
U.S. Rating: R
Mark Wahlberg is a film magnet. He's one of the few Hollywood actors that no matter how good or bad the film might be, he'll always attract film viewers to theaters. Even more, when we add to his performance, an amazing supporting cast like in this particular film, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster & Giovanni Ribisi.
What I actually found interesting is that Contraband felt like when The Italian Job meets with Gone in 60 Seconds. It had a few bites of all these great action films obviously, with some important variants.
Mark Wahlberg play the role of Chris Farraday, an ex-smuggler who's been retired for a while and works installing security alarms. He lives a peaceful life with his BEAUTIFUL wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and their children. Chris' brother-in-law, Andy was smuggling drugs in a cargo ship, but was forced to drop them while trying to escape from the police. Andy's boss, ruthless mobster Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), is infuriated and wants Andy to repay him the drug's worth in money. Tim sends Andy and his friends to the hospital and forces Chris to meet Tim, who threatens to kill Chris' family if Andy doesn't pay $700,000 in two weeks.
Chris knows that the only way to get the money is to do what he was good at, run contraband. He joins the crew of a cargo ship where his father Bud (William Lucking), currently in prison, used to run contraband, in order to smuggle $10,000,000 in fake bills from Panama with the help of Andy and Chris' old friend Danny Raymer. While Chris is gone, he asks his best friend, Sebastian Abney (Ben Foster), to take care of his family, since he knew they'd be in danger. In Panama, even when Chris has put 'the perfect' plan together to get the money and smuggle it into the U.S., things starts spinning really fast in a very bad way. Director Baltasar Kormákur made his best efforts on these events, making the film appealed to viewers with all the action involved in these scenes. While Chris was in Panama, Tim was constantly threatening with rudeness and violence his family. Sebastian has to be constantly protecting them and this situation makes it hard for Kate, who starts getting tired of Sebastian. Under the effect of alcohol, he tries to kiss her and he pushes her against a wall. He panics and thinks he killed her, changing all the situation, now that Chris is on the way back to the U.S.
Sebastian will take some important (and wrong) decisions that will put Chris under more danger. I won't tell you what happend at the end, so you feel motivated to watch it :)
The end is kind of predictable, even though, it has some important unexpected turns on the story that makes it worth to watch the film. A pretty descent action film, even more during these first months of the yeat, when we know Film Studios are just focused on promoting their Oscars nominated films and getting ready for the big Summer season.
I would rate this movie with a 3/5
Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur
U.S. Rating: R
Mark Wahlberg is a film magnet. He's one of the few Hollywood actors that no matter how good or bad the film might be, he'll always attract film viewers to theaters. Even more, when we add to his performance, an amazing supporting cast like in this particular film, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster & Giovanni Ribisi.
What I actually found interesting is that Contraband felt like when The Italian Job meets with Gone in 60 Seconds. It had a few bites of all these great action films obviously, with some important variants.
Mark Wahlberg play the role of Chris Farraday, an ex-smuggler who's been retired for a while and works installing security alarms. He lives a peaceful life with his BEAUTIFUL wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and their children. Chris' brother-in-law, Andy was smuggling drugs in a cargo ship, but was forced to drop them while trying to escape from the police. Andy's boss, ruthless mobster Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), is infuriated and wants Andy to repay him the drug's worth in money. Tim sends Andy and his friends to the hospital and forces Chris to meet Tim, who threatens to kill Chris' family if Andy doesn't pay $700,000 in two weeks.
Chris knows that the only way to get the money is to do what he was good at, run contraband. He joins the crew of a cargo ship where his father Bud (William Lucking), currently in prison, used to run contraband, in order to smuggle $10,000,000 in fake bills from Panama with the help of Andy and Chris' old friend Danny Raymer. While Chris is gone, he asks his best friend, Sebastian Abney (Ben Foster), to take care of his family, since he knew they'd be in danger. In Panama, even when Chris has put 'the perfect' plan together to get the money and smuggle it into the U.S., things starts spinning really fast in a very bad way. Director Baltasar Kormákur made his best efforts on these events, making the film appealed to viewers with all the action involved in these scenes. While Chris was in Panama, Tim was constantly threatening with rudeness and violence his family. Sebastian has to be constantly protecting them and this situation makes it hard for Kate, who starts getting tired of Sebastian. Under the effect of alcohol, he tries to kiss her and he pushes her against a wall. He panics and thinks he killed her, changing all the situation, now that Chris is on the way back to the U.S.
Sebastian will take some important (and wrong) decisions that will put Chris under more danger. I won't tell you what happend at the end, so you feel motivated to watch it :)
The end is kind of predictable, even though, it has some important unexpected turns on the story that makes it worth to watch the film. A pretty descent action film, even more during these first months of the yeat, when we know Film Studios are just focused on promoting their Oscars nominated films and getting ready for the big Summer season.
I would rate this movie with a 3/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: A group of oil-rig roughnecks are left stranded on the sub-arctic tundra after their plane experiences a complete mechanical failure and crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness. The survivors, battling mortal injuries, biting cold and ravenous hunger, are relentlessly hunted and pursued by a vicious pack of rogue wolves.
Starring: Liam Neeson, Dallas Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo. Nonso Anozie
Directed by: Joe Carnahan
U.S. Rating: R
Director Joe Carnahan reteamed with Liam Neeson to bring one of the most tense survival thrillers I've seen in a very long time. Based in the cold and wild desolated areas of Alaska, this film brings a great photography and an intense story of men trying to survive a plane crash, terrible winter weather and wild animals, in this particular case, wolves.
Liam Neeson has been one of my top favorite actors for a long time. In recent years, he's consolidated his prestigious acting performance and presence in Hollywood with amazing action films and thrillers like Taken, Unknown, Chloe, After.Life or even The A-Team. His acting performance in this tense thriller was superb. In this particular film, his tough "I'm done with all this" attitude towards people and his reality looked a piece of cake for him. He was simply great.
The film, as said before, was extremely tense. A few group of men who survived a plane crash in the middle of nowhere, in the extremely cold winter of Alaska, fighting for their lives to get to a save place, since they were chased and hunted by a pack of wild wolves. It was a bloody film, yes, but not in a disgusting way.
Liam Neeson plays the role of John Ottway, a quiet man who works in Alaska killing the wolves that threaten an oil drilling team. On his last day on the job, Ottway pens a letter to his wife Ana and plans to commit suicide. While holding his gun to his mouth, however, Ottway hears the howl of a wolf, which stops him.
Ottway and the oil drilling team head home on a plane, but it crashes in a heavy blizzard. Ottway sees a vision of his wife but suddenly awakens to find himself in the middle of this cold, white desert, with an horrific image of the plane completely destroyed, on fire and dead people all over the place.
After finding a few survivals, Ottway assumes leadership of the group and sets the survivors to task collecting material for a fire. While Ottway is searching for wood, he's attacked by a gray wolf. He is quickly rescued by the others and explains that they are most likely standing in the wolves' territory and are unwelcome. From this moment on, he knows they're in extremely danger and they need to do whatever it takes to find a safe place. Ottway and the remaining survivors continue on and make camp in the woods, being followed and in some cases, attacked by this wild pack of wolves.
Further in their travels, the dwindling survivors come across a high canyon wall within which, screened by trees, they identify a river and a possible route of escape. They have to face more difficulties and accidents on the way, leaving some other survivals on the way.
At the end, Ottway (being the only survival left) finds himself surrounded by the pack of wolves, leading Ottway to discover that he has walked right into their den. He is soon spotted by the alpha male and the other pack members back off. Ottway is all by himself, to fight for his life against the alpha male, and maybe, be able to keep his journey back home.
Definitely a great film to watch, totally recommended.
I would rate this movie with a 4/5
Directed by: Joe Carnahan
U.S. Rating: R
Director Joe Carnahan reteamed with Liam Neeson to bring one of the most tense survival thrillers I've seen in a very long time. Based in the cold and wild desolated areas of Alaska, this film brings a great photography and an intense story of men trying to survive a plane crash, terrible winter weather and wild animals, in this particular case, wolves.
Liam Neeson has been one of my top favorite actors for a long time. In recent years, he's consolidated his prestigious acting performance and presence in Hollywood with amazing action films and thrillers like Taken, Unknown, Chloe, After.Life or even The A-Team. His acting performance in this tense thriller was superb. In this particular film, his tough "I'm done with all this" attitude towards people and his reality looked a piece of cake for him. He was simply great.
The film, as said before, was extremely tense. A few group of men who survived a plane crash in the middle of nowhere, in the extremely cold winter of Alaska, fighting for their lives to get to a save place, since they were chased and hunted by a pack of wild wolves. It was a bloody film, yes, but not in a disgusting way.
Liam Neeson plays the role of John Ottway, a quiet man who works in Alaska killing the wolves that threaten an oil drilling team. On his last day on the job, Ottway pens a letter to his wife Ana and plans to commit suicide. While holding his gun to his mouth, however, Ottway hears the howl of a wolf, which stops him.
Ottway and the oil drilling team head home on a plane, but it crashes in a heavy blizzard. Ottway sees a vision of his wife but suddenly awakens to find himself in the middle of this cold, white desert, with an horrific image of the plane completely destroyed, on fire and dead people all over the place.
After finding a few survivals, Ottway assumes leadership of the group and sets the survivors to task collecting material for a fire. While Ottway is searching for wood, he's attacked by a gray wolf. He is quickly rescued by the others and explains that they are most likely standing in the wolves' territory and are unwelcome. From this moment on, he knows they're in extremely danger and they need to do whatever it takes to find a safe place. Ottway and the remaining survivors continue on and make camp in the woods, being followed and in some cases, attacked by this wild pack of wolves.
Further in their travels, the dwindling survivors come across a high canyon wall within which, screened by trees, they identify a river and a possible route of escape. They have to face more difficulties and accidents on the way, leaving some other survivals on the way.
At the end, Ottway (being the only survival left) finds himself surrounded by the pack of wolves, leading Ottway to discover that he has walked right into their den. He is soon spotted by the alpha male and the other pack members back off. Ottway is all by himself, to fight for his life against the alpha male, and maybe, be able to keep his journey back home.
Definitely a great film to watch, totally recommended.
I would rate this movie with a 4/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: Nick Cassidy makes a desperate and life-threatening move to prove his innocence after he is framed for the theft of a rare, prized diamond. Recently escaped from prison and with nowhere else to go, Nick climbs onto the ledge of a towering skyscraper, inviting the eyes of New York City to anxiously watch as one wrong step could mean plunging to his death. But as one police negotiator soon learns, Nick's daredevil stunt, captivating the eyes of the public and media, masks a dangerous ploy to reveal the truth about his tarnished name.With the help of his brother and with time running out, Nick's intricate plan must work perfectly, but when you’re on the 25th floor ledge of a building, going down takes on an entirely more hair-raising meaning.
Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Anthony Mackie, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, Titus Welliver
Directed by: Asger Leth
U.S. Rating: PG-13
Man On A Ledge was one of those great thrillers that left me with a sour taste on my mouth at the end of the film. It was one of those really entertaining thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the 90 minutes, and at the end you ask yourself... Hey! What the heck did just happen?! Yes, but maybe that was just my personal experience.
Man On A Ledge gathered such a great cast, a pretty interesting "heist/thriller" plot, a decent direction, but a horrible ending.
Sam Worthington plays the role of Nick Cassidy, an ex-policeman arrested and convicted to 25 years in prison for stealing a $40 million diamond from businessman David Englander (Ed Harris). Nick Cassidy is innocent, and will do anything to prove it. While being in jail, he's informed that his father has died and attends his funeral while being in custody. After a confusing situation with his younger brother and the police, Nick neutralizes the custody agents and escapes.
Later on, he checks in at the Roosevelt Hotel under the false name of Walker, goes to his hotel room at the top floor, and climbs on the ledge, apparently ready to commit suicide. The crowd below sees him and calls the police. After isolating the area, Agent Jack Dougherty (Edward Burns) tries to talk with Nick. However, he says he will only speak to negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), who is on a leave of absence after failing to convince a depressed policeman not to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge a month earlier. Nick knows her work and determination, and he's decided to use her on his plan.
Lydia and Jack have no idea of who Nick (alias Mr. Walker) is, his past or something that could lead them to the real reason of his dangerous decision of possibly jump and take his life. Lydia is able to get Nick's fingertips. They will soon discover that Nick is an ex-policeman who was arrested for the well-known case of stealing a $40 million diamond from businessman David Englander. Nick, however, constantly says he is innocent and tries to convince Lydia that Englander used to employ cops to protect his multi-floor jewelry business. He told her that one day, while Nick was on duty, he was knocked unconscious by two men in ski masks and awakened to find out Englander had framed him for stealing the diamond in order to get the insurance money, as he had lost his fortune during the stock market crisis.
Everyone thinks that Nick is playing them just to get attention, but the truth is that Nick is merely distracting them while his brother Joey and Joey's girlfriend Angie break into Englander's upper floor jewelry vault in the building across the street to steal the diamond and prove Nick's innocence.
Agents Dante Marcus and Mike Ackerman are involved with David Englander, providing him protection. Lydia is informed about this situation and knows that Nick is in danger if he's finally captured. Nick and his brother are caught and taken to the roof of Englander's building to face Englander. Englander recovers the diamond previously stoled by his brother and leaves the scene. Lydia save them and in a very risky move, Nick gets to Englander, who has already left the building. At the end, Nick is able to demonstrate he is innocent, but as said before, after going through a very entertaining and edgy thriller with ups and downs throughout the whole film, they just end it with a pretty lame end.
I must say that I'm very pleased with Elizabeth Bank's performance. She's one of those actresses that has been improving her presence and acting performance, getting important roles in relevant films. Sam Worthington also played a pretty decent role in this film, making a great combination.
I would rate this movie with a 3/5
Directed by: Asger Leth
U.S. Rating: PG-13
Man On A Ledge was one of those great thrillers that left me with a sour taste on my mouth at the end of the film. It was one of those really entertaining thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the 90 minutes, and at the end you ask yourself... Hey! What the heck did just happen?! Yes, but maybe that was just my personal experience.
Man On A Ledge gathered such a great cast, a pretty interesting "heist/thriller" plot, a decent direction, but a horrible ending.
Sam Worthington plays the role of Nick Cassidy, an ex-policeman arrested and convicted to 25 years in prison for stealing a $40 million diamond from businessman David Englander (Ed Harris). Nick Cassidy is innocent, and will do anything to prove it. While being in jail, he's informed that his father has died and attends his funeral while being in custody. After a confusing situation with his younger brother and the police, Nick neutralizes the custody agents and escapes.
Later on, he checks in at the Roosevelt Hotel under the false name of Walker, goes to his hotel room at the top floor, and climbs on the ledge, apparently ready to commit suicide. The crowd below sees him and calls the police. After isolating the area, Agent Jack Dougherty (Edward Burns) tries to talk with Nick. However, he says he will only speak to negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), who is on a leave of absence after failing to convince a depressed policeman not to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge a month earlier. Nick knows her work and determination, and he's decided to use her on his plan.
Lydia and Jack have no idea of who Nick (alias Mr. Walker) is, his past or something that could lead them to the real reason of his dangerous decision of possibly jump and take his life. Lydia is able to get Nick's fingertips. They will soon discover that Nick is an ex-policeman who was arrested for the well-known case of stealing a $40 million diamond from businessman David Englander. Nick, however, constantly says he is innocent and tries to convince Lydia that Englander used to employ cops to protect his multi-floor jewelry business. He told her that one day, while Nick was on duty, he was knocked unconscious by two men in ski masks and awakened to find out Englander had framed him for stealing the diamond in order to get the insurance money, as he had lost his fortune during the stock market crisis.
Everyone thinks that Nick is playing them just to get attention, but the truth is that Nick is merely distracting them while his brother Joey and Joey's girlfriend Angie break into Englander's upper floor jewelry vault in the building across the street to steal the diamond and prove Nick's innocence.
Agents Dante Marcus and Mike Ackerman are involved with David Englander, providing him protection. Lydia is informed about this situation and knows that Nick is in danger if he's finally captured. Nick and his brother are caught and taken to the roof of Englander's building to face Englander. Englander recovers the diamond previously stoled by his brother and leaves the scene. Lydia save them and in a very risky move, Nick gets to Englander, who has already left the building. At the end, Nick is able to demonstrate he is innocent, but as said before, after going through a very entertaining and edgy thriller with ups and downs throughout the whole film, they just end it with a pretty lame end.
I must say that I'm very pleased with Elizabeth Bank's performance. She's one of those actresses that has been improving her presence and acting performance, getting important roles in relevant films. Sam Worthington also played a pretty decent role in this film, making a great combination.
I would rate this movie with a 3/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: For the past year, Matt Weston has been frustrated by his inactive, backwater post in Cape Town. A "housekeeper" who aspires to be a full-fledged agent, the loyal company man has been waiting for an opportunity to prove himself. When the first and only occupant he's had proves to be the most dangerous man he's ever met, Weston readies for duty.
Tobin Frost has eluded capture for almost a decade. One of the best ops men that the CIA's known, the ex-intelligence officer has given up assets and sold military intel to anyone with cash since he turned. From trading secrets to North Korea to aiding splinter cells, the damage he's done to the U.S. is immeasurable. And he's now back on the reservation with a secret.
As soon as Frost is brought in for debriefing, mercenaries come and tear apart Weston's safe house. Barely escaping, the unlikely partners must discover if their attackers have been sent by terrorists or someone on the inside who will kill anyone standing in the way. Now it's up to Weston to figure out who he can trust before they're both eliminated from the game.
Tobin Frost has eluded capture for almost a decade. One of the best ops men that the CIA's known, the ex-intelligence officer has given up assets and sold military intel to anyone with cash since he turned. From trading secrets to North Korea to aiding splinter cells, the damage he's done to the U.S. is immeasurable. And he's now back on the reservation with a secret.
As soon as Frost is brought in for debriefing, mercenaries come and tear apart Weston's safe house. Barely escaping, the unlikely partners must discover if their attackers have been sent by terrorists or someone on the inside who will kill anyone standing in the way. Now it's up to Weston to figure out who he can trust before they're both eliminated from the game.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard, Vera Farmiga, Fares Fares, Ruben Blades
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
U.S. Rating: R
Denzel Washington comes back again to the big screen to deliver the exceptional acting performance we love and enjoy, this time, with the supporting role of Ryan Reynolds and a unique cast to make of this, a thrilling action film.
Denzel Washington is Tobin Frost, an ex-CIA agent that has become and considered an international criminal by the CIA after trading top-secret information with other agent from the MI6. All this information (detailing the criminal activities of several worldwide intelligence agents) is contained in a micro-chip, but soon after he gets this valuable information, he's chased and attacked by a mercenary team. When he's in the run and notices he's about to be caught by this team, he forces himself to enter into an American consulate and identify himself. As soon as he's identified, he is moved to a CIA safe house in Cape Town, South Africa.
Ryan Reynolds plays the role of Matt Weston, a low-level CIA agent who works as The "housekeeper" of this Safe House. He's been trying to move up in the agency, trying to get another job or location, since he's literally doing absolutely nothing on this place. When an elite team brings Tobin Frost to the Safe House, Matt Weston watches Frost's interrogation. Soon they'll notice that the Safe House has been compromised and the same mercenary team that was chasing him earlier that day, attack the house. Weston as responsible of the "guests" of the Safe House, escapes with Frost captive. Weston contacts his mentor, David Barlow, and Catherine Linkater at CIA headquarters to get instructions, and they recommend him to stay low until he gets further instructions.
Weston hides with Frost and gets the instructions of getting Frost to another Safe House. Weston and Frost go to Cape Town Stadium to retrieve a GPS device with the location of this new safe house, but Frost creates a diversion and escapes by disguising himself as a policeman. Weston, detained by the police, escapes but can't catch Frost, who escapes.
Weston is ordered to go to the nearest American embassy for debriefing. Instead he decides to locate the house of Frost's contact, Carlos Villar (played by one of my TOP Salsa singers of all time... Rubén Blades), where Frost is attacked by the mercenary team, but escapes with Weston's help. Weston gets more information about this mercenary team and its boss, Vargas, who works for the CIA and is trying to recover the micro-chip and information held by Frost.
They decide to work together, going to the new Safe House and bring all the mercenary team, the CIA top agents behind this team and most important, bring this information to the public attention.
Director Daniel Espinosa works for the first time with Denzel Washington on this intense action film, taking a little bit of other similar action films and mix them into a pretty decent thriller.
The film, from my personal point of view, lacks of some background information about the characters involved in this film. That didn't help us (at least me) to get more into the characters and get more from them and the story. Obviously, it might be the reason why they put all the effort on all the action scenes (car chasing, houses attacks, etc) and keep our attention.
Definitely a pretty decent action film... Hey! Denzel Washington! what else can you ask for? Totally recommended for a good night at the cinema (or movie night at home when it comes out on DVD/Blu Ray).
I would rate this movie with a 3.5/5
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
U.S. Rating: R
Denzel Washington comes back again to the big screen to deliver the exceptional acting performance we love and enjoy, this time, with the supporting role of Ryan Reynolds and a unique cast to make of this, a thrilling action film.
Denzel Washington is Tobin Frost, an ex-CIA agent that has become and considered an international criminal by the CIA after trading top-secret information with other agent from the MI6. All this information (detailing the criminal activities of several worldwide intelligence agents) is contained in a micro-chip, but soon after he gets this valuable information, he's chased and attacked by a mercenary team. When he's in the run and notices he's about to be caught by this team, he forces himself to enter into an American consulate and identify himself. As soon as he's identified, he is moved to a CIA safe house in Cape Town, South Africa.
Ryan Reynolds plays the role of Matt Weston, a low-level CIA agent who works as The "housekeeper" of this Safe House. He's been trying to move up in the agency, trying to get another job or location, since he's literally doing absolutely nothing on this place. When an elite team brings Tobin Frost to the Safe House, Matt Weston watches Frost's interrogation. Soon they'll notice that the Safe House has been compromised and the same mercenary team that was chasing him earlier that day, attack the house. Weston as responsible of the "guests" of the Safe House, escapes with Frost captive. Weston contacts his mentor, David Barlow, and Catherine Linkater at CIA headquarters to get instructions, and they recommend him to stay low until he gets further instructions.
Weston hides with Frost and gets the instructions of getting Frost to another Safe House. Weston and Frost go to Cape Town Stadium to retrieve a GPS device with the location of this new safe house, but Frost creates a diversion and escapes by disguising himself as a policeman. Weston, detained by the police, escapes but can't catch Frost, who escapes.
Weston is ordered to go to the nearest American embassy for debriefing. Instead he decides to locate the house of Frost's contact, Carlos Villar (played by one of my TOP Salsa singers of all time... Rubén Blades), where Frost is attacked by the mercenary team, but escapes with Weston's help. Weston gets more information about this mercenary team and its boss, Vargas, who works for the CIA and is trying to recover the micro-chip and information held by Frost.
They decide to work together, going to the new Safe House and bring all the mercenary team, the CIA top agents behind this team and most important, bring this information to the public attention.
Director Daniel Espinosa works for the first time with Denzel Washington on this intense action film, taking a little bit of other similar action films and mix them into a pretty decent thriller.
The film, from my personal point of view, lacks of some background information about the characters involved in this film. That didn't help us (at least me) to get more into the characters and get more from them and the story. Obviously, it might be the reason why they put all the effort on all the action scenes (car chasing, houses attacks, etc) and keep our attention.
Definitely a pretty decent action film... Hey! Denzel Washington! what else can you ask for? Totally recommended for a good night at the cinema (or movie night at home when it comes out on DVD/Blu Ray).
I would rate this movie with a 3.5/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: Mallory Kane is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive. Using her black-ops military training, she devises an ingenious - and dangerous - trap. But when things go haywire, Mallory realizes she'll be killed in the blink of an eye unless she finds a way to turn the tables on her ruthless adversary.
Starring: Gina Carano, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Bill Paxton, Michael Fassbender, Michael Angarano
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
U.S. Rating: R
The first time I saw the official trailer for Haywire, I had mixed thoughts. First, I believed it looked like a pretty good action film but, in the other way, I didn't think it could be that good having the lead role perfomed by someone that is not an actress, but a mixed Martial Arts champ and former American Gladiator, Gina Carano. The cast looked pretty impressive, having Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender and Michael Angarano, among others, but I was convinced Gina wouldn't deliver the acting performance expected for a thriller like this one, directed by one of my favorite directors.
My fears inmediately disappeared after watching the first scene. I mean, she wasn't Meryl Streep! Right? Or at least at the same acting performance level Angelina Jolie delivered in Salt, but at least, I can say that it was entertaining and far from being a cheap acting performance. I think that Steven Soderbergh knew it and did a great job on his direction and most important, the supporting cast helped the film to be really enjoyable.
One thing I must say, even though, the plot didn't leave any open door leading the idea of a future sequel, I would ask director Steven Soderbergh to leave Mallory Kane, her special skills, training and secret works end with this film. I believe it wasn't a strong film to lead a future sequel. Salt was an amazing plot that was actually prepared to have a future sequel, performed by a lead role with a fantastic acting performance experience in action roles also.
In case you're planning to watch the film and want to know more about it, here's the plot:
The film starts when Mallory Kane enters a diner in Upstate New York, sits and just waits. Few minutes later, Aaron arrives and joins her. After a short conversation about their employer, Aaron orders Mallory to get in his car. She refuses, and they fight, with Aaron nearly capturing Mallory before the intervention of Scott, a customer in the diner, allows Mallory to break Aaron's arm, knock him unconscious, and escape with Scott in Scott's car.
Mallory tells Scott that both she and Aaron are contractors with a private firm that is employed by the American government for covert operation assignments. One week before, at a meeting among government agent Coblenz, his contact, Rodrigo, and the firm's director (and Mallory's ex-boyfriend) Kenneth, the firm was hired to rescue Jiang, who is being held in Barcelona. Mallory and her team, which includes Aaron, succeed in rescuing Jiang and delivering him to Rodrigo.
Shortly thereafter, Mallory is approached by Kenneth, who insists she undertake what he claims is an easy assignment: pose as the wife of British agent Paul during a mission in Dublin. Mallory agrees and accompanies Paul to a party at Russborough House, where they meet with his contact, Studer (Mathieu Kassovitz). Paul meets with Studer again as Mallory watches from afar. She sees Paul go into a barn, and after he leaves she enters it to find Jiang dead, clutching in his hand a brooch which Kenneth required her to wear as a recognition signal for her initial contact with Paul.
Mallory realizes she has been set up and returns to her hotel room, where she is attacked by Paul. They fight, Mallory gets the upper hand and shoots Paul dead. Mallory calls Kenneth from Paul's phone. As Kenneth picks up the phone, he asks "is the divorce final?" Mallory doesn't answer, and Kenneth realizes that Mallory is still alive and now knows about the set-up. As Mallory leaves her hotel, a SWAT team appears to arrest her but she escapes after a chase, and manages to enter the United States and reach the diner, where she meets Scott.
Mallory calls Coblenz who tells her that he has had suspicions about Kenneth for some time. Coblenz then contacts Kenneth and tells him to inform Mallory's father, John Kane (who already knows of his daughter's occupation), of her crimes. Meanwhile, on the road, Mallory and Scott are chased by the police and hit a tree after a deer runs into Scott's car. They are both arrested, but soon the convoy is ambushed by assassins sent by Kenneth. Mallory escapes, kills the assassins, and releases Scott. She gives him a number to call for protection and leaves to meet with her father.
Mallory reaches her father's house in New Mexico before Kenneth, Aaron, and two additional men arrive to interrogate John on his daughter's whereabouts. Aaron starts to realize that Mallory might have been set up and tries to press Kenneth for the truth, but Kenneth kills Aaron as Mallory takes out Kenneth's men.
Mallory chases Kenneth, but he escapes. The following day Mallory meets with Coblenz, who reveals that he ordered Kenneth to contact Mallory's father so she could kill him there. Mallory asks Coblenz to fix things with Scott, which he promises to do. Coblens also informs Mallory of Kenneth's location. Before Mallory leaves, Coblenz offers her a government job but she replies only that she'll let him know, after she finds Kenneth.
In Mexico, Mallory confronts Kenneth at the beach and they fight. Kenneth tries to escape, but gets his foot jammed between two rocks. Kenneth reveals that Jiang was a journalist who had written a series of articles exposing Studer's crimes. Knowing that Mallory planned to leave his firm, Kenneth arranged for her to rescue Jiang and deliver him to Rodrigo, who then delivered him to Studer, who killed him. Kenneth then framed Mallory, planning to cut all ties that could lead to him by convincing Paul that Mallory was a double agent whom he should kill. Mallory leaves Kenneth to drown in the incoming tide for his betrayal.
Rodrigo is enjoying his "retirement" in Majorca. After his female companion is called away, Mallory descends onto the balcony behind him. When Rodrigo sees Mallory, his response is simply, "Shit", and the film ends.
I would rate this movie with a 2.5/5
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
U.S. Rating: R
The first time I saw the official trailer for Haywire, I had mixed thoughts. First, I believed it looked like a pretty good action film but, in the other way, I didn't think it could be that good having the lead role perfomed by someone that is not an actress, but a mixed Martial Arts champ and former American Gladiator, Gina Carano. The cast looked pretty impressive, having Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender and Michael Angarano, among others, but I was convinced Gina wouldn't deliver the acting performance expected for a thriller like this one, directed by one of my favorite directors.
My fears inmediately disappeared after watching the first scene. I mean, she wasn't Meryl Streep! Right? Or at least at the same acting performance level Angelina Jolie delivered in Salt, but at least, I can say that it was entertaining and far from being a cheap acting performance. I think that Steven Soderbergh knew it and did a great job on his direction and most important, the supporting cast helped the film to be really enjoyable.
One thing I must say, even though, the plot didn't leave any open door leading the idea of a future sequel, I would ask director Steven Soderbergh to leave Mallory Kane, her special skills, training and secret works end with this film. I believe it wasn't a strong film to lead a future sequel. Salt was an amazing plot that was actually prepared to have a future sequel, performed by a lead role with a fantastic acting performance experience in action roles also.
In case you're planning to watch the film and want to know more about it, here's the plot:
The film starts when Mallory Kane enters a diner in Upstate New York, sits and just waits. Few minutes later, Aaron arrives and joins her. After a short conversation about their employer, Aaron orders Mallory to get in his car. She refuses, and they fight, with Aaron nearly capturing Mallory before the intervention of Scott, a customer in the diner, allows Mallory to break Aaron's arm, knock him unconscious, and escape with Scott in Scott's car.
Mallory tells Scott that both she and Aaron are contractors with a private firm that is employed by the American government for covert operation assignments. One week before, at a meeting among government agent Coblenz, his contact, Rodrigo, and the firm's director (and Mallory's ex-boyfriend) Kenneth, the firm was hired to rescue Jiang, who is being held in Barcelona. Mallory and her team, which includes Aaron, succeed in rescuing Jiang and delivering him to Rodrigo.
Shortly thereafter, Mallory is approached by Kenneth, who insists she undertake what he claims is an easy assignment: pose as the wife of British agent Paul during a mission in Dublin. Mallory agrees and accompanies Paul to a party at Russborough House, where they meet with his contact, Studer (Mathieu Kassovitz). Paul meets with Studer again as Mallory watches from afar. She sees Paul go into a barn, and after he leaves she enters it to find Jiang dead, clutching in his hand a brooch which Kenneth required her to wear as a recognition signal for her initial contact with Paul.
Mallory realizes she has been set up and returns to her hotel room, where she is attacked by Paul. They fight, Mallory gets the upper hand and shoots Paul dead. Mallory calls Kenneth from Paul's phone. As Kenneth picks up the phone, he asks "is the divorce final?" Mallory doesn't answer, and Kenneth realizes that Mallory is still alive and now knows about the set-up. As Mallory leaves her hotel, a SWAT team appears to arrest her but she escapes after a chase, and manages to enter the United States and reach the diner, where she meets Scott.
Mallory calls Coblenz who tells her that he has had suspicions about Kenneth for some time. Coblenz then contacts Kenneth and tells him to inform Mallory's father, John Kane (who already knows of his daughter's occupation), of her crimes. Meanwhile, on the road, Mallory and Scott are chased by the police and hit a tree after a deer runs into Scott's car. They are both arrested, but soon the convoy is ambushed by assassins sent by Kenneth. Mallory escapes, kills the assassins, and releases Scott. She gives him a number to call for protection and leaves to meet with her father.
Mallory reaches her father's house in New Mexico before Kenneth, Aaron, and two additional men arrive to interrogate John on his daughter's whereabouts. Aaron starts to realize that Mallory might have been set up and tries to press Kenneth for the truth, but Kenneth kills Aaron as Mallory takes out Kenneth's men.
Mallory chases Kenneth, but he escapes. The following day Mallory meets with Coblenz, who reveals that he ordered Kenneth to contact Mallory's father so she could kill him there. Mallory asks Coblenz to fix things with Scott, which he promises to do. Coblens also informs Mallory of Kenneth's location. Before Mallory leaves, Coblenz offers her a government job but she replies only that she'll let him know, after she finds Kenneth.
In Mexico, Mallory confronts Kenneth at the beach and they fight. Kenneth tries to escape, but gets his foot jammed between two rocks. Kenneth reveals that Jiang was a journalist who had written a series of articles exposing Studer's crimes. Knowing that Mallory planned to leave his firm, Kenneth arranged for her to rescue Jiang and deliver him to Rodrigo, who then delivered him to Studer, who killed him. Kenneth then framed Mallory, planning to cut all ties that could lead to him by convincing Paul that Mallory was a double agent whom he should kill. Mallory leaves Kenneth to drown in the incoming tide for his betrayal.
Rodrigo is enjoying his "retirement" in Majorca. After his female companion is called away, Mallory descends onto the balcony behind him. When Rodrigo sees Mallory, his response is simply, "Shit", and the film ends.
Source: Wikipedia
I would rate this movie with a 2.5/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: Mikael Blomkvist is a financial reporter determined to restore his honor after being convicted of libel. Engaged by one of Sweden's wealthiest industrialists, Henrik Vanger, to get to the bottom of the long-ago disappearance of his beloved niece, Harriet -- murdered, Vanger believes, by a member of his large family -- the journalist heads to a remote island on the frozen Swedish coast, unaware of what awaits him.
At the same time, Lisbeth Salander, an unusual but ingenious investigator with Milton Security, is hired to do a background check on Blomkvist, a job that ultimately leads to her joining Mikael in his investigation of who killed Harriet Vanger. Though Lisbeth shields herself from a world that has repeatedly betrayed her, her hacking skills and single-minded focus become invaluable. While Mikael goes face-to-face with the tight-lipped Vangers, Lisbeth plies the wired shadows. They begin to trace a chain of homicides from the past into the present, forging a fragile strand of trust even as they are pulled into the most savage currents of modern crime.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Elodie Yung
Directed by: David Fincher
U.S. Rating: R
There's no doubt that David Fincher is one of my TOP favorite directors in Hollywood. Some of my all-time favorite films (Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room, The Social Network) has been directed by this talented director, whom shows he likes to get deep into those books and scripts he decides to bring to the big screen, get the bare essencial content from them, cut, adapt and edit them until he gets such amazing films from this hard work. Most of his films turned into classics and, I'm sure that his most recent one, his personal remake from Swedish international success "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" will also be added to this classics list in the future.
There are two different perspectives to review this film. We can review it from the perspective of those ones who have watched Flincher's remake "after" watching the original Swedish version or, we can also review it from the perspective of those ones who have watched Flincher's remake "before" watching the original Swedish version. I include myself in this second group: Those ones who have watched it before watching the original Swedish one, and that's the perspective I'll take.
Before I start writing my personal point of view and impressions of this film, I must say that I really wanted to go through other reviews from some of the most important Movie Blogs on the net. There were some who shared my personal point of view and thoughts about it, while there were some others critizing Fincher's work and the lead cast's performance. From my personal point of view, I should start saying that I prefer Flincher's film over Oplev's. Note that I'm not saying that Oplev's original version was bad... far from it! It was an amazing and remarkable film! But we can clearly notice the huge directorial differences and styles. In this order of ideas, I must say I definitely liked Flincher's work and film style.
I was wowed with Flincher's version for "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo". The cast gathered for this film was fantastic. There wasn't a better actor to perform the lead role (Mikael Blomkvist) than Daniel Craig. He delivered such a unique performance, even though, it couldn't be considered better than actor Michael Nyqvist's performace in the Swedish version, since Nyqvist was incredibly good too. Now, I have found some controversies on some reviews about Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara's performances as Lisbeth Salander, a disturbing gothic, anti-social punk investigator/hacker type who lives paycheck to paycheck at the mercy of her weirdo state guardian. Some important reviewers and blogs believe that Rapace's performance was much better than Mara's. I DO not believe that, no matter how incredibly good was Noomi Rapace's performance, Rooney Mara's performace blew me away. Her physical gothic/punk anti-social appearance and look was so, but so much believable than Rapace. Both acting performaces were superb, but Rooney Mara did top her performance on those specific moments when she had to show her punk & anti-social behavior and fictional personality.
While Oplev's original Swedish version was extremely detailed and led by the book, Flincher gave the film a more "theatrical" appeal, printing his personal style and experienced touch. We can easily notice some differences, even though, Flincher kept intact the story and focused just on some important and crucial details, as well as timing perfectly well some relevant events, even when he omitts some not so important events and situations shown on the Swedish version that could be taken as relevant. Flincher's version is 10 minutes longer than the original film, taking it to 2 hours and 40 minutes.
In case you haven't read the book or watched the Swedish film, here's the (short) plot of the film:
Mikael Blomkvist, the co-owner and writer of Millennium magazine, has just lost a libel case against crooked businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström, for which he must pay 600,000 Swedish kronor (approximately 87,000 USD) in damages. Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander, a researcher for Milton Security and a computer hacker, has compiled a very extensive background check on Blomkvist for Henrik Vanger, retired CEO of Vanger Industries, for a job that Henrik wants him to perform. Despite the recent scandal, Salander passes Blomkvist as "clean."
Blomkvist receives a phone call from Henrik's lawyer, Dirch Frode, who offers him two jobs: to write a Vanger family history, and, using the information provided by Henrik for the memoir, to solve the murder of his niece Harriet Vanger, who disappeared almost 40 years previously; Henrik is convinced that someone in the family killed her.
Blomkvist gets to work right away, staying in a cottage that Henrik provides. He immediately starts investigating the case, collecting some more relevant information about the misterious disappearance of Harriet. He will meet with some members of the Vanger family. Blomkvist finds Harriet's notebook, containing the names of five women with a 5-digit number next to each of their names, secret codes related with some biblical passages showing the killing method used to murder a number of young women over 35 years ago.
Blomkvist begins looking for a researcher to help him find out more about the Bible verses. Frode recommends Salander, whom Blomkvist learns did the background check on him. Upon seeing the incredibly detailed report, he discovers Salander hacked into his computer. He then visits her apartment, making her an offer to help him find Harriet's murderer, to which she agrees.
Soon they will start working together tying all those loosed knots regarding Harriet's disappearance, until they will discover something extremely sordid that might be directly related with Harriet's event.
Definitely, one of the best (if not the best!) thriller films of 2011. The direction was brilliant, the acting performance by ALL cast involved in this film was simply superb. TOTALLY recommended.
I would rate this movie with a huge massive 5/5
Directed by: David Fincher
U.S. Rating: R
There's no doubt that David Fincher is one of my TOP favorite directors in Hollywood. Some of my all-time favorite films (Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room, The Social Network) has been directed by this talented director, whom shows he likes to get deep into those books and scripts he decides to bring to the big screen, get the bare essencial content from them, cut, adapt and edit them until he gets such amazing films from this hard work. Most of his films turned into classics and, I'm sure that his most recent one, his personal remake from Swedish international success "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" will also be added to this classics list in the future.
There are two different perspectives to review this film. We can review it from the perspective of those ones who have watched Flincher's remake "after" watching the original Swedish version or, we can also review it from the perspective of those ones who have watched Flincher's remake "before" watching the original Swedish version. I include myself in this second group: Those ones who have watched it before watching the original Swedish one, and that's the perspective I'll take.
Before I start writing my personal point of view and impressions of this film, I must say that I really wanted to go through other reviews from some of the most important Movie Blogs on the net. There were some who shared my personal point of view and thoughts about it, while there were some others critizing Fincher's work and the lead cast's performance. From my personal point of view, I should start saying that I prefer Flincher's film over Oplev's. Note that I'm not saying that Oplev's original version was bad... far from it! It was an amazing and remarkable film! But we can clearly notice the huge directorial differences and styles. In this order of ideas, I must say I definitely liked Flincher's work and film style.
I was wowed with Flincher's version for "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo". The cast gathered for this film was fantastic. There wasn't a better actor to perform the lead role (Mikael Blomkvist) than Daniel Craig. He delivered such a unique performance, even though, it couldn't be considered better than actor Michael Nyqvist's performace in the Swedish version, since Nyqvist was incredibly good too. Now, I have found some controversies on some reviews about Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara's performances as Lisbeth Salander, a disturbing gothic, anti-social punk investigator/hacker type who lives paycheck to paycheck at the mercy of her weirdo state guardian. Some important reviewers and blogs believe that Rapace's performance was much better than Mara's. I DO not believe that, no matter how incredibly good was Noomi Rapace's performance, Rooney Mara's performace blew me away. Her physical gothic/punk anti-social appearance and look was so, but so much believable than Rapace. Both acting performaces were superb, but Rooney Mara did top her performance on those specific moments when she had to show her punk & anti-social behavior and fictional personality.
While Oplev's original Swedish version was extremely detailed and led by the book, Flincher gave the film a more "theatrical" appeal, printing his personal style and experienced touch. We can easily notice some differences, even though, Flincher kept intact the story and focused just on some important and crucial details, as well as timing perfectly well some relevant events, even when he omitts some not so important events and situations shown on the Swedish version that could be taken as relevant. Flincher's version is 10 minutes longer than the original film, taking it to 2 hours and 40 minutes.
In case you haven't read the book or watched the Swedish film, here's the (short) plot of the film:
Mikael Blomkvist, the co-owner and writer of Millennium magazine, has just lost a libel case against crooked businessman Hans-Erik Wennerström, for which he must pay 600,000 Swedish kronor (approximately 87,000 USD) in damages. Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander, a researcher for Milton Security and a computer hacker, has compiled a very extensive background check on Blomkvist for Henrik Vanger, retired CEO of Vanger Industries, for a job that Henrik wants him to perform. Despite the recent scandal, Salander passes Blomkvist as "clean."
Blomkvist receives a phone call from Henrik's lawyer, Dirch Frode, who offers him two jobs: to write a Vanger family history, and, using the information provided by Henrik for the memoir, to solve the murder of his niece Harriet Vanger, who disappeared almost 40 years previously; Henrik is convinced that someone in the family killed her.
Blomkvist gets to work right away, staying in a cottage that Henrik provides. He immediately starts investigating the case, collecting some more relevant information about the misterious disappearance of Harriet. He will meet with some members of the Vanger family. Blomkvist finds Harriet's notebook, containing the names of five women with a 5-digit number next to each of their names, secret codes related with some biblical passages showing the killing method used to murder a number of young women over 35 years ago.
Blomkvist begins looking for a researcher to help him find out more about the Bible verses. Frode recommends Salander, whom Blomkvist learns did the background check on him. Upon seeing the incredibly detailed report, he discovers Salander hacked into his computer. He then visits her apartment, making her an offer to help him find Harriet's murderer, to which she agrees.
Soon they will start working together tying all those loosed knots regarding Harriet's disappearance, until they will discover something extremely sordid that might be directly related with Harriet's event.
Definitely, one of the best (if not the best!) thriller films of 2011. The direction was brilliant, the acting performance by ALL cast involved in this film was simply superb. TOTALLY recommended.
I would rate this movie with a huge massive 5/5
In case you haven't watched the original Swedish version, here's the official trailer:
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates "Ghost Protocol". Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency's name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know.
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor, Léa Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson
Directed by: Brad Bird
U.S. Rating: PG-13
It's clear that the "nuclear war game" is always profitable for good Hollywood action films, and Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol was not an exception. Brad Bird brought one more time the IMF team, led by Ethan Hunt, to save the world from the bad guys and prevent an imminent war between the U.S. and Russia.
It's clear that every single director has shown their own personal style on each of the four Mission Impossible films, starting with Brian De Palma nearly fifteen years ago. He tried to keep the film so close to the original TV series. John Woo and J.J. Abrams tried to give a more relevant approach to Ethan Hunt's character and mixing it with his personal life. What I liked from Brad Bird's job was the exceptional work he did trying to focus the attention to Ethan Hunt's character over any other character on the film. I honestly could say that it looked like a light version of a James Bond film, with the only difference that in this particular case, Ethan Hunt supported his mission on a team that worked synchronized under his leading plan.
Obviously, it's not a surprise that Tom Cruise excelled his acting performance. The plot of the film might not be new, but we certainly can believe that it was extremely enjoyable for the amazing cast gathered for the film, and especially, for Tom Cruise's unique performace. He clearly matched director Brad Bird's vision and personal style.
Director Brad Bird had the unique style to mix the human side of each one of the main characters involved in the team, with some thrilling action scenes, AMAZING stunts (especially the ones performed by Tom Cruise himself!) and some drama.
In Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol, a secret agent is working on an assigment in Budapest trying to get some top secret documents related with nuclear bombs activities. This secret agent is killed by a professional assassin working for another team of extremists. Ethan Hunt is in a Russian prision and he's extracted by a IMF special team. Soon, he'll get his first assignment: To get some secret information attached to the documents lost by the agent killed in Budapest. They will have to get to the secret vault in the Kremlin. Ethan Hunt and his team are framed, accused of terrorism, and the IMF is shut down. Ethan Hunt and his team will have to obtain these secret codes and information before they get to the wrong hands, but they won't count with all the logistics, assistance and protection of their agency. They will have to perform this dangerous secret mission using all they have... Their knowledge, skills and few weapons.
The end of the film shows clearly what we already knew, that we'll enjoy sometime soon a Mission Impossible 5.
I would rate this movie with a 4.5/5
Directed by: Brad Bird
U.S. Rating: PG-13
It's clear that the "nuclear war game" is always profitable for good Hollywood action films, and Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol was not an exception. Brad Bird brought one more time the IMF team, led by Ethan Hunt, to save the world from the bad guys and prevent an imminent war between the U.S. and Russia.
It's clear that every single director has shown their own personal style on each of the four Mission Impossible films, starting with Brian De Palma nearly fifteen years ago. He tried to keep the film so close to the original TV series. John Woo and J.J. Abrams tried to give a more relevant approach to Ethan Hunt's character and mixing it with his personal life. What I liked from Brad Bird's job was the exceptional work he did trying to focus the attention to Ethan Hunt's character over any other character on the film. I honestly could say that it looked like a light version of a James Bond film, with the only difference that in this particular case, Ethan Hunt supported his mission on a team that worked synchronized under his leading plan.
Obviously, it's not a surprise that Tom Cruise excelled his acting performance. The plot of the film might not be new, but we certainly can believe that it was extremely enjoyable for the amazing cast gathered for the film, and especially, for Tom Cruise's unique performace. He clearly matched director Brad Bird's vision and personal style.
Director Brad Bird had the unique style to mix the human side of each one of the main characters involved in the team, with some thrilling action scenes, AMAZING stunts (especially the ones performed by Tom Cruise himself!) and some drama.
In Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol, a secret agent is working on an assigment in Budapest trying to get some top secret documents related with nuclear bombs activities. This secret agent is killed by a professional assassin working for another team of extremists. Ethan Hunt is in a Russian prision and he's extracted by a IMF special team. Soon, he'll get his first assignment: To get some secret information attached to the documents lost by the agent killed in Budapest. They will have to get to the secret vault in the Kremlin. Ethan Hunt and his team are framed, accused of terrorism, and the IMF is shut down. Ethan Hunt and his team will have to obtain these secret codes and information before they get to the wrong hands, but they won't count with all the logistics, assistance and protection of their agency. They will have to perform this dangerous secret mission using all they have... Their knowledge, skills and few weapons.
The end of the film shows clearly what we already knew, that we'll enjoy sometime soon a Mission Impossible 5.
I would rate this movie with a 4.5/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: Inspired by actual events, Kathy is an American police officer who takes a job working as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. Her expectations of helping to rebuild a devastated country are dashed when she uncovers a dangerous reality of corruption, cover-up and intrigue amid a world of private contractors and multinational diplomatic doubletalk.
Starring: Rachel Weisz, Vanessa Redgrave, David Strathairn, Monica Bellucci, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Directed by: Larissa Kondracki
U.S. Rating: R
British actress Rachel Weisz plays yet another amazing role on this thriller based on a true story. Supported by such an amazing cast, the interesting thing is that the film was all about Rachel's role and great performance.
The Whistleblower brings the true story of U.S. policewoman Kathryn Bolkovac, who receives a promising job offer that will pay her a large amount of money in just a short period of time. She becomes a U.N. peacekeeper and moves to Bosnia with the intent to protect the innocent civilians of Sarajevo. While she starts working on some cases, she soon stumbles across a human trafficking ring involving young women and teenagers and realizes that not only are the local police involved but so are many of her colleagues at the United Nations, who all have diplomatic immunity, making this serious and difficult situation, extremely difficult and dangerous to take all this corrupted political system down and bring the responsibles to justice.
The film had all the key elements to be one of the greatest thrillers of the year: A terific cast, a pretty strong and interesting story, but director Larysa Kondracki failed trying to deliver and show the drama and thriller needed to make it a memorable film. The film leaves so many things out of scene that could have helped the viewers to understand more about the events and ending.
I'll personally give it a high rate for Rachel's amazing performance and the interesting story.
I would rate this movie with a 4/5
Directed by: Larissa Kondracki
U.S. Rating: R
British actress Rachel Weisz plays yet another amazing role on this thriller based on a true story. Supported by such an amazing cast, the interesting thing is that the film was all about Rachel's role and great performance.
The Whistleblower brings the true story of U.S. policewoman Kathryn Bolkovac, who receives a promising job offer that will pay her a large amount of money in just a short period of time. She becomes a U.N. peacekeeper and moves to Bosnia with the intent to protect the innocent civilians of Sarajevo. While she starts working on some cases, she soon stumbles across a human trafficking ring involving young women and teenagers and realizes that not only are the local police involved but so are many of her colleagues at the United Nations, who all have diplomatic immunity, making this serious and difficult situation, extremely difficult and dangerous to take all this corrupted political system down and bring the responsibles to justice.
The film had all the key elements to be one of the greatest thrillers of the year: A terific cast, a pretty strong and interesting story, but director Larysa Kondracki failed trying to deliver and show the drama and thriller needed to make it a memorable film. The film leaves so many things out of scene that could have helped the viewers to understand more about the events and ending.
I'll personally give it a high rate for Rachel's amazing performance and the interesting story.
I would rate this movie with a 4/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
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Synopsis: In a private, wealthy community, priority is placed on security and no exception is made for the Miller family's estate. Behind their pristine walls and manicured gardens, Kyle, a fast-talking businessman, has entrusted the mansion's renovation to his stunning wife, Sarah. But between making those big decisions and keeping tabs on their defiant teenage daughter, Sarah often finds herself distracted by a young, handsome worker at their home. Nothing is what it seems, and it will take a group of cold-blooded criminals led by Elias, who have been planning a vicious home invasion for months, to bring the Miller family together. When they storm the manor, everyone is tangled up in betrayal, deception, temptation and scheming. Kyle, Sarah and Avery will take the ultimate risk to make it out with their lives -- and their family -- intact.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Ben Mendelsohn, Cam Gigandet, Liana Liberato
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
U.S. Rating: R
One of my top favorite movies is Hostage, with Bruce Willis. I really enjoy that film because it brought a great cast and direction, a pretty strong plot and such an explosive acting performance.
Even though it is not the case with Trespass, I must say the plots are kind of related. In Trespass, a wealthy family is being kept as hostage by a band of low-level criminals who wants to get some diamonds and money kept in the home safe. Kyle, the owner of the house and father of the family is a successful businessman who deals with diamonds. He's been watched by these criminals while they keep a record of all of his moves and business deals. The things go wrong for the band of criminals when Kyle manipulates them and create a series of events that will keep these criminals away from their objective. At the end, Kyle, his wife Sarah and his daughter have to take action and fight for their lives in this terrifying situation.
I wouldn't say Trespass is a Hostage "wanna-be". I must say that both films are performed by an excellent cast. In this particular case, Trespass brings Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Cam Gigandet and Ben Mendelsohn. The script is pretty intense, with some really smart and funny lines and dialogues, keeping the curiosity about what we think really happens. It is the kind of film that opens different situations and let your mind run as fast as it can, projecting all the possible events that will make you think you're right, when you're wrong. I would say the end is the only "expected" event on this film.
I really enjoyed it, it was good enough to keep my attention, keep my mind busy and entertained, even though, there were moments when I got a bit lost, with some gaps related with the band of criminals, their past, their relationship and plans.
No matter how low rating this film could have received in all previous reviews I read, I must say I totally enjoyed and would certainly recommend it.
I would rate this movie with a 3.5/5
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
U.S. Rating: R
One of my top favorite movies is Hostage, with Bruce Willis. I really enjoy that film because it brought a great cast and direction, a pretty strong plot and such an explosive acting performance.
Even though it is not the case with Trespass, I must say the plots are kind of related. In Trespass, a wealthy family is being kept as hostage by a band of low-level criminals who wants to get some diamonds and money kept in the home safe. Kyle, the owner of the house and father of the family is a successful businessman who deals with diamonds. He's been watched by these criminals while they keep a record of all of his moves and business deals. The things go wrong for the band of criminals when Kyle manipulates them and create a series of events that will keep these criminals away from their objective. At the end, Kyle, his wife Sarah and his daughter have to take action and fight for their lives in this terrifying situation.
I wouldn't say Trespass is a Hostage "wanna-be". I must say that both films are performed by an excellent cast. In this particular case, Trespass brings Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Cam Gigandet and Ben Mendelsohn. The script is pretty intense, with some really smart and funny lines and dialogues, keeping the curiosity about what we think really happens. It is the kind of film that opens different situations and let your mind run as fast as it can, projecting all the possible events that will make you think you're right, when you're wrong. I would say the end is the only "expected" event on this film.
I really enjoyed it, it was good enough to keep my attention, keep my mind busy and entertained, even though, there were moments when I got a bit lost, with some gaps related with the band of criminals, their past, their relationship and plans.
No matter how low rating this film could have received in all previous reviews I read, I must say I totally enjoyed and would certainly recommend it.
I would rate this movie with a 3.5/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
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Synopsis: Driver is a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene, a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard. After a heist intended to pay off Standard's protection money spins unpredictably out of control, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals. But when he realizes that the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash in his trunk - that they're coming straight for Irene and her son - Driver is forced to shift gears and go on offense.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman
Directed by: Nicholas Winding Refn
U.S. Rating: R
Contrary to most of the amazingly positive reviews and comments I read about Drive, I must say that I was expecting something different from this film.
Director Nicholas Winding Refn brings to the big screen another intense violence crime novel written by author James Sallis, about a yound guys working as a driving stuntman during the day, and as an expert getaway driver by night. Driver, as any other expert getaway driver, is a methodical quiet and private person who doesn't talk much and tries to keep that balance and silent perfection in his work, day and night. Driver meets his neighbor, Irene, and her little son, Benicio. Soon they will get into his life and he'll be breaking his own strict privacy and methodical way of work. While he's getting more into Irene's life, he meets the father of her son, Gabriel, who was released from prison. Things go bad when Driver finds Gabriel beaten up by some strong-armed mobsters and he's forced to do some dirty work and collect some money for the leader of these mobsters. When Driver tries to help Gabriel to get this dirty job done, get clean of his debt with these mobsters, things go wrong, Gabriel is killed and soon he'll find that no one is safe, especially Irene and her son. Driver will take the problem in his hands, forced to unleash his dark and most dangerous side.
My review is based on my own personal impression of this film, and that's why it might vary from so many other opinions. First of all, I felt the film was extremely slow. The lack of dialogue made it really hard to follow. There were some moments when I got anxious to know what was going on, since everything on this film was running like in slow mode. Director Nicholas Winding Refn, just like in his previous films, tries to display some strong violence, making it in some moments hard to diggest. It was actually like watching a Tarantino film in slow mode. Extreme violence, a very slow plot, but must admit that in the other hand, worked with such an amazing and talented cast. Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan made it worth to watch. I personally believe it's been a pretty good year for Ryan Gosling and we should be prepared to see more of his talent in the near future.
Directed by: Nicholas Winding Refn
U.S. Rating: R
Contrary to most of the amazingly positive reviews and comments I read about Drive, I must say that I was expecting something different from this film.
Director Nicholas Winding Refn brings to the big screen another intense violence crime novel written by author James Sallis, about a yound guys working as a driving stuntman during the day, and as an expert getaway driver by night. Driver, as any other expert getaway driver, is a methodical quiet and private person who doesn't talk much and tries to keep that balance and silent perfection in his work, day and night. Driver meets his neighbor, Irene, and her little son, Benicio. Soon they will get into his life and he'll be breaking his own strict privacy and methodical way of work. While he's getting more into Irene's life, he meets the father of her son, Gabriel, who was released from prison. Things go bad when Driver finds Gabriel beaten up by some strong-armed mobsters and he's forced to do some dirty work and collect some money for the leader of these mobsters. When Driver tries to help Gabriel to get this dirty job done, get clean of his debt with these mobsters, things go wrong, Gabriel is killed and soon he'll find that no one is safe, especially Irene and her son. Driver will take the problem in his hands, forced to unleash his dark and most dangerous side.
My review is based on my own personal impression of this film, and that's why it might vary from so many other opinions. First of all, I felt the film was extremely slow. The lack of dialogue made it really hard to follow. There were some moments when I got anxious to know what was going on, since everything on this film was running like in slow mode. Director Nicholas Winding Refn, just like in his previous films, tries to display some strong violence, making it in some moments hard to diggest. It was actually like watching a Tarantino film in slow mode. Extreme violence, a very slow plot, but must admit that in the other hand, worked with such an amazing and talented cast. Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan made it worth to watch. I personally believe it's been a pretty good year for Ryan Gosling and we should be prepared to see more of his talent in the near future.
There's a particular characteristic on this film. Director Nicholas Winding Refn always like to work with open ends. He believes is part of the art expressed on this entertainment world, working on stories that will allow viewers to think and get different opinions about all different possible situations. That's something I enjoyed, since we could think different things from the end of this film about what really happened with Driver.
I would rate this movie with a 2/5
I would rate this movie with a 2/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
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Synopsis: A teen finds himself in mortal danger after realizing that his entire childhood has been built on lies. Realizing that the people who raised him aren't his real parents after stumbling across a childhood photo of himself on a website devoted to missing children, the frightened teen flees for his life as FBI agents Frank Burton and Sandra Burns race to protect him and uncover the truth about his mysterious past.
Starring: Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs
Directed by: John Singleton
U.S. Rating: PG-13
I've always said that The Twilight Saga should ever be remembered for gathering the worst and most untalented cast in Hollywood. I personally believe that those films have been extremely successful for anything you might think, but the talent and acting performance of its cast.
I remember discussing this with my wife Mary, she agreed with me on most of my comments, but disagreed about Taylor Lautner. She said this guy was the best from the Twilight cast and shouldn't be considered as a low level actor as Robert Pattinson or any other guy from the Saga.
Well, after watching Abduction, I should say one more time that Taylor Lautner is just another untalented actor from the Twilight cast. If there were some doubts, his performance on this film confirmed my thoughts about his acting performance. The sad thing about this film is that it actually had a pretty interesting script for a good action movie, not mentioning the great supporting cast (Sigourney Weaver and Alfred Molina). The acting performance of all the cast involved in this film showed just a poor acting performance. Taylor Lautner's acting reactions, in several scenes were so awful and fake that it even looked ridiculous! Even Sigourney Weaver, which I consider such a high profile actress had some low moments on her acting performance on this film.
Anyway, as said before, it is a good action script that could have been extremely sucessful with a better cast, especially, a better lead role. With Taylor Lautner, it looked just like a "Bourne wanna-be" film.
The film is about the story of Nathan Harper, a teenager who lives with his parents, Kevin and Mara. He frequently consults a psychiatrist, Dr. Geraldine Bennett, about s a recurring nightmare, trying to discover the meaning of it.
During a school assignment about missing children, Nathan is partnered with his neighbor Karen Murphy. Karen finds a website that shows how the children would look like as adults, and they discover that a young boy named Steven Price would look exactly like Nathan, when Price got older. Searching in his basement, he finds the same shirt that Steven is wearing in the picture and realizes that he and Steven are the same person.
Nathan calls the website's owner, unaware that he is a Russian terrorist. The man reports back to his commander, Viktor Kozlow, who deploys two agents to Nathan's house. They attack Nathan's parents, who tell him to run before being murdered and the house is destroyed. Nathan and Karen escape and attempt to call the police, but the call is intercepted by CIA operative Frank Burton, who tells Nathan that he's in danger and sends a team to pick him up.
Before the team arrives, Dr. Bennett appears and tells Nathan that Burton can't be trusted. She reveals that Nathan's biological father, Martin, is a CIA agent who stole a list from Kozlow with the names of corrupt CIA operatives and that Kozlow created the website in order to locate Nathan and use him as leverage to force Martin to return the list. Kozlow's men appear, having intercepted Nathan's call. Bennett tells Nathan to run away and head for a safe house in Arlington, Virginia. Karen decides to go with Nathan. Before they leave, Bennett tells him he can only trust his father and a man called Paul Rasen, and blows up her car to facilitate both their escape and her own.
Nathan and Karen arrive at the safe house, where Nathan finds Martin's cellphone as well as an address and photo of his biological mother, Lorna Price. They discover that she is dead. Nathan visits her grave and notices fresh flowers, so Karen asks the caretaker about recent visitors. He reveals that the last visitor was Paul Rasen from Nebraska.
Nathan and Karen head to Nebraska on a train; Kozlow's right-hand man follows them. When Karen leaves to get food, he kidnaps her and attempts to capture Nathan, but Nathan overpowers him and throws him off the train. Karen escapes and reunites with Nathan. They leave when the train stops in response to Kozlow's agent's death. Nathan takes Kozlow's agent's phone during the fight.
Burton and his men find and convince the two that they want to help. They stop at a diner, where Burton tells Nathan about the list. Nathan checks Martin's phone and finds the list, which contains Burton's name. Before Burton can react, Kozlow's men attack the diner and kill several of Burton's men. Nathan and Karen escape while Burton and his partner kill Kozlow's men.
Kozlow's right-hand man's cellphone rings and Nathan answers it. Kozlow reveals that he has planned to kidnap Karen's parents and will kill them if Nathan doesn't give him the list. Nathan agrees, but says that he'll choose the place of the exchange. Kozlow agrees. Nathan realizes that his nightmares are due to repressed memories of Lorna being murdered by Kozlow while trying to protect him.
Nathan decides to give Kozlow the list at a Pirates baseball game, and reveals to Karen that he actually intends to kill Kozlow. Nathan receives a call from Martin, who tells him not to give Kazlow the list. Nathan ignores his advice, and tries to shoot Kozlow, who steals the gun and tries to force Nathan to give him the list. Burton's men, stationed all over the stadium, open fire as Nathan escapes, with Kozlow in pursuit.
Martin calls Nathan and tells him to lure Kozlow to an open area. Nathan does so, and, as Kozlow prepares to kill Nathan, Martin kills Kozlow with a sniper shot fired from a nearby building. Burton's men appear and capture Nathan. On their way to CIA headquarters, Burton attempts to decrypt Martin's cellphone. However, his superiors reveal that Martin has warned them that Burton would attempt this in order to remove his own name, and Burton is detained.
Martin calls Nathan one last time and apologizes for everything. He says that he'll always be watching over Nathan, who reunites with Karen and Bennett, who tells him that she has arranged for him to live with her until he graduates, at which point he can move out to attend college. Nathan thanks her and leaves with Karen for a date in the empty stadium.
Definitely a good script that could have been a great action film. Sad it lacked of good acting performance.
I would rate this movie with a 2/5
Directed by: John Singleton
U.S. Rating: PG-13
I've always said that The Twilight Saga should ever be remembered for gathering the worst and most untalented cast in Hollywood. I personally believe that those films have been extremely successful for anything you might think, but the talent and acting performance of its cast.
I remember discussing this with my wife Mary, she agreed with me on most of my comments, but disagreed about Taylor Lautner. She said this guy was the best from the Twilight cast and shouldn't be considered as a low level actor as Robert Pattinson or any other guy from the Saga.
Well, after watching Abduction, I should say one more time that Taylor Lautner is just another untalented actor from the Twilight cast. If there were some doubts, his performance on this film confirmed my thoughts about his acting performance. The sad thing about this film is that it actually had a pretty interesting script for a good action movie, not mentioning the great supporting cast (Sigourney Weaver and Alfred Molina). The acting performance of all the cast involved in this film showed just a poor acting performance. Taylor Lautner's acting reactions, in several scenes were so awful and fake that it even looked ridiculous! Even Sigourney Weaver, which I consider such a high profile actress had some low moments on her acting performance on this film.
Anyway, as said before, it is a good action script that could have been extremely sucessful with a better cast, especially, a better lead role. With Taylor Lautner, it looked just like a "Bourne wanna-be" film.
The film is about the story of Nathan Harper, a teenager who lives with his parents, Kevin and Mara. He frequently consults a psychiatrist, Dr. Geraldine Bennett, about s a recurring nightmare, trying to discover the meaning of it.
During a school assignment about missing children, Nathan is partnered with his neighbor Karen Murphy. Karen finds a website that shows how the children would look like as adults, and they discover that a young boy named Steven Price would look exactly like Nathan, when Price got older. Searching in his basement, he finds the same shirt that Steven is wearing in the picture and realizes that he and Steven are the same person.
Nathan calls the website's owner, unaware that he is a Russian terrorist. The man reports back to his commander, Viktor Kozlow, who deploys two agents to Nathan's house. They attack Nathan's parents, who tell him to run before being murdered and the house is destroyed. Nathan and Karen escape and attempt to call the police, but the call is intercepted by CIA operative Frank Burton, who tells Nathan that he's in danger and sends a team to pick him up.
Before the team arrives, Dr. Bennett appears and tells Nathan that Burton can't be trusted. She reveals that Nathan's biological father, Martin, is a CIA agent who stole a list from Kozlow with the names of corrupt CIA operatives and that Kozlow created the website in order to locate Nathan and use him as leverage to force Martin to return the list. Kozlow's men appear, having intercepted Nathan's call. Bennett tells Nathan to run away and head for a safe house in Arlington, Virginia. Karen decides to go with Nathan. Before they leave, Bennett tells him he can only trust his father and a man called Paul Rasen, and blows up her car to facilitate both their escape and her own.
Nathan and Karen arrive at the safe house, where Nathan finds Martin's cellphone as well as an address and photo of his biological mother, Lorna Price. They discover that she is dead. Nathan visits her grave and notices fresh flowers, so Karen asks the caretaker about recent visitors. He reveals that the last visitor was Paul Rasen from Nebraska.
Nathan and Karen head to Nebraska on a train; Kozlow's right-hand man follows them. When Karen leaves to get food, he kidnaps her and attempts to capture Nathan, but Nathan overpowers him and throws him off the train. Karen escapes and reunites with Nathan. They leave when the train stops in response to Kozlow's agent's death. Nathan takes Kozlow's agent's phone during the fight.
Burton and his men find and convince the two that they want to help. They stop at a diner, where Burton tells Nathan about the list. Nathan checks Martin's phone and finds the list, which contains Burton's name. Before Burton can react, Kozlow's men attack the diner and kill several of Burton's men. Nathan and Karen escape while Burton and his partner kill Kozlow's men.
Kozlow's right-hand man's cellphone rings and Nathan answers it. Kozlow reveals that he has planned to kidnap Karen's parents and will kill them if Nathan doesn't give him the list. Nathan agrees, but says that he'll choose the place of the exchange. Kozlow agrees. Nathan realizes that his nightmares are due to repressed memories of Lorna being murdered by Kozlow while trying to protect him.
Nathan decides to give Kozlow the list at a Pirates baseball game, and reveals to Karen that he actually intends to kill Kozlow. Nathan receives a call from Martin, who tells him not to give Kazlow the list. Nathan ignores his advice, and tries to shoot Kozlow, who steals the gun and tries to force Nathan to give him the list. Burton's men, stationed all over the stadium, open fire as Nathan escapes, with Kozlow in pursuit.
Martin calls Nathan and tells him to lure Kozlow to an open area. Nathan does so, and, as Kozlow prepares to kill Nathan, Martin kills Kozlow with a sniper shot fired from a nearby building. Burton's men appear and capture Nathan. On their way to CIA headquarters, Burton attempts to decrypt Martin's cellphone. However, his superiors reveal that Martin has warned them that Burton would attempt this in order to remove his own name, and Burton is detained.
Martin calls Nathan one last time and apologizes for everything. He says that he'll always be watching over Nathan, who reunites with Karen and Bennett, who tells him that she has arranged for him to live with her until he graduates, at which point he can move out to attend college. Nathan thanks her and leaves with Karen for a date in the empty stadium.
Definitely a good script that could have been a great action film. Sad it lacked of good acting performance.
I would rate this movie with a 2/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: The time is 1973. The Cold War of the mid-20th Century continues to damage international relations. Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), a.k.a. MI6 and code-named the Circus, is striving to keep pace with other countries' espionage efforts and to keep the U.K. secure. The head of the Circus, known as Control, personally sends dedicated operative Jim Prideaux into Hungary. But Jim's mission goes bloodily awry, and Control is forced out of the Circus - as is his top lieutenant, George Smiley, a career spy with razor-sharp senses.
Estranged from his absent wife Ann, Smiley is soon called in to see undersecretary Oliver Lacon; he is to be rehired in secret at the government's behest, as there is a gnawing fear that the Circus has long been compromised by a double agent, or mole, working for the Soviets and jeopardizing England. Supported by younger agent Peter Guillam, Smiley parses Circus activities past and present. In trying to track and identify the mole, Smiley is haunted by his decades-earlier interaction with the shadowy Russian spy master Karla.
The mole's trail remains cold until maverick field agent Ricki Tarr unexpectedly contacts Lacon. While undercover in Turkey, Ricki has fallen for a betrayed married woman, Irina, who claims to possess crucial intelligence. Separately, Smiley learns that Control narrowed down the list of mole suspects to five men. They are the ambitious Percy Alleline, whom he had code-named Tinker; suavely confident Bill Haydon, dubbed Tailor; stalwart Roy Bland, called Soldier; officious Toby Esterhase, dubbed Poor Man; and - Smiley himself.
Even before the startling truth is revealed, the emotional and physical tolls on the players enmeshed in the deadly international spy game will escalate...
Estranged from his absent wife Ann, Smiley is soon called in to see undersecretary Oliver Lacon; he is to be rehired in secret at the government's behest, as there is a gnawing fear that the Circus has long been compromised by a double agent, or mole, working for the Soviets and jeopardizing England. Supported by younger agent Peter Guillam, Smiley parses Circus activities past and present. In trying to track and identify the mole, Smiley is haunted by his decades-earlier interaction with the shadowy Russian spy master Karla.
The mole's trail remains cold until maverick field agent Ricki Tarr unexpectedly contacts Lacon. While undercover in Turkey, Ricki has fallen for a betrayed married woman, Irina, who claims to possess crucial intelligence. Separately, Smiley learns that Control narrowed down the list of mole suspects to five men. They are the ambitious Percy Alleline, whom he had code-named Tinker; suavely confident Bill Haydon, dubbed Tailor; stalwart Roy Bland, called Soldier; officious Toby Esterhase, dubbed Poor Man; and - Smiley himself.
Even before the startling truth is revealed, the emotional and physical tolls on the players enmeshed in the deadly international spy game will escalate...
Starring: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones
Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
U.S. Rating: R
Yes, we should start mentioning that Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy could be considered a spy film master piece. The film is based on the 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. It is not a surprise the film could get such a great critic and reviews. In 1979, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was adapted to television as a seven-part series for the BBC, being one of the best TV series of its kind and time.
The film clearly showed that you actually can produce a film to the masses that is just not an and intelligent and very thought provoking film, but a film that basically didn't need explosions, gun fights, to keep you entertained and absorbed. Played by such an amazing cast, the film is well directed, and perfectly adapted to its time.
If you want to know more about the plot:
British intelligence officer George Smiley comes out of retirement to uncover a Russian double agent. Agent Ricki Tarr had been sent to Istanbul to investigate a Soviet agent, Boris. He is about to return to London, when he sees Boris beating up his wife, Irina, and he starts an affair with her. Irina is also a Soviet agent and tells him of the existence of a mole (a penetration agent) run by Soviet spymaster Karla, within the "Circus", the headquarters of British intelligence. Tarr takes his suspicions to Oliver Lacon, the senior civil servant in charge of intelligence.
Smiley's former boss, Control, had suspected the existence of the mole and sends agent Jim Prideaux to Budapest, Hungary to meet a Hungarian general who wishes to provide information. The operation is blown and Prideaux is shot in the back and captured by Soviet intelligence. As a result Control and Smiley retire from the Circus and Percy Alleline becomes Chief, with Bill Haydon as his deputy. Their ability to deliver apparently high grade Soviet intelligence material, code named "Witchcraft", establishes their status.
Smiley's investigations, authorised by Lacon and aided by Peter Guillam and retired researcher Connie Sachs, follow Control's chain of thought, investigating suspects code named "Tinker" (Alleline), "Tailor" (Haydon), "Soldier" (Roy Bland) and "Poorman" (Toby Esterhase). Prideaux, who has been repatriated, is interviewed at the prep school where he has taken a position as a teacher. With the aid of Tarr, Smiley lays a trap and captures the mole, who is revealed to be Haydon, at a safe-house, along with Polyakov, a Soviet intelligence officer, to whom the mole had been passing secrets, under the guise of receiving Witchcraft material. Jim Prideaux tracks his former friend Haydon down to the "Nursery" at Sarratt, the agent training and interrogation centre for the Circus, and shoots him dead. Smiley is elevated to take control of the Circus.
Totally recommended!
I would rate this movie with a 4/5
Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
U.S. Rating: R
Yes, we should start mentioning that Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy could be considered a spy film master piece. The film is based on the 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. It is not a surprise the film could get such a great critic and reviews. In 1979, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was adapted to television as a seven-part series for the BBC, being one of the best TV series of its kind and time.
The film clearly showed that you actually can produce a film to the masses that is just not an and intelligent and very thought provoking film, but a film that basically didn't need explosions, gun fights, to keep you entertained and absorbed. Played by such an amazing cast, the film is well directed, and perfectly adapted to its time.
If you want to know more about the plot:
British intelligence officer George Smiley comes out of retirement to uncover a Russian double agent. Agent Ricki Tarr had been sent to Istanbul to investigate a Soviet agent, Boris. He is about to return to London, when he sees Boris beating up his wife, Irina, and he starts an affair with her. Irina is also a Soviet agent and tells him of the existence of a mole (a penetration agent) run by Soviet spymaster Karla, within the "Circus", the headquarters of British intelligence. Tarr takes his suspicions to Oliver Lacon, the senior civil servant in charge of intelligence.
Smiley's former boss, Control, had suspected the existence of the mole and sends agent Jim Prideaux to Budapest, Hungary to meet a Hungarian general who wishes to provide information. The operation is blown and Prideaux is shot in the back and captured by Soviet intelligence. As a result Control and Smiley retire from the Circus and Percy Alleline becomes Chief, with Bill Haydon as his deputy. Their ability to deliver apparently high grade Soviet intelligence material, code named "Witchcraft", establishes their status.
Smiley's investigations, authorised by Lacon and aided by Peter Guillam and retired researcher Connie Sachs, follow Control's chain of thought, investigating suspects code named "Tinker" (Alleline), "Tailor" (Haydon), "Soldier" (Roy Bland) and "Poorman" (Toby Esterhase). Prideaux, who has been repatriated, is interviewed at the prep school where he has taken a position as a teacher. With the aid of Tarr, Smiley lays a trap and captures the mole, who is revealed to be Haydon, at a safe-house, along with Polyakov, a Soviet intelligence officer, to whom the mole had been passing secrets, under the guise of receiving Witchcraft material. Jim Prideaux tracks his former friend Haydon down to the "Nursery" at Sarratt, the agent training and interrogation centre for the Circus, and shoots him dead. Smiley is elevated to take control of the Circus.
Totally recommended!
I would rate this movie with a 4/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he's ever known, he learns he's part of a government experiment called the "Source Code," a program that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second, much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Colter re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Arden
Directed by: Duncan Jones
U.S. Rating: PG-13
Source Code was one of the first expected Sci-Fi films of the year in my "must-see" list. To honor the film, I must say it was entertaining, the plot was different (well, sort of) and the cast was magnific.
What is the film about? Well, Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a decorated army helicopter pilot who finds himself in a mission to locate the author of a bomb which exploded and destroyed a train headed into Chicago. Stevens is isolated inside a chamber, where Air Force officer Capt. Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) explains to Stevens through a computer screen that he is inside the Source Code, a program that allows him to take over someone's body in his or her last eight minutes of life.
Stevens' mission is to locate the bomb, discover who built it, and report back to Goodwin before the bomber can detonate a second larger bomb, a dirty nuclear device, in downtown Chicago, which could cause the deaths of millions of people. Stevens can perform different actions each time and learn from those actions. Goodwin and the Source Code's creator, Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), tell him that the Source Code is not a simulation, but a visit into the past in the form of an alternative reality. He's told that he cannot truly alter the past in the same reality to save Christina or any of the other passengers, but that he must gather intel that can be used to alter the future and prevent a future attack.
Every time he is sent into the train he awakens as Sean Fentress, a teacher, sitting across a woman named Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan). A series of events repeat each time with slight variations while he goes on searching for the terrorist and deepening his relationship with Christina, until the bomb that destroys the train goes off and Stevens (as Fentress) dies, sending him back to the chamber.
Stevens has no memory of how he arrived to the mission; his last memory is of flying in a recent mission in Afghanistan while taking on enemy gunfire. Confused and frustrated, Stevens wonders how he got assigned to this project. Using a cellphone, he eventually discovers that he supposedly died in the war two months ago and that his severely injured body was apparently appropriated by the Air Force and used by Rutledge to enter the Source Code.
Stevens is sent back several more times. The second time he locates the bomb in the ventilation shaft above the bathroom. Each time he learns more, both about the terrorist attack and his real life personal situation, even though Rutledge and Goodwin constantly direct him to focus on finding the bomber. Stevens resolves to complete his mission, now with the added personal goal of saving Christina and the people on the train if at all possible.
He eventually discovers that the bomber is an American extremist named Derek Frost (Michael Arden). Stevens pursues Frost to a white van where the radioactive bomb is hidden. Stevens is eventually shot dead in the confrontation, but still able to gather enough information about Frost to inform Rutledge and Goodwin after he awakes from the source-code. Authorities are able to apprehend Frost and save Chicago before the second bomb is detonated.
With the mission accomplished, Rutledge orders Stevens' memory wiped/erased and stored for reuse in further missions. But Stevens persuades Goodwin to send him in one more time and give him one last chance to avert the train disaster. Goodwin agrees that he deserves to be allowed to die in peace afterwards instead of being held alive as a military artifact.
With the information he has uncovered from previous sorties, Stevens is able to defuse the bomb and capture Frost before he can destroy the train. Frost is arrested by the police and the people on the train are saved. Stevens and Christina kiss in the last seconds before the plug is to be pulled at the eight-minute mark. In that instant, Goodwin turns off his life support per his request, but to his surprise, his mind remains in Sean Fentress' body, being able to safely leave the train with Christina and the rest of the passengers. (Source: Wikipedia)
When I started watching the film, I found some similarities with other previous films, for example, Deja Vú (with Denzel Washington). An army project that is able to move in time to control and change important events and find the responsibles of those events. The plot was really simple but played by an amazing cast who made it worth to watch. I wouldn't say the film ends with a twisted scene or situation, but I didn't expect it.
I would rate this movie with a 3.5/5
Directed by: Duncan Jones
U.S. Rating: PG-13
Source Code was one of the first expected Sci-Fi films of the year in my "must-see" list. To honor the film, I must say it was entertaining, the plot was different (well, sort of) and the cast was magnific.
What is the film about? Well, Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a decorated army helicopter pilot who finds himself in a mission to locate the author of a bomb which exploded and destroyed a train headed into Chicago. Stevens is isolated inside a chamber, where Air Force officer Capt. Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) explains to Stevens through a computer screen that he is inside the Source Code, a program that allows him to take over someone's body in his or her last eight minutes of life.
Stevens' mission is to locate the bomb, discover who built it, and report back to Goodwin before the bomber can detonate a second larger bomb, a dirty nuclear device, in downtown Chicago, which could cause the deaths of millions of people. Stevens can perform different actions each time and learn from those actions. Goodwin and the Source Code's creator, Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright), tell him that the Source Code is not a simulation, but a visit into the past in the form of an alternative reality. He's told that he cannot truly alter the past in the same reality to save Christina or any of the other passengers, but that he must gather intel that can be used to alter the future and prevent a future attack.
Every time he is sent into the train he awakens as Sean Fentress, a teacher, sitting across a woman named Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan). A series of events repeat each time with slight variations while he goes on searching for the terrorist and deepening his relationship with Christina, until the bomb that destroys the train goes off and Stevens (as Fentress) dies, sending him back to the chamber.
Stevens has no memory of how he arrived to the mission; his last memory is of flying in a recent mission in Afghanistan while taking on enemy gunfire. Confused and frustrated, Stevens wonders how he got assigned to this project. Using a cellphone, he eventually discovers that he supposedly died in the war two months ago and that his severely injured body was apparently appropriated by the Air Force and used by Rutledge to enter the Source Code.
Stevens is sent back several more times. The second time he locates the bomb in the ventilation shaft above the bathroom. Each time he learns more, both about the terrorist attack and his real life personal situation, even though Rutledge and Goodwin constantly direct him to focus on finding the bomber. Stevens resolves to complete his mission, now with the added personal goal of saving Christina and the people on the train if at all possible.
He eventually discovers that the bomber is an American extremist named Derek Frost (Michael Arden). Stevens pursues Frost to a white van where the radioactive bomb is hidden. Stevens is eventually shot dead in the confrontation, but still able to gather enough information about Frost to inform Rutledge and Goodwin after he awakes from the source-code. Authorities are able to apprehend Frost and save Chicago before the second bomb is detonated.
With the mission accomplished, Rutledge orders Stevens' memory wiped/erased and stored for reuse in further missions. But Stevens persuades Goodwin to send him in one more time and give him one last chance to avert the train disaster. Goodwin agrees that he deserves to be allowed to die in peace afterwards instead of being held alive as a military artifact.
With the information he has uncovered from previous sorties, Stevens is able to defuse the bomb and capture Frost before he can destroy the train. Frost is arrested by the police and the people on the train are saved. Stevens and Christina kiss in the last seconds before the plug is to be pulled at the eight-minute mark. In that instant, Goodwin turns off his life support per his request, but to his surprise, his mind remains in Sean Fentress' body, being able to safely leave the train with Christina and the rest of the passengers. (Source: Wikipedia)
When I started watching the film, I found some similarities with other previous films, for example, Deja Vú (with Denzel Washington). An army project that is able to move in time to control and change important events and find the responsibles of those events. The plot was really simple but played by an amazing cast who made it worth to watch. I wouldn't say the film ends with a twisted scene or situation, but I didn't expect it.
I would rate this movie with a 3.5/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: After 10 years in prison, Driver has a singular focus - to avenge the murder of his brother during the botched bank robbery that led to his imprisonment. Now a free man with a deadly to-do list in hand, he's finally on his mission... but with two men on his trail - a veteran cop just days from retirement, and a young egocentric hitman with a flair for the art of killing and a newfound worthy opponent. The hunter is also the hunted. It's a do or die race to the list's finish as they myster surrounding his brother's murder deepens, and new details emerge along the way hinting that Driver's list may be incomplete.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Maggie Grace, Oliver Jackson Cohen, Moon Bloodgood
Directed by: George Tillman Jr
U.S. Rating: R
Being such a huge fan of Dwane "The Rock" Johnson's films, I couldn't let this one go away, even more, because he's back to the action films.
Driver (Dwayne) has spent the last 10 years in prison waiting to come out and avenge the murder of his brother during a bank robbery. Driver and his brother were hit by another gang, taking the money they stole from the bank and killing every single one of them. The only problem is that Driver, being shot in the head, didn't die. They thought he was killed, but he recovered and was put in jail for this robbery.
After 10 years, he's got some help from an outsider, providing him with the list of every single person involved in that gang that killed his brother and shot him in the head. Without hesitation, he drives straight to every single target, killing them with no remorse. The only problem is that he's been put in a killing list, along with the same people he's been hunting down.
In the meantime, Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) and Cicero (Carla Gugino), both detectives from the local PD, try to follow Driver's steps and stop him.
At the end, Driver has avenged gis brother's death, killing every single one of the involved in this event, in addition to the leader of the team.
Dwayne Johnson performed such a great and entertaining role in this action film. It was a pretty good film, if... There weren't some other roles and situations that shouldn't be part of the plot. For example, I never understood the need of a narcissist hitman and his girlfriend to kill those people for just $1. I found these two roles and their scenes, totally unnecessary.
I'm so glad "The Rock" is back in business. He needs to be more involved in these kind of tdrama, thriller and ough action films, the ones that have given him the fame and reputation in Hollywood. If you're a huge fan of Dwayne Johnson's film, you will enjoy the film.
I would rate this movie with a 3/5
Directed by: George Tillman Jr
U.S. Rating: R
Being such a huge fan of Dwane "The Rock" Johnson's films, I couldn't let this one go away, even more, because he's back to the action films.
Driver (Dwayne) has spent the last 10 years in prison waiting to come out and avenge the murder of his brother during a bank robbery. Driver and his brother were hit by another gang, taking the money they stole from the bank and killing every single one of them. The only problem is that Driver, being shot in the head, didn't die. They thought he was killed, but he recovered and was put in jail for this robbery.
After 10 years, he's got some help from an outsider, providing him with the list of every single person involved in that gang that killed his brother and shot him in the head. Without hesitation, he drives straight to every single target, killing them with no remorse. The only problem is that he's been put in a killing list, along with the same people he's been hunting down.
In the meantime, Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) and Cicero (Carla Gugino), both detectives from the local PD, try to follow Driver's steps and stop him.
At the end, Driver has avenged gis brother's death, killing every single one of the involved in this event, in addition to the leader of the team.
Dwayne Johnson performed such a great and entertaining role in this action film. It was a pretty good film, if... There weren't some other roles and situations that shouldn't be part of the plot. For example, I never understood the need of a narcissist hitman and his girlfriend to kill those people for just $1. I found these two roles and their scenes, totally unnecessary.
I'm so glad "The Rock" is back in business. He needs to be more involved in these kind of tdrama, thriller and ough action films, the ones that have given him the fame and reputation in Hollywood. If you're a huge fan of Dwayne Johnson's film, you will enjoy the film.
I would rate this movie with a 3/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
Synopsis: Before becoming a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor, and country. She will prove loyal to these when a defector accuses her of being a Russian sleeper spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, protect her husband, and stay one step ahead of her colleagues at the CIA.
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andre Braugher
Directed by: Phillip Noyce
U.S. Rating: PG-13
One of my favorite films watched this last Summer 2010. Even though, the film couldn't offer the kind of material to be considered a "Bourne" kind of film, it was actually really, really good and entertaining.
The plot is about CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), who's been kept captive in a North Korean prison, being tortured on suspicion of being an American spy. She's released as part of a prisoner exchange and she is assisted by Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber). All this prisoner exchange process was delivered thanks to the huge efforts of her husband, Michael Krause (August Diehl), a German arachnologist.
Two years later, Salt is back working for the CIA. Fifteen minutes before she leaves to celebrate her anniversary, a Russian defector named Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) arrives to their offices and confesses he has vital information about an attempt to kill the Russian president. Orlov tells Salt about "Day X," a Russian plot to destroy the United States by using English-speaking sleeper agents trained from birth. Agent "KA-12" will kill the Russian President Boris Matveyev (Olek Krupa) at the funeral of the American vice president. Orlov reveals that KA-12 is named "Evelyn Salt."
Salt, understandably shocked by the accusation, tries to call and contact her husband because she realizes that he is also in danger but he doesn't answer. When Winter and Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) decide to detain Salt, she escapes and makes her way back to her apartment building. Finding signs that Michael was kidnapped.
After evading CIA pursuit, Salt works on a plan to "kill" the Russian president and through that event, be able to go back to the site where Orlov and his comrades are hidden. Salt kills them all and continues with Orlov's mission, meeting a fellow agent named Shnaider (Corey Stoll), who was her friend back in Russia, currently disguised as Czech NATO liaison Edvard Tomas. The two of them infiltrate the White House, where Shnaider sets off a suicide bomb, causing the President to be moved to the lower bunker, with Salt in hot pursuit. With everybody's attention focused on Salt, Winter kills everyone in the bunker except for President Lewis, revealing himself to also be a Russian sleeper agent. He then takes over the defense computers enabled by the President, and begins preparations to launch nuclear missiles to multiple targets in the middle east. Salt manages to penetrate the bunker, reuniting with Winter. Winter finds out that Salt didn't kill the Russian president and tries to kill her. Salt eventually aborts the launch, but is arrested by Secret Service while Winter is given medical attention. Salt manages to use the chain of her handcuffs to choke and kill Winter.
Salt is put on a helicopter with Peabody, and she explains everything to him, and that because "they took everything from her" she wants to kill the rest of Orlov's agents in revenge. A skeptical Peabody eventually accepts she is telling the truth after he receives an SMS saying that Salt's fingerprints were found at the barge, confirming her betrayal of Orlov. Because there are other moles, Peabody allows her to escape so she can go after them. He uncuffs Salt, says to her "Go get'em!", and Salt jumps into the Potomac River, free once more.
Salt is actually a pretty good and entertaining action flick, even though, as said before... It doesn't have the material to make it a huge franchise success like "The Bourne" trilogy, "James Bond" or any other memorable secret agent films franchise.
I would rate this movie with a 4/5
Directed by: Phillip Noyce
U.S. Rating: PG-13
One of my favorite films watched this last Summer 2010. Even though, the film couldn't offer the kind of material to be considered a "Bourne" kind of film, it was actually really, really good and entertaining.
The plot is about CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie), who's been kept captive in a North Korean prison, being tortured on suspicion of being an American spy. She's released as part of a prisoner exchange and she is assisted by Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber). All this prisoner exchange process was delivered thanks to the huge efforts of her husband, Michael Krause (August Diehl), a German arachnologist.
Two years later, Salt is back working for the CIA. Fifteen minutes before she leaves to celebrate her anniversary, a Russian defector named Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) arrives to their offices and confesses he has vital information about an attempt to kill the Russian president. Orlov tells Salt about "Day X," a Russian plot to destroy the United States by using English-speaking sleeper agents trained from birth. Agent "KA-12" will kill the Russian President Boris Matveyev (Olek Krupa) at the funeral of the American vice president. Orlov reveals that KA-12 is named "Evelyn Salt."
Salt, understandably shocked by the accusation, tries to call and contact her husband because she realizes that he is also in danger but he doesn't answer. When Winter and Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) decide to detain Salt, she escapes and makes her way back to her apartment building. Finding signs that Michael was kidnapped.
After evading CIA pursuit, Salt works on a plan to "kill" the Russian president and through that event, be able to go back to the site where Orlov and his comrades are hidden. Salt kills them all and continues with Orlov's mission, meeting a fellow agent named Shnaider (Corey Stoll), who was her friend back in Russia, currently disguised as Czech NATO liaison Edvard Tomas. The two of them infiltrate the White House, where Shnaider sets off a suicide bomb, causing the President to be moved to the lower bunker, with Salt in hot pursuit. With everybody's attention focused on Salt, Winter kills everyone in the bunker except for President Lewis, revealing himself to also be a Russian sleeper agent. He then takes over the defense computers enabled by the President, and begins preparations to launch nuclear missiles to multiple targets in the middle east. Salt manages to penetrate the bunker, reuniting with Winter. Winter finds out that Salt didn't kill the Russian president and tries to kill her. Salt eventually aborts the launch, but is arrested by Secret Service while Winter is given medical attention. Salt manages to use the chain of her handcuffs to choke and kill Winter.
Salt is put on a helicopter with Peabody, and she explains everything to him, and that because "they took everything from her" she wants to kill the rest of Orlov's agents in revenge. A skeptical Peabody eventually accepts she is telling the truth after he receives an SMS saying that Salt's fingerprints were found at the barge, confirming her betrayal of Orlov. Because there are other moles, Peabody allows her to escape so she can go after them. He uncuffs Salt, says to her "Go get'em!", and Salt jumps into the Potomac River, free once more.
Salt is actually a pretty good and entertaining action flick, even though, as said before... It doesn't have the material to make it a huge franchise success like "The Bourne" trilogy, "James Bond" or any other memorable secret agent films franchise.
I would rate this movie with a 4/5
Have you watched the film? What did you like or dislike from this movie? What would you rate this movie? Share with us your thoughts!
Enjoy it!... Watch it!
