Bean's Review: Although a bit slow moving, an interesting story as it is based on the Lawrence Block series of books featuring the pseudo private investigator, Matthew Scudder, a recovering alcoholic and ex-policeman. I have read most of Lawrence Block’s books and enjoyed them, so was pleasantly surprised at the theater that the movie was based on one of Block’s books.
Liam Neeson was a good choice for the role of
Scudder, however this role was not much of a reach for Neeson, as he
tends to play this type of character in most of his movies.
The introduction of the young boy, TJ, played
by Brian Bradley, helped bring some levity to a very creepy storyline in
which the kidnappers/serial killers were particularly gruesome – along
the lines of the serial killer in Silence of
the Lambs (not Hannibal).
The characters were well developed, as would
be expected, if you were reading the book. I liked the development of
Boyd Holbrook’s character in the story, as well.
This movie was not “action packed” as so many
recent movies, but the acting and story kept your interest, as a
majority of the action packed movies tend to have a thin plot and poor
acting.
Best scene: when the one serial killer was eating cereal in the kitchen just after he killed his killer colleague
Bean’s rating: Matinee-would watch again
Mike's Review: This movie was not what I expected. I thought it would be more along the lines of a hit man for hire type of movie. Overall I wasn't to impressed the story was boring and the movie crawled. There was just enough action to keep me entertained but it could have had a few more twists to the plot or some scenes cut to shorten the movie.
Best Scene: The last fight scene in the basement.
Mike's Rating: Matinee
A.C.'s Review: In
the past year Liam Neeson has played a heroic if flawed Air Marshall
(NON-STOP), an evil gunslinger (A MILLIONS WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST) and
now a gritty “unlicensed”
detective working in the shadowy and a bit sinister corners of 1990’s
New York City.
Called
upon by a local drug trafficker ex-cop Scudder must find the men who
kidnapped and brutally killed the dealer’s wife and race against time to
stop the serial
killers who are basically using the kidnappings/ransoms as window
dressing to perpetrate their violence against women. These men are so
deadly that a man who doesn’t even know their full identities kills
himself rather than possibly face them for giving information
to Scudder.
Crime
thrillers are not my usual viewing choices but this one works for
several reasons. True we’ve seen the anti-hero washed up ex-cop in many
movies before this
but Neeson seems at home in this role. Also a nice subplot is Scudder
befriending and ultimately making a difference in the life of a homeless
teen who after meeting Scudder wants to become a private eye and by the
end of the movie is somewhat of a sidekick
with Scudder as his mentor/father figure.
Dan
Stevens fresh from walking away from hit TV show DOWNTOWN ABBEY as the
drug trafficker takes on a role vastly different from his role as early
20th
century heir to an English manor. Stevens is also headlining THE GUEST
which I haven’t seen. It will be interesting to see if these movie
roles will continue or if he will suffer the same fate as David Caruso
who left a hit show for a promised movie career
only to have to eventually return to TV in CSI Miami. I wish him well.
The other roles in the movie such as the teen sidekick and various
suspects all are played well.
Also
working in the favor of the movie is it’s very atmospheric…a sense of
impending dread and doom seems to saturate the movie. The time frame
adds to the movie
set in the shadow of the millennium and the prophesied Y2K that never
materialized plays nicely with some in-jokes. As someone who use to use
microfilm to look up stuff I appreciated Scudder’s reluctance to embrace
the still new concept of the internet.
Another
good thing liked that the movie did not try and shoehorn in a love
story for Scudder. Not every movie needs to have one and this one did
just fine without
it.
The
only misfire is what appears to be some sort of truncated subplot where
a whole band of DEA agents appear for one scene and one scene only and
are never heard
from again. Their inclusion made no real sense or effect on the plot.
One
final note…since the movie was set in NYC in 1999 I kept waiting for an
appearance of the Twin Towers. I was rewarded in the final shot of the
film when they
appeared on screen just before the fade to black.
Best
Scene: There is a sequence on the roof (whose outcome was spoiled in
the trailers) where Scudder confronts a suspect that was very
suspenseful and well done.
A.C.'s Rating: Full Price
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