Triple 9 (2016)

Directed by John Hillcoat
Written by Matt Cook
Starring Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson and Chiwetel Ejiofor

 A gang of criminals and corrupt cops plan to murder a police officer in order to pull off the biggest heist yet across town.

John Hillcoat, Director of one of my favorite films, "The Road" as well as "Lawless" has unfortunately missed with this newest film. There is so much potential within this plot for an absolutely breathtaking movie, yet it falls short with it's pacing and writing.

The talented ensemble cast does their best to make the script work. With intense performances from all (with the exception of Kate Winslet), it is clear that the weak script is the biggest of many problems. It is clear that Matt Cook was trying very hard to recreate Scorcese's "The Departed".

This is not a bad movie by any means. It's just disappointing to see a film with such great potential fall short. Perhaps it was my high hopes prior to the films release. I expected more from this incredible cast and crew.

My Rating: 5/10

The Salton Sea (2002)

Directed by D.J. Caruso
Written by Tony Gayton
Starring Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Doug Hutchison and Peter Sarsgaard

After his wife is murdered, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and speed junkies. He struggles to identify with both his past life and his new one, where danger lurks at every corner.

A perfect combination with equal parts Scorsese, Guy Ritchie, western and classic noir films, "The Salton Sea" is a dark thriller filled with great performances and writing. It perfectly captures the feel of those classic private detective movies, flipping it around and telling it from a junky/informant's perspective.

The most notable performance in this movie is hands down Vincent D'Onofrio as "Pooh-Bear". One thing that he continually proves is his ability to be intimidating and comedic simultaneously. As the nose-less, drug cooking murderer, he casts a shadow of unease and commands the screen with every scene. And just when you think he's going to go completely dark, he'll do something that changes the mode of the scene on a dime.

One thing that I couldn't take seriously was the relationship between Val Kilmer and Peter Sarsgaard's character. It reminded me much of the Frodo/Sam relationship from "The Lord of the Rings". There was this unintentional "will they, won't they" tension throughout. Somewhat ending with the Frodo character being surrounded the fiery death of Mordor.

"I'm your Sam!"

Overall, this was a decent, enjoyable movie. It's not without it's faults, but few movies are. But the noir-style writing, filming and editing of this film make it a unique modernization of a once lost genre. In that sense, it is a beautiful homage to an entire decade of cinema.

My Rating: 7/10

The Dead Zone (1983)

Directed by David Cronenberg
Written by Jeffrey Boan, based on the novel by Stephen King
Starring Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Herbert Lom and Martin Sheen

At the peak of his life, a school teacher who is in love gets into a car accident after a perfect day. He wakes up from a coma five years later only to find he's lost his job and girlfriend. But he soon finds out that he has gained the ability to see the past, present and future of everyone he comes in physical contact with.

Yet another example of why Stephen King is the King of the horror/thriller genre, this movie grabs your attention early on and doesn't let go. Just when you think it's going to continue on the path it's on, it will take you off guard by taking a turn in another direction.

At first it seems as the entire movie will just be one long episode of "CSI". Although I was intrigues, I wasn't impressed with it. But before you know it, they solve the case and move on, turning into a soul searching film, asking the question, "if you know the future, should you change it?"

Oddly enough, this didn't feel like a Cronenberg film. Sure, it was one of his earliest movies, but it felt like it was made by entirely different director. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out it was his movie. It's interesting to look at the evolution of a director's style, and this was close to the beginning.

"The Dead Zone" is a dark, brooding film that remains timeless, even after thirty-two years. I have found that that seems to be a trademark of Stephen King. No matter what time period his books and movies take place in, you can always find some way to relate to the characters.

My Rating: 7/10

Focus (2015)

Written and Directed by Glenn Ficarra and john Requa

Starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Adrian Martinez and Gerald McRaney

Nicky Spurgeon is an extremely accomplished con man who takes an amateur con artist, Jess, under his wing. Nicky and Jess become romantically involved, but he soon realizes that deception and love do not mix. He breaks things off only to see her three years later... And things get a little crazy!

With twists and turns that may seem just a little bit too convenient, this con movie doesn't have the same intensity or intelligence that others in it's genre do. It seems to throw explanations at you that make sense, but are in themselves unbelievable, even in the world of the story. It's almost as if the directors expect the audience to believe them, just because it's on screen.

And the romance between Smith and Robbie appears instantly and without reason, other than their characters being equally mischievous, with the ability to steal things off of unsuspecting victims.  Like the plot of this movie, it just isn't believable. Not even if you suspend disbelief.

Not to mention, Smith is about 22 years her senior.

The pick-pocket scenes are well choreographed, but the thing that bugged me throughout the duration of the film is the fact that you never see the full pick-pocket. I understand they did this to give the same feeling as the victims, but knowing how films are made, it just felt fake and forced and a little lazy.

If we are seeing the con from the con artists point of view, we should see how exactly it happened. You spent all of this time choreographing these elaborate cons, yet you don't spend any screen time showing them happen in real time, without cuts. That would be more impressive and more believable.

All nit-picking aside, I did enjoy the movie a bit. It just could have been so much more. Take away the conveniences that the directors created and put some thought into getting your protagonists out of the tight spot you created for them, and then maybe we could have a high caliber movie.

My Rating: 5.8/10

Dom Hemingway (2013)

Written and Directed by Richard Shepard
Starring Jude Law, Richard E. Grant, Emilia Clarke and Demian Bichir

A career criminal who was just released from prison returns to the boss whom he had been quiet about while in prison. The reward money the was given for doing so is stolen and Dom Hemingway's life begins to spiral out of control.

Neither a film about repentance or life change, "Dom Hemingway" is just about a criminal trying to get back his criminal life, yet attempting to regain the trust of his daughter. He never once apologizes for his actions and continues to break the law throughout.

While not a deep, meaningful story that we see so often in movies about gangsters, it is rather interesting. The character Jude law creates is so fun and eccentric that it is near impossible to turn away. With seemingly poetic threats and insults, he speaks his way through the film with such a force that it is difficult to dislike him.

Just look at this side burns!

"Dom Hemingway" has a lot of positives about it. It has great writing, acting and cinematography just to name a few. I enjoyed it. But this isn't a "must see" movie. Sure it was fun and comedic and I'm happy I watched it. It just wasn't mind-blowing or even heart-pounding.

My Rating: 5.5/10