Movie Review: BLITZ

BLITZ

2011
R


"A word of advice, girls. If you're picking the wrong fight, at least pick the right weapon."
-- Detective Sergeant Tom Brant

Blitz is a 2011 crime thriller directed by Elliott Lester that centers around a rage-filled cop's attempts to bring a cop killer to justice. Detective Sergeant Tom Brant (Jason Statham) is constantly in hot water at his police precinct for his brutal methods of bringing suspects to justice. As he faces disciplinary action, some of his fellow officers start to be killed by a lone gunman who calls himself the Blitz (Aidan Gillen). With the help of Porter Nash (Paddy Considine), an officer from a nearby precinct, Brant starts to piece together the clues as to who the Blitz actually is. As more and more clues begin to surface, he starts to realize that he and the Blitz are more connected than he had originally presumed.

I first heard about this film from one of the people who follows the "This Movie Guy" Facebook page, and he recommended it rather highly. Adding to his recommendation was the inclusion of Statham in the lead role, and this all combined for a film that I deemed a personal must-see. For those of you who don't know, I have a little bit of a man-crush on Mr. Statham, and I'll watch literally any film in which he appears. He's the action hero of my generation, and he plays such a realistic character - even if it's the same exact character in every single movie - that it's hard for me to stay away from his films. So, with all of that coming together, I thought I'd be in for quite a show.

Unfortunately, I can't quite give Blitz my blessing. Now, we do get some relatively good performances. Statham is his usual self, bringing the action and the under-handed humor here and there. Considine brings a nice performance in an under-utilized character. We also get a fine bit from Zawe Ashton, who portrays the only main female character in the film. However, if the acting award has to go to anyone in this flick, it's our villain played by Gillen. He's a true bad guy of the 21st century, even dropping references to "updating his Facebook status" after being arrested. There's something very eerie and creepy about his character, and he fits the vein of charismatic villain quite well. Although his character psychology is a little shoddy, Gillen does a fine job bringing the character to life, and he should be commended.

The real issue I had with the film was the screenplay. While it has its moments of greatness, it mostly falls a little bit flat. For the first hour, I found myself rather lost as it seemed like there were too many intersecting storylines, some of which were entirely unnecessary. To be fair, the film does come together in the last twenty minutes or so, but everything before that point was so convoluted and confusing that I find it very difficult to keep myself invested in the events taking place on-screen. I felt like the film couldn't decide whether it wanted to be an all-out action thriller or a drawn-out, brooding crime drama. I think you can make an argument for either one, but if they were trying to combine the two, it just didn't work out very well.

Overall, I can't quite say that you should watch Blitz. It's a stylishly well-made film, but there's just no enthusiasm or pizazz behind it. There's just no energy to keep it moving along. It has its moments where it seems like it's going to be great, but then it slows down, and you get mired in bouts of boredom. Still, it's a Statham film, which is enough to get me to watch it. It's not one of his best, however.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: C+
0.5 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: GNOMEO & JULIET

GNOMEO & JULIET

2011
G

Gnomeo & Juliet is a 2011 animated film directed by Kelly Asbury that puts a comedic, family-friendly spin on William Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lovers. In two gardens separated only by a fence, there lives two rival groups of garden gnomes: the Reds and the Blues. For as long as anyone can remember, the two groups have feuded, and the feud has become deeply ingrained into the Blues' favorite son, Gnomeo (voiced by James McAvoy). One night, he decides to infiltrate the Reds' garden, and after an unsuccessful attempt to wreak havoc, Gnomeo spots a shadowy figure running along the top of a fence towards an abandoned yard's greenhouse where a beautiful orchid sits in full bloom. He chases the figure to the flower, and after a short interchange, he realizes that she the Reds' favorite daughter, Juliet (voiced by Emily Blunt). Initially, the two are repulsed by the others' true identity, but they cannot deny the immediate spark they both felt. They make plans to meet in the abandoned yard the following day, and the forbidden love affair begins. The two do their best to keep their love a secret, but with each passing moment, they have to fight to hide their affections from their families and their respective gardens. To top it off, they have to balance their feelings with the ever-growing resilience that both the Blues and the Reds are feeling towards one another, and Gnomeo and Juliet must ultimately choose between their love and their families.

When I first started seeing trailers for this film, I was originally rather excited to see it. Anything even remotely related to the tale of Romeo and Juliet - or anything Shakespearean in general - is sure to garner my attention, so Gnomeo & Juliet looked like it might be right up my alley. Upon its release, however, it started to garner some mixed reviews, and I soon found myself a little bit wary to give it a shot, chalking it up to another early-year dud. Still, something kept me wanting to watch it, and I finally had the opportunity to do so, and I have to say that I'm not quite sure why it was panned so widely.

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't know the basic story of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, and this film essentially follows the same formula (although, as you can probably imagine, the ultimate finalé is a little tamer than the dual-suicide that Shakespeare originally wrote). We're given a relatively good screenplay that's full of goofy jokes and gags, but there's definitely enough there for adults to enjoy and laugh at. There's quite a lot of self-reference to the original story, and I think that plays pretty well throughout the story. There's even a scene where Gnomeo meets a statue of Shakespeare himself and recants his tale, to which the Shakespeare statue tells him that he knows of a very similar story. But I digress... At the end of the day, there's a lot of goofs and gags for the kids, but there's enough for an adult audience to enjoy as well.

One reason that I particularly enjoyed this film was for its astoundingly huge-name voice cast that brings life to the gnomes and other characters on-screen. I've already mentioned McAvoy and Blunt, and having those two rising stars attached to this movie already gives it quite a bit of validity, but here's a list of some of the other big names that make vocal appearances throughout this one:

Dolly Parton (as Dolly Gnome)
Jason Statham (as Tybalt, Gnomeo's main enemy)
Jim Cummings (as Featherstone, a lawn flamingo)
Maggie Smith (as Lady Bluebury, leader of the Blues)
Matt Lucas (as Benny, Gnomeo's best friend)
Michael Caine (as Lord Redbrick, leader of the Reds)
Ozzy Osbourne (as Fawn, Tybalt's friend)
Patrick Stewart (as Bill Shakespeare)

As you can see, we're given quite the list of British-accented actors to lend their voices to the film, so it was quite a treat for a film buff like myself to hear the collective voices resonating throughout the movie. Oh, and we even get a little bit of a vocal cameo from Hulk Hogan, so be on the lookout for that one (it's pretty obvious).

I'd also like to take a moment to talk about the music in the film, which is almost entirely centered around the music of Elton John. In addition to a couple of visual references to the man himself, our ears are given a taste of such Elton songs as "Crocodile Rock," "Tiny Dancer," "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," and "Your Song," as well as a few others. Although there's really no real explanation as to the usage of his music, the simple fact that we're graced with Elton John tunes throughout the movie makes it all the more watchable, in my opinion.

Overall, I'm not quite sure why this movie was received with mixed reviews. Sure, it's not the greatest animated movie I've ever seen, but it's by no means the worst I've seen either. When you add solid animation, an age-old tale, a fantastic voice cast and incredible music, you're going to come out with a winner. So grab the kids and give this one a gander. They'll enjoy it, and so will you.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: B-
1.5 Thumb Up

Movie Review: THE MECHANIC

THE MECHANIC

2011
R

The Mechanic is a 2011 action film directed by Simon West that's a remake of the 1972 film of the same name that stars Charles Bronson. In the 2011 version, Jason Statham plays Arthur Bishop, a highly-trained hitman - known as a "mechanic" for his ability to "fix" problems - who is systematically used by his company to kill important targets. When he is given the task of killing his longtime mentor Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland), Arthur reluctantly agrees. Soon afterward, Harry's son Steve (Ben Foster) comes into the picture wanting Arthur to teach him how to be a mechanic. Through a grueling series of training exercises, and ultimately an attempted hit of his own, Arthur crafts Steve into a worthy hitman. When he learns that his new boss Dean (Tony Goldwyn) had simply wanted to remove Harry from his position, Arthur takes Steve on a trip to exact a little vengeance.

Okay, seriously, I will watch absolutely anything that's starring Jason Statham. There's just something about him that's so quietly charismatic that it's hard to keep your eyes off him while he's on-screen. He's the action start of the 21st century, and therefore the action star of my generation. Sure, past generations have had the likes of Arnie and Sly Stallone, but we get Mr. Statham. Personally, I think we won out.

The storyline is pretty predictable, but it's still fun to see just how everything unfolds. We get nearly non-stop action, which is good because this movie doesn't really carry much in terms of intellect. All brawn and no brains, as I like to say. You can see the finale coming a mile away, but it's still a completely satisfying ending. Just don't go in expecting to have to think too hard. It's not worth the effort.

The acting is actually pretty good, too. I mean, Jason Statham is Jason Statham (I know it seems like I have a little bit of a man-crush on the guy, and you're probably right), but Ben Foster brings a little bit to the table as well. The supporting acting isn't anything to rave about, but most of the supporting cast doesn't last long enough to make much of a splash anyways. It's really the Statham and Foster show, and both command the screen very, very well, making for an interesting and entertaining pairing.

Like I said: don't go into The Mechanic expecting more than guys killing other guys with big guns and bombs; otherwise, you'll be sorely disappointed. Just go in, kick back and enjoy the ride. I personally enjoyed it very much.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: B-
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: THE EXPENDABLES

The Expendables

2010

Rating: R (for strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language)

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Giselle Itié, David Zayas, Mickey Rourke

Analysis: Going into The Expendables, I can honestly say I wasn't expecting much more than some big, dumb, testosterone-filled fun. When you put some of the biggest action stars of the last thirty years (Stallone, Statham, Li), add a couple of wrestling icons (Couture, Austin), and toss in a couple of well-placed cameos (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis), and all that should sum up to a big barrel of action-filled stupidity.

To be honest, I wasn't wrong. The film met and exceeded my expectations in nearly every regard; however, this doesn't make it a world-class action film the likes of Die Hard or Terminator 2. It is big. It is dumb. But it's definitely fun. There's a few scenes that absolutely make the movie. For example, the scene with Willis and Schwarzenegger is absolutely golden, and it epitomizes the stabs each star takes at one another throughout the movie. References to past work abound. In that sense, the screenplay is actually somewhat clever, but when it comes to the actual storyline, it's a little stale and unoriginal.

The most powerful scene in the movie doesn't come through cameos or through an onslaught of action. Mickey Rourke, who is entirely underutilized in this film, delivers one of the most harrowing scenes I've seen in any movie in recent past. He tells Stallone's character about seeing a woman jump from a bridge and plunge to her death, saying that he had the opportunity to save her but chose otherwise. The delivery is absolutely perfect from the Oscar-nominee, and it offers a little bit of softness for at least one of the characters in the film.

The chemistry between the ragtag team of mercenaries also helps the film along. This is epitomized with the relationship between Stallone and Statham, the two men seen most throughout the movie. Despite the extraordinary situations they are placed into, the relationships remain down-to-earth, giving the audience more access to relate to each individual. I think this helped keep me captivated with the movie, especially during the downtime between action sequences.

All in all, it's a big, dumb, fun movie with a few scenes that make it all worthwhile. If you want a testosterone rush, this one's for you.

Movie Review Summary:
Score: 5.6/10
Grade: C-

Should You Watch It? YES