The Expendables 2

On paper The Expendables is an ingenious idea and I have to admit that I enjoyed it immensely. The announcement that there would be a sequel was secretly welcomed.

PLOT: After one of their own is killed in the line of duty The Expendables set off to stop the villainous villain Villain (Jean-Claude van Damme) from stealing tonnes of plutonium which has been stored in an underground bunker since the end of the Cold War. The Expendables explode their way through an Eastern European country in the name of entertainment. END PLOT

The plot takes pride on being completely unoriginal and it follows the beats of the action genre as though its life were dependant on it. I can’t complain too much about the script, if at all, because intricate plotting is not why I went to see The Expendables 2.

The Expendables 2 is all about the action and it did not disappoint. The first twenty minutes contained so much testosterone I almost grew a penis but thankfully the film calmed down to allow for some clunky exposition before the action kicked in again.

The action was consistently over the top but there were times when it became so frantic it became a blurry mess. The one-on-one set piece with Jet Li (criminally underused) and any scene involving Jason Statham showed that when the action calmed down it could be very good.

It was never going to be an acting master class but the actors, for the most part, did the best as they could. Liam Hemsworth is slowly making a name for himself and Statham phoned in his usual shtick quite well although he was noticeably absent for large chunks of the film.

The problem with The Expendables 2 is the tone as it is trying to parody the cheesy action films of old yet it takes itself far too seriously to pull it off. The in your face humour and one liners miss the mark by a long shot – having Chuck Norris throw down a Chuck Norris gag was never going to work.

The Expendables 2 is a complete mess and is essentially the first film with the volume up twice as loud but is just as watchable. It gets a decent 6.5/10.

Looking forward to the female version which will obviously be a much classier affair!

Shadow Dancer

Shadow Dancer is based on the novel by Tom Brady which I have not read. Shocker.

I like political thrillers but there is always something uneasy about watching one that is set so close to home.

PLOT: Collette McVeigh (Andrea Riseborough) is a voluntary member of the IRA but after getting caught by MI5 she becomes an informant to keep her son from being placed into care. Mac (Clive Owen) promises Collette’s safety in return for information on her brothers Gerry (Aiden Gillen) and Connor (Domhnall Gleeson) however his boss Kate Fletcher (Gillian Anderson) is more concerned about her own informant, code named Shadow Dancer. END PLOT

Shadow Dancer is set in Belfast in 1993 towards the end of the Troubles. It is hard to watch any film set during this period without starting a debate over who’s at fault and to its credit Shadow Dancer does a decent job of maintaining a neutral stance.

The film is extremely slow paced and not much happens but it is still compelling viewing. The reveal of Shadow Dancer wasn’t an earth shattering revelation but the business like way in which both MI5 and the IRA dealt with it was unnerving.

Shadow Dancer didn’t hold back in showing that the Troubles were very much a family affair. There were several scenes in which mothers were in the kitchen making tea whilst their sons loaded guns in the living room. Brid Brennan, who played the McVeigh’s mother had very little to say on her children’s activities but her eyes and facial expressions spoke volumes.

There was next to no action but Shadow Dancer did contain some very tense moments. A brief scene showing Connor McVeigh getting water tortured is just topped by an unnamed IRA soldier casually preparing a bedroom for an execution whilst Collette is being questioned about where her loyalties lie in the next room.

The film is low budget but it suited the grey setting. Shadow Dancer wasn’t shot in Belfast and the lack of familiar landmarks was disappointing.

Andrea Riseborough was a more than capable lead with her accent being as spot on as her performance. Credible Northern Irish accents are hard to come by but I didn’t know she wasn’t Irish until after the film had ended.

Clive Owen’s performances are very much hit and miss but in Shadow Dancer he was fine if unremarkable. He was almost too well known for the role as he stuck out in a cast of relative unknowns.

Although his role was minor Aidan Gillen is slowly becoming over exposed but he and the rest of the supporting cast, notably David Wilmot, were all very strong.

Shadow Dancer is a solid film which gets 7.5/10. The local aspect meant that it was a film I needed to see but it was almost too understated to be anywhere near as strong as films such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

I Saw The Devil

My cinematic choices are at times embarrassingly mainstream but that doesn’t mean my dvd collection is anything to be (overly) ashamed of.

I have met some very good friends through blogging and when one of them takes the time to recommend a film I will seek it out.

I Saw The Devil is one of those films.

PLOT: After his wife is brutally murdered Kim Soo-hyeon (Byung-hun Lee) hunts down and toys with Kyung-chul (Min-Sik Choi) her killer. In order to make Kyung-chul feel true fear Kim Soo-hyeon has to take their game of cat and mouse to a very dark place. END PLOT

The revenge aspect of I Saw The Devil isn’t complex but Soo-hyeon’s transformation into the monster he is hunting is fascinating to watch. 

The story may be about Soo-hyeon’s desire for revenge but we watch it unfold from Kyung-chul’s point of view point. This helped to pad out the thin plot as we spent quite a lot of time watching Kyung-chul pick up his latest victim and torture her before Soo-hyeon arrived. 

Soo-hyeon is classed as the good guy but his actions were not heroic as his main goal was to fuck with Kyung-chul rather than to save a damsel in distress.  The plot may have been basic but the strong characters more than made up for it.

I Saw The Devil is a violent film and is probably one of the most violent I have ever watched. The violence is brutal but what makes it acceptable is that it realistic and unsettlingly plausible.  It is also beautifully shot which I was not expecting – the scenes at night, especially the opening segment in the snow, looked gorgeous.

Despite the violence and carnage there wasn’t any real tension on screen until the final act when the battle between Soo-hyeon and Kyung-chul became more psychological. The way in which Soo-hyeon finally broke Kyung-chul was horrifically dark and although I had suspicions about who would be involved I didn’t believe Soo-hyeon would go that far until I watched it unfold.

Byung-hun Lee was excellent as Kim Soo-hyeon. Lee doesn’t have many lines but he didn’t need them to convey his characters inner conflict. His performance was very understated when compared with Min-Sik Choi.

Whether Choi was being pure evil or mopping away blood with the enthusiasm of an underpaid janitor I couldn’t take my eyes of him. I know Choi has a lot of cult credibility for Oldboy but he was absolutely phenomenal, if not better, in I Saw The Devil.

At over two hours I Saw The Devil is a long film. I thought a dramatic shootout was the finale but it was actually the end of the 2nd act and the film went on for another good forty-five minutes. It was long but I was so engrossed I didn’t feel the time go by.

The film is not for the faint hearted and fresh air was required after it had ended as I knew it would linger but I would be lying if I said anything less than I loved it. I Saw The Devil gets 9/10 and it will be watched again at some stage just to fully take everything in.

Thank you Maynard Morrissey

The Bourne Legacy

With neither Matt Damon nor Paul Greengrass being involved The Bourne Legacy was a desperate attempt to keep a franchise alive without resorting to a reboot.  This was the official party line until they cast Jeremy Renner.

PLOT: After all the trouble caused by Jason Bourne, Eric Byer (Edward Norton) has had enough and has decided to kill every single soul involved (although never mentioned until this film) in the project.  This includes Aaron Cross, (Jeremy Renner) an agent who is more concerned that he will be back riding the short bus if he doesn’t get his blue pills than the assassination attempts on his life. Jason Bourne. Aaron teams up with scientist Dr Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) and they Jason Bourne the Jason Bourne and ride the motor cycle through the Jason Bourne. END PLOT

The Bourne Legacy takes place around the same time as The Bourne Ultimatum. The filmmakers made sure that Jason Bourne’s name was mentioned on average once every ten words to remind the audience that Legacy is an addendum to the original trilogy.

The story takes too long to get going – for the first twenty minutes Renner does a cracking impersonation of Liam Neeson in The Grey. It felt that they needed to give Cross something to do while Byer was trying to explain how this film is associated with the previous Bournes.

Once Aaron Cross met up with Marta the pace picked up but the tone was lacking in tension and there was no sense of danger.  Tony Gilroy is no stranger to the Bourne world but he just was too focused on the previous films to let Legacy have a chance of succeeding on its own merits.

The action was decent with the main set piece being a motorbike chase. Renner is a biker and was involved in a fair chunk of the stunts which saved it from being a generic chase scene.  He was never stretched in the film but his status as an action star is once more affirmed.

Cross’ main adversary in the field is LARX, aka, Jason Bourne without emotion, aka the Terminator. In theory LARX is a scary opponent however in execution the relentless unstoppable force did raise a few unintentional giggles.

The Bourne franchise does belong to Matt Damon but I did allow myself to hope that Jeremy Renner would more than hold his own.

Renner is very good as Aaron Cross although he almost needed more screen time. Renner is a naturally dry actor but the tone of the Bourne films do not allow for sarcastic one liners. There were moments when he appeared to be suppressing his natural snark.

Edward Norton was perfect in his role of watching monitors and folding his arms simultaneously - Byer was a powerful man yet was as threatening as an exam invigilator. I have no idea how Norton made this character work but he did.

As Weisz is an actress who can act she didn’t seem ridiculous spewing out genetic science.

The Bourne Legacy is not on par with the Bourne Trilogy but it doesn't matter as I really enjoyed it.  It gets 7/10.

The film was essentially a two hour fifteen minute letter to Matt Damon explaining why he needs to come back for the sequel/fifth film.  It matters not what you think of The Bourne Legacy the notion of Damon and Renner together isn’t an unpleasant one.

Step Up 4: Miami Heat

All movie fans have their guilty secrets and I make no apology for the admission that the Step Up franchise is mine.

PLOT: Sean (Ryan Guzman) is the leader of The Mob, a dance crew who video their public dance routines in an attempt to win a youtube competition and get some of that internet money. Sean meets and instantly falls in love with Emily (Kathryn McCormick) the daughter of Mr Anderson (Peter Gallagher) a businessman who plans to bulldoze his neighbourhood. END PLOT

The plot is paper thin but it is on par with the previous Step Up films - take that how you wish.  The Mob saves the neighbourhood by reducing Mr Anderson to tears through the medium of urban dance and everything is wrapped up nicely in a 99min bundle.

The Mob is made up of complete unknowns. Guzman and McCormick are not terrible but their saving grace is that they both can dance.  I say they are unknowns as I did not recognise any of the cast - there may be a hidden singer in there but I lack the inclination to check IMDB.

It is a sad state of affairs when you know enough about the franchise to recognise cameo appearances from minor characters in previous films.

The strength of the Step Up franchise lies in its dance set pieces and Step Up 4: Miami Heat did not disappoint. After a noisy street dance, The Mob thereafter invaded an art museum and a restaurant before the grand finale.  It was all very impressive and stylish.

I don’t watch MTV and I refuse to watch music videos as they bore me to tears so perhaps I was naive to be shocked that a film set in Miami featured a dance section with scantily clad dancers on a beach. The only reason it bothered me is because I had kids with me and because of that I was very aware of what we were watching. They don’t know it but in the opening ten minutes we were one bikini bottomed crotch thrust away from walking out.

The music was a mixture dance and RnB songs none of which I had heard before nor am I likely to hear again. The soundtrack worked for the film and the music and dance gelled very well but I won’t be adding any songs to my i-pod.

Step Up 4: Miami Heat will not be to everyone’s taste but I have such a soft spot for films with dance/music in them so I was always going to enjoy it. It isn’t as good as the original which starred (the suddenly popular) Channing Tatum but it is a much stronger offering than Step Up 3D.

Overall the set pieces themselves are what I paid for and the film delivered. Step Up 4: Miami Heat is a hard one to rate as the dance sequences were excellent but when the cast were required to act the script and performance flaws were hard to ignore. It gets a 7.5/10 but the dance routines have skewed the grade.

Step Up 4: Miami Heat has been viewed and enjoyed but it is out of my system now……until Step Up 5.