THE BRAVE ONEJodie Foster, Terrence HowardCRIME DRAMA THRILLERErica Bain, a New York Radio host, is the victim of a senseless attack which leaves her hospitalized in a coma and her fiance dead. When she comes to, she endures a lengthy period of reclusion. Her first outing is met with new and strange sounds, her radio show now exhibiting a noticeably darker tone. Her outlet is a nightly taste of vengeance that leaves a trail of blood and a veteran cop puzzled and looking for answers.
The Good : An artistic take on the vigilante character, some interesting cinematography, a good attempt at blending several genres.The Bad : Gets a little too ideal, predictable. Some poorly chosen cliches that could have been more flushed out. The movie tries to be too many things, master of none.-6/10
KILLSHOTDiane Lane, Mickey RourkeCRIME DRAMA THRILLERKnown only by his alias "Blackbird", mafia hit man Armand Degas always eliminates his target, along with any and all possible witnesses. Carmen and Wayne Colson are in the middle of sorting out a divorce and inadvertently witness a botched hit. While they managed to fend off the attack, they are next on the hit list and are put under witness protection. Not before long, Blackbird catches up to the Colsons' and its a fight for survival and each other. The Good : Tense scenes, great performance by Joseph Gordon LevittThe Bad : Some dead pan acting, uninspired average 'killer on the loose' plot-5/10
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THOUGHTS/SPOILERS :
Overall an average movie about a killer on the loose with a more fully featured ensemble cast of B List actors and actresses. I bought this as I was curious about the acting history of Mickey Rourke given his casting in the recent movie, The Expendables.
Rourke commands a bit of screen presence but his acting is rather subdued and stiff. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance takes the cake as the loud mouth wanton bank robber whom Rourke's character takes under his wing.
The movie was suitably tense in areas but let down by its predictable plot.
SHINJUKU INCIDENT, 2009
Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu
DRAMA
Harsh times in rural China and an absence of communication from his sweetheart prompts tractor mechanic Tietou ('Steelhead') to go to Japan to search for her whereabouts.
Upon arrival, Steelhead catches up with his contacts in the underground Chinese community, many of whom have resorted to working illegally on low income jobs like cooking and sanitation to get by. During a night shift at a restaurant, Steelhead is devastated when he spots his fiancee with a local Yakuza boss.
Determined to make something for himself and his comrades and fund legal citizenship in Japan, Steelhead organizes money laundering operations which garner a new found prosperity for the impoverished group. The events do not go unnoticed by authorities and other factions of the criminal underworld and set off a chain of violence that none of them saw coming.
THE GOOD : Tense & dark atmosphere well maintained, plot holds up for the most part.
THE BAD : Acting could be more inspired.
THE UGLY : Some scenes were very gruesome, be prepared.
-7/10
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THOUGHTS / SPOILER WARNING:
I thought this was a interesting departure for Jackie Chan forgoing his usual blend of slapstick action for a more dramatic role while not overly challenging, he succeeds for the most part. The movie captures some of the hardships endured by pioneering immigrant generations and the obstacles they face on both sides of the law.
Jackie's character, Steelhead, saves Inspector Kitano early on in the movie from drowning during a police raid on illegal migrant workers during a night shift cleaning sewers. The decision to save the cop earns Steelhead respect from the lawman who later on serves as a source of hope and guidance. Every money laundering efforts by Steelhead and his crew are marred when a misguided turn to rigging slot machines drops the innocent Jie into the hands of the Taiwanese gang who are quick to make an example of him. (Close your eyes or lose the food.) Seeking revenge for his friend, Steelhead sneaks into the rival gang's headquarters and instead overhears a plan to assassinate the Yakuza boss and ends up foiling the plot. Thankful for the intervention, boss Euguchi allows Steelhead some time alone with his sweetheart and even takes him in as a hitman to eliminate opposing figures within the hierarchy.
The movie is dark and tense with Steelhead progressively fouling his conscience and his relationships as he takes on job after job to make ends meet. Much of it will leave you gripping your seat handles (maybe even squirm) when rather violent retributions build up as Steelhead struggles to keep separate his dealings with the Yakuza and his attempts to lead his people to legal citizenship in Japan.
