00s Movie Review - Snatch

Director: Guy Ritchie
Genre: Comedy/ Crime
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Jason Statham, Stephen Graham, Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina, Vinnie jones, Benicio Del Toro, Jason Flemyng

Description: Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.

Review: The British director Guy Ritchie has an amazing international debut with “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”. His flashy and energetic way of filming and the fun characters in combination with rough action scenes made us think of Quentin Tarantino. Ritchie has a lot of fans. The movie “Snatch” is also a gem and he managed to get some bigger names like Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis Farina for this project.

“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” with a modern and more expensive touch, that’s what you could call “Snatch”. Not only the multiple storylines that intertwine, but also some known faces. Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, Jason Flemyng and Alan Ford. It’s visible that everyone had fun making “Snatch” and I think I even prefer it over “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”.

It all starts in a diamond shop in Antwerp, where a big diamond is stolen by a gang lead by Franky Four Fingers (Benicio del Toro). The diamond is supposed to be delivered to Avi (Dennis Farina) in New York. But Franky makes a stop in London, where his poker addiction gets him into trouble. The criminal Boris ‘The Blade’, for whom the diamond was meant, goes after Franky. Boris hires some thieves; Vinny, Sol and Tyrone. During a boxing match Franky will be robbed by one of them and they will bring the diamond to Boris. At the same time Turkish (Jason Statham) and Tommy (Stephen Graham), two small time thieves, are involved with that same boxing match because one of their boxers was knocked out by gypsy Mickey (Brad Pitt). While buying a caravan they run into Mickey, because promotor Brick Top (Alan Ford) needs a replacement boxer. Because Brick has some bets going on, Mickey has to go down in the fourth round. Off course Mickey won’t and all hell breaks loose.

“Snatch” follows the same story structure as “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, has hard action and dark humor. Not for everyone, but I love it. The acting is good. Brad Pitt is hilarious as boxer Mickey, who you can hardly understand. And Vinnie Jones is perfect for the role of Bullet Tooth Tony. And Benicio de Toro, who only has a small role, shows us again why he is one of the best actor of his generation. Jason Statham and Stephen Graham form a fun, not so lucky, duo.

For the fans of “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”, this is a must see. It’s hilarious, tough and an absolute recommendation.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

20s Movie Review - Expendables 4

Director: Scott Waugh
Genre: Action
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Megan Fox, 50 Cent, Anday Garcia

Description: Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on, the Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team gets called when all other options are off the table.

Review: The “Expendables” were never really good, but at least they managed to give the impression that they would be good. Posters filled with big names like Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Jason Stathman and many others made it clear that plenty of Hollywood stars were happy to show up for them, so that had to be some sign of quality. Part four, however, has to make do with… Megan Fox and 50 Cent?

Okay, Fox is an easy headline, because the problems of “Expendables 4” are bigger than one mismatched actress. But her presence is somewhat exemplary of how the source has dried up nicely. The previous volumes packed in plenty of action heroes of yesteryear, but now we have apparently arrived at actors we know mostly from modern blockbusters. That’s remarkable for a film series meant to capitalize on nostalgia for a time when action movies were a lot rougher and simpler than the ones Fox is known for.

Regulars like Jet Li, Terry Crews and Arnold Schwarzenegger are nowhere to be found, while the newcomers from the previous installment also proved completely expandable. Initiator Sylvester Stallone also seems to be a bit don with it, and Jason Statham is upgraded to lead actor in this fourth installment.

This movie is really bad. No memorable one-liners, the new characters are forgettable and uninteresting, and this film is just no fun. The other three were so much fun, they didn’t take themselves serious. “Expendables 4” looks like it does. If all these previous action stars that weren’t in this fourth film said no to it, I understand why and they should be happy about it. I’m just going to pretend this film never happened and I will stick with the other three films.

Rating: 1/ 5

Movie Review - Meg 2: The Trench

Director: Ben Wheatly
Genre: Adventure/ Action/ Horror
Runtime: 116 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Jason Statham, Cliff Curtis, Jing Wu, Page Kennedy, Sophia Cai
 
Description: A research team encounters multiple threats while exploring the depths of the ocean including a malevolent mining operation.

Review: In “The Meg”, Jason Statham’s Jonah and a research team discovers a hidden underwater cave full of prehistoric sea creatures, including the colossal megalodon shark. And like a good popcorn action movie should do, Jonah killed the megalodon. In “Meg 2: The Trench”, three more megalodons escape and that’s not all.

“Meg 2: The Trench” can best be described as a B-movie with the budget of a big Hollywood movie. Where the first film was not good, it was entertaining, fun and very sefl-aware. I highly enjoyed it. “Meg 2: The Trench” is none of that. Okay, it’s still entertaining. But it has a more serious tone, is way too over the top for my liking and the story is messy. With that, the shark-action is not the main focus. At least not for two-thirds of the film. This starts in the last part of the movie. And I know this is not a movie you watch for the characters, but you’re supposed to care a little bit about them or at least remember their names.

“Meg 2: The Trench” is a bad shark movie. And not the good kind of bad, because that would make it more fun. It’s just one messy, chaotic pile of crap.  Mainly because the sharks are not the focus and there are too many things going in this movie that aren’t about sharks. Well, sharks are kind of essential in a shark movie.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Review - Fast X

Director: Louis Letterier
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Adventure
Runtime: 141 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Natalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Scott Eastwood, Brie Larson
 
Description: Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family are targeted by the vengeful son (Jason Momoa) of drug kingpin Hernan Reyes.

Review: Let’s just start by saying that I’ve never been a fan of the “Fast & Furious” series. Cars are not something I’m particularly interested in, the characters I don’t care about and the action gets more and more ridiculous. Can “Fast X” change my mind? NOPE!

Movies that rely on elaborate special effects or 3D experiences are best viewed in a movie theater. The same goes for this film, because visually this movie is stunning. And lots of non-stop action. But that’s as far as I can go with the positives. I truly hated this movie.

In this already tenth installment of the series, Dante Reyes wants revenge on Dom Toretto and his family, for killing his father. He sets up a trap to get them all together and tries to kill them. But Dom fights back.  
The first film was okay, I don’t dislike that, it was about street racing. A cop versus a street racer and they became friends. But as this series has continued, the street races turned into stunt shows, with one car stunt even more ridiculous and over-the-top as the next. It’s like they are trying to make each movie even more implausible than the previous one.

This film series has almost every modern-day action star in it, from Vin Diesel to now Jason Momoa. Call me old school, but I do prefer the Schwarzeneggers and Stallones of this world when it comes to mindless, fun action flicks. An although Vin Diesel is the heart and soul of this franchise, and it’s very clear he puts everything in his role, the rest of the cast I couldn’t care less about (I barely remember the names of these characters, that’s how invested I am).

Jason Momoa is the newest addition to this series, as the villain Dante Reyes. He was the only reason I was a tiny bit excited to see “Fast X”. But even that was ruined. Momoa’s take on his villain role is pretty silly. He feels like a Joker-like villain, a cheerful psychopath. But he made it cartoonish. It kind of felt like a Roadrunner versus Wil E. Coyote cartoon, the way he was going after Dom and his family.
I also got a little tired of those let’s-bring-back-every-character-that-was-ever-in-this-franchise reveals, as some clever surprise that nobody would ever expect.  

I know these movies aren’t supposed to be taken too seriously, they are self-aware and that I can at least appreciate. But overall, “Fast X” is just not a good movie. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s crap, but I honestly can’t take another ‘Fast & Furious” movie. There will be more, for sure. Maybe next they will go to space!

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Reviews - Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw

Director: David Leitch
Genre: Action
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, Idris Elba, Cliff Curtis, Eddie Marsan, Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart

Description: Lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and outcast Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain (Idris Elba) threatens the future of humanity.

Review: The “Fast & Furious” franchise is an eye-catching phenomenon of modern-day Hollywood. What started out as a film about illegal street races with a few action scenes, is now a million dollar series of almost 10 films, which leans primarily on spectacle and has no credibility left.
“Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw”, like the title suggests, revolves around two of the most popular characters in the franchise: Dwayne Johnson’s flamboyant secret agent Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s former soldier slash hitman Deckard Shaw. Against their will, they are teamed up to protect the world from ‘half-robot’ Brixton, who wants to expose mankind to a dangerous virus.
The entry of this villain, played by Idris Elba, shows that the film makers embrace the absurdity that this franchise has become. And nothing separates them from any random Marvel movie, because it’s basically indestructible heroes fighting for world peace. That combined with a dose of humor and funny observations. It even has an after credit scene which hints to a sequel (which we really don’t need, but will get anyway…).
At least the cast is formed by three charismatic leads, even though they do nothing groundbreaking. Johnson and Statham are constantly exchanging cliché heavy one-liners and insult each other. And this gets old after fifteen minutes or so. That scene on the plane, took way too long (and adding Kevin Hart to the party, doesn’t make it better). But that doesn’t add up to what they did with Idris Elba. Elba is a fantastic actor who screams charisma. But his portrayal of bionic villain Brixton is very one-dimensional and absolutely forgettable.
Little note: Ryan Reynolds is really funny. His short appearances adds a half star to the rating.
The action is well choreographed and visualized, but what can you expect from a two-hundred-million dollar budget. The spectacle does look great, but it is sometimes so over-the-top laughable that even the most expensive visual effects look cheap and unbelievable. And the scenes are too long and too much, that it becomes hard to watch.
“Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw” is even more hysterical and over-the-top then its predecessor “Fast & Furious 8”. And although it looks stunning and is entertaining, it never becomes more than a standard action movie that could land on the B-list. At least we got some handsome men.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Reviews - The Meg

Director: John Turteltaub
Genre: Action
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jason Statham, Cliff Curtis, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Bingbing Li, Winston Chao, Masi Oka, Jessica McNamee, Page Kennedy, Robert Taylor

Description: After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible.

Review: Shark movies are kind of my guilty pleasure, I love watching them, good or bad. As far as I know, “Jaws” is the only perfect movie in this subgenre. “The Meg” is definitely not a masterpiece, but for what it is, it’s a super fun film to watch.
Jason Statham plays Jonas Taylor, an expert in submarine rescues. His help is wanted when a deep sea expedition has gone wrong and his ex-wife and her colleagues are stuck on the bottom of the ocean. It’s a new discovered area and this is not the only thing they discover. It also has a 25 meter shark down there: a megalodon that was claimed to be extinct.
The barrier is broken and the megalodon swims into the deep blue sea. And ‘the meg’ is extremely strong, hungry, aggressive and fast and could easily bite through a whale. Reason enough for Jonas to stop this animal. Together with the expedition team, he is determined to kill it.
When a director takes a movie like this too serious, it’s instantly a bad film. John Turteltaub knows what it is and doesn’t fall into that trap. This film is never too serious and it’s a big wink to those films that do. Yes, it’s over the top sometimes and no the depth of the plot isn’t really great. But it fits here.
“The Meg” is extremely entertaining, especially when you love shark movies. It has the right amount of humor, a cool hero and pretty good visuals. And it has a high rewatchability level. If you go in thinking it’s another “Jaws”, you will hate it. But it’s not even pretending to be “Jaws”.
For what it is, “The Meg” is a fun movie, a perfect summer blockbuster without too much substance. And I actually loved Jason Statham in this film (usually not a big fan). So if you go in with minimal expectations and shut of your brain for two hours, you’re going to have a blast!

Rating: 3,5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 36: Furious 7

Director: James Wan

Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 137 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gubson, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Kurt Russell, Elsa Pataky, Luke Evans, Djimon Hounsou

Description: Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family for his comatose brother.

Review: “The Fast and the Furious” series is without a doubt one of the most outstanding film franchises. What started out as a standard action film about street races, grew out to be a successful series. Already the seventh film and it is worth your time. Deckard Shaw is out for revenge, after Dom Toretto and his team eliminated his brother. He is threatening everyone in Dom’s ‘family’.

“Furious 7” has some dark edges, because of the tragic death of one of the lead actors: Paul Walker. This is the franchise that made him famous. Walker died when the film was only half done, so the makers had to use doubles and CGI. This works, because you don’t notice it while watching the film. The end of the film is not something that fits the film, but is added as a tribute to Paul Walker.

I was never a fan of the earlier film in this series, but I really enjoyed “Furious 7”. It’s a good action film, fast paced, action packed and very entertaining.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Characters of 2015

Although we already a week in 2016, I still wanted to look back on all the awesome movie characters the year 2015 gave us. Here are my five favorites.

5. Rick Ford (Jason Statham in “Spy”)

We all know now that Jason Statham isn’t just an action hero and that he can also be funny. In “Spy” he takes it to another level. He is hilarious and he is the best part of “Spy”.

 

 

4. Baymax (Scott Adsit in “Big Hero 6”)

Disney’s new star, Baymax was the best element of “Big Hero 6”. A perfect combo of best friend, doctor and warrior machine. Fist bump!

 

 

3. Mark Watney (Matt Damon in “The Martian”)

Matt Damon’s enormously likeable Mark Watney has no option but to get on with things. This is exactly the role that shows us why Damon is such a good actor and why we love him too.

 

 

2. Rey (Daisy Ridley in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”)

What a great new character in the “Star Wars” universe. I loved her from the start and I loved everything about her character.

 

 

1. Furiosa (Charlize Theron in “Mad Max: Fury Road”)

Talking about a strong female character. Charlize Theron kicks ass as Furiosa and “Mad Max: Fury Road” is actually her movie, she dominated the film.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson in “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”), Ava (Alicia Vikander in “Ex Machina”), Sadness (Phyllis Lapin in “Inside Out”), Harry Hart (Colin Firth in “Kingsman: The Secret Service”), Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton in “Birdman”)

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 2015 - # 81: Spy

Director: Paul Feig

Genre: Action/Comedy

Runtime: 120 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Miranda Hart, Allison Janney, Peter Serafinowicz, Bobby Cannavale

Description: Desk-bound CIA analyst Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster.

Review: Susan Cooper works as an analyst for the CIA. Behind her desk she helps out CIA agent Bradley Fine during dangerous missions. When something happens to Bradley and the identity of all the other agents is revealed, Susan is the only one that has never worked undercover.

An action comedy with a female lead, that’s very rare in Hollywood. The talented Melissa McCarthy and director Paul Feig, who worked together before for “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat”, make it happen. McCarthy’s character changes from an insecure woman to a bad ass agent. The perfect woman for this role. The movie has great humor, it’s never cheesy or lame.

Jason Statham probably has the most fun role, as over the top spy, who can’t handle the fact that a woman like Susan is send into the field. Statham’s character Ford appears in the strangest places, to screw up the mission and brag about his heroic actions. Statham is seriously hilarious and clearly has a talent for comedy. Also Rose Byrne, Allison Janney and Miranda Hart get enough room to exploit. Funny and strong supporting roles.

In an action comedy you don’t only expect catchy jokes, but also entertaining action. Director Feig manages to gives us that too. It’s fast paced and well filmed.

“Spy” is a hilarious comedy that gives Melissa McCarthy plenty of room to shine. And I think if “Spy” is a success, we don’t have to wait long for “Spy 2”.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 49: The Expendables 3

Director: Patrick Hughes

Genre: Action/ Adventure

Runtime: 126 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Kelsey Grammer, Antonio Banderas, Glen Powell, Victor Ortiz, Ronda Rousey, Kellan Lutz, Jet Li 

Description: Barney (Sylvester Stallone) augments his team with new blood for a personal battle: to take down Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), the Expendables co-founder and notorious arms trader who is hell bent on wiping out Barney and every single one of his associates.

Review: It’s again time for an adventure with some of our favorite action stars: “The Expendables 3”. As the driving engine behind the film series, Sylvester Stallone managed to find some new actors. Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford are added to the cast. Alongside the ‘oldies’, we also get some new young stars. Kellan Lutz is probably the only one that will ring a bell. Bruce Willis isn’t part of it anymore.

The movie starts with a lot of action. Barney and his team have to save an ex-Expendable, named Doctor Death. During their next mission, Barney finds out that Stonebanks, an Expendable gone bad, is still alive. All he wants is to go up against him one more time, especially after severely injuring Caesar. Barney doesn’t want his other friends to get hurt, so he decides to set up a new team. But it’s not that easy to exchange experience.

Just like how The Rolling Stones still keep coming back and fill concert halls, “The Expendables 3” will attract audience. The storyline is never the strong point, although there is a more emotional side to it this time.

Introducing Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas to the franchise is a smart move. Their loud characters often manage to make you laugh. The search for the new generation, led by Kelsey Grammer, is more fun than the new group itself. All of them are easily replaceable. Mel Gibson is very convincing as the villain.

The action is again of a high level. If you liked the previous movies in this series, “The Expedables 3” gives you again what you expect. The formula hasn’t stopped working yet and another sequel isn’t unthinkable.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 134: The Expendables 2

Director: Simon West

Genre: Action/ Adventure

Runtime: 102 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Liam Hemsworth, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, terry Crews, Jean-Claude van Damme, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture

Description: Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.

Review: The first movie, “The Expendables” from 2010, was a disappointment for many people. At least for a movie with almost every big action star in Hollywood, fans were expecting a great action no-brainer. I found it highly enjoyable and I was happy to see a sequel.

The stars from the first film are all present. Barney Ross and his companions are send to Eastern Europe to intercept a safe with classified information in it. This simple operation fails and it falls into the wrong hands.

There isn’t anything more to say about the story. From the start of the film, action is all over the place. It’s badass and non-stop entertainment. It’s great to see the old tough guys show their muscles. The movie is filled with humor, shoot outs and explosions. “The Expendables 2” stays fun and especially the combination of action and wit is great. And some cheesy one-liners, (please don’t take them too seriously) are present as well. It’s clear that all the actors enjoyed making this movie.

The story is bad and some scenes are a bit odd. And dialogues with more than five sentences are hard to find. Why is this movie so much fun? It’s an adrenaline rush, pure action from beginning ‘till end. It’s exactly what you would expect from a movie like “The Expendables 2”, so no disappointments.

I don’t feel guilty liking this second movie. It’s very entertaining and a guarantee for a great movie night.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Video of the Week (16)

Another video with Jimmy Fallon, I just love his show. His guest was Jason Statham, whom I'm not a big fan of by the way, but I love that he wanted to do this idiotic hamster ball race with Jimmy. Both are locked in one of those giant inflateable hamster balls. It's just so hilarious!