10s Movie Review - Warrior

Director: Gavin O’Connor
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Denzel Whitaker, Frank Grillo, Kurt Angle, Noah Emmerich

Description: The youngest son (Tom Hardy) of an alcoholic former boxer (Nick Nolte) returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother (Joel Edgerton).

Review: MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) is a brutal sport for some. For others it’s the most exciting sport on the planet. If you think “Warrior” is a 140 minute long film about knock outs and bloody fighters, you’re wrong. This film goes much deeper.

Tommy, an ex-marine who fought in Iraq, returns to his home town Philadelphia after being absent for 14 years. There he is reunited with his father Paddy, a former alcoholic and the reason that Tommy fled with his mother. Tommy wants to restore his band with Paddy, by working together. Tommy wants to attend an MMA tournament where he can win 5 million dollars. Tommy’s older brother Brendan has the same idea.

I’m not going to compare it with “Rocky” or “Raging Bull”. That’s not fair,  unnecessary and “Warrior” is great on its own. The three leading men, Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte are all fantastic. Hardy manages to bring a certain intensity to the screen, but there is also some melancholy and aggression. The mixed emotions and him fighting with them is amazing to see. Nick Nolte adds up to that, by playing maybe his best role ever. Edgerton shows the same passion, but with more modesty.
The character development is so strong and there is a real good build up to that final fight. When we come to that final fight, you get chills all over your body. An amazing soundtrack, with a song from “The National” in the final scene, only helps the intensity of that scene.

Although “Warrior” maybe not the most original story, it’s the total package that counts. And that’s way above average. I love “Warrior” and its great performances.

Rating: 5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Edge of Darkness

Director: Martin Campbell
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Frank Grillo

Description: As homicide detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) invstigates the murder of his activist daughter, he uncovers a corporate cover-up and government conspiracy that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence.

Review: Mel Gibson hasn’t been in too many films in the 2010s. “Edge of Darkness” was one of them. The plot isn’t all that original. Gibson plays detective Thomas Craven. He is spending time with his daughter Emma. When she is feeling sick and Thomas is trying to get her to a doctor, someone shoots and kills Emma. Thomas does everything do find the person responsible for this.
Surprisingly enough director Martin Campbell wasn’t surprising and fresh for this thriller, when you come to think that he also directed “Casino Royale”, where he blew new life into the James Bond franchise. It’s a straight-forward thriller which follows the standard path.
They did try hard, because when a story is so standard you have to work harder to keep your audience’s attention. It does have some good fight scenes and car chases, but not enough to save the entire film. And the ending was not all that surprising.
“Edge of Darkness” is by no means a terrible movie, it’s just not original and it’s all been done before. With a bit more guts, this thriller could rise above average.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 128: The Purge: Election Year

Director: James DeMonaco
Genre: Thriller/ Horror/ Action
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Elizabeth Mitchell, Frank Grillo, Mykelti Williamson

Description: Former Police Sergeant Barnes (Frank Grillo) becomes head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), a Presidential candidate targeted for death on Purge night due to her vow to eliminate the Purge.

Review: After a two year break, the Purge returns. It’s a yearly event, where any crime can be committed without any consequences. This time it has a political touch. The elite and corrupt government wants to stop all the people who are against the Purge. Starting with Senator Charlie Roan, running for president and wanting to end the Purge.
“The Purge” and “The Purge: Anarchy” were original and had a low budget, but did pretty well. They weren’t masterpieces and felt like B-movies because of the cheap dialogues and jump scares. Director James DeMonaco managed to improve some points in this sequel.
The movie takes its time to introduce some of the characters. Like Joe, the owner of a small local store. Laney, the pacifist. Charlie Roan, the idealistic presidential candidate. And Leo Barnes, her personal bodyguard. The characters cross each other’s paths, no unnecessary plot twist or cheap dialogues (okay, maybe some).
“The Purge: Election Year” looks better then the other two, but there is still room to scare more. The film has two tones: it sometimes feels satirical, but it also provides social comments. Those tones don’t work together well, they clash.
“The Purge: Election Year” is very watchable.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 164: Homefront

Director: Gary Fleder

Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 100 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth, Frank Grillo, Clancy Brown

Description: A former DEA agent (Jason Statham) moves his family to a quiet town, where he soon tangles with a local meth druglord

Review: In the opening scene of “Homefront” we see how Phil Broker infiltrates a drugs lab. One of the gang members has to watch his son being killed. The bad guys is going to jail and Broker starts a new life with his daughter Maddy. He does this in a town nearby and it’s hard for Broker to stay low. He draws the attention of the wrong people after his daughter gets into a fight with a classmate.

When Broker humiliates the aggressive father on the parking lot of his daughter’s school. Mother Cassie asks her brother Gator for help. When Gator breaks into Broker’s house, he finds evidence of him being an undercover agent.

Although this really sounds dumb, the movie isn’t half bad. Jason Statham is pretty good in this film and so are James Franco and Winona Ryder as the bad guys. “Homefront” isn’t anything special, but it’s better than you’d expect it to be.

It’s simple entertainment, a perfect no-brainer.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 154: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 136 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Emily VanCamp, Robert Redford, Hayley Atwell, Sebastion Stan, Toby Jones, Frank Grillo, Gary Shandling

Description: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.

Review: Off course we could expect a sequel to “Captain America: The First Avenger”, a movie about the patriotic superhero that got mixed reviews in 2011. In “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, Steve Rogers tries, like his Avenger colleagues, to get his life together after the big battle in New York (in the movie “The Avengers” from 2012). He is trying to find his place in society, but working for S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps him busy. Together with Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff, he solves problems easily, but Steve starts doubting S.H.I.E.L.D. When he is about to discover a conspiracy, the mysterious Winter Soldier enters the playing field.

I think I was one of the few people that actually really liked “Captain America: The First Avenger”. Off all the superheroes, Captain America has the least impressive powers, but he has always been my favorite. In “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” he proofs that again. The movie does this cool superhero justice. Chris Evans shows us again that he was the perfect choice to play the role of Steve Rogers. It’s also great to see Scarlett Johansson in a bigger role as Black Widow. This movie actually made her a real character.

The action sequences are pure joy, with minimal use of CGI. Off course it sometimes feels a bit over the top.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a great action movie, with a strongly written script, sharp humor and outstanding action scenes. It’s probably one of the best Marvel movies. If you wait until after the credits, we see a cool preview of “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. People keep saying that there is a superhero movie overkill. I don’t agree, if they are all as good as this.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 57: Disconnect

Director: Henry-Alex Rubin
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Jason Bateman, Hope Davis, Frank Grillo, Michael Nyqvist, Paula Patton, Andrea Riseborough, Alexander Skarsgård, Colin Ford, Jonah Bobo, Max Thierot, Haley Ramm

Description: A drama centered on a group of people searching for human connections in today's wired world.

Review: Internet isn’t without any danger, that’s what “Disconnect” proofs. The movie follows different characters, who are all dealing with their own problem with the online world. Cindy and Derek are the victims of identity theft and lose all their money. Lawyer Rich Boyd is so caught up in his job, that he loses contact with his family. His son Ben is a target of cyberbullies and tries to commit suicide. One of the boys feels remorse while his father is a cop fighting cybercrimes. Then there is journalist Nina Dunham, who is trying to save a young boy from a human trafficker.
The style of the film reminds me of movies like “Traffic” or “Babel”. Different stories that intertwine and overlap at some points. I work with kids and I know the danger of the internet and social media. News travels fast while it’s on the net. This movie pictures it a bit like a horror scenario, but it’s all possible.
Because of the good cinematography, the audience will stay focused and will feel for the characters. The way it was shot adds tension to the film. And the excellent acting is also a positive note. The style is fantastic, the story sometimes feels a bit repetitive.
I don’t know if the moral and the dangers of the internet will teach the viewers something. Because the internet is shown to us a one big danger zone, it doesn’t show us how to use it in a more safe way. Even though it has some small critical notes, “Disconnect” is definitely a movie worth watching.

Rating: 3,5/ 5