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I went into this movie with somewhat low expectations. The trailers showed the movie to resemble a "Taken" type film in which Mel Gibson would run around, punch people in the face, and then kill the bad guy. Pretty much, Gibson's daughter comes home to visit him, and she is gunned down on the front porch. Since Gibson is a police detective, he assumes that he was the intended target. However, as he delves deeper into the trail of evidence, he finds out that his daughter was in some heavy poo poo. This isn't a spoiler, it was in the trailer. I for one think it would have been interesting if they hadn't advertised his daughter's background, and instead let it become part of the twist, but whatever. The direction, filming, design, and the dialog is believable. There is a good balance of action, detective work, and emotion to really make this a good movie. It isn't exactly the most uplifting movie, obviously, but that is a give-in. I enjoyed Mel Gibson's performance in this film more than his recent films, and Ray Winstone also does an excellent job (as always). There is a realistic exchange of dialog between characters that helps draw you in and actually care about what is going on. The film has some interesting twists, but nothing you wouldn't see coming if you are a big movie watcher. It doesn't bring anything new to the table, but is an overall excellent film. 4/5
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Jan 31, 2010 22:39
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 06:59 |
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The film is inferior to the faster-paced, more rear end-kicking Taken to which it is often compared, but it's still worth seeing if you're trying to use up some time on a rainy day or something. Most of the characters are compelling, the pace is brisk, and there is clearly a lot of heart in the story. However, parts of the story either don't make sense or don't follow logic. Perhaps there is a reason to this, or maybe I'm just missing something. Either way, it took me out of the film, and that defeats the purpose of going to a film. The film would be best enjoyed if you don't expect director Martin Campbell to be doing his best work--previous examples of Campbell at his best, in my opinion, are Goldeneye and Casino Royale. 2.5/5
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Feb 10, 2010 23:53
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