Gangster Squad

First Hit:  Violent and overdone.

This film is loosely based on the take down of Mickey Cohen as the gangster supreme in LA. Cohen (played by Sean Penn) came from the East to run LA for the mob.

The Chicago syndicate is finding Cohen to be unruly and not following their orders. The reality is that Cohen wants it all for himself. At a meeting with a Chicago representative he tells him that he’s old and will not follow Chicago’s rules. The funny thing is that Penn looked older than the guy he was talking to. Then there was Nick Nolte playing Chief Parker and quite frankly they needed to pick someone else.

To rein in Cohen, Parker gives Sargent John O’Mara (played by Josh Brolin) the freedom to pull together other cops who will leave their badges at home and stop Cohen any way they want. Sergeant Jerry Wooters (played by Ryan Gosling) is one of the people he chooses. He’s chosen because he’s smart and has a similar history as O’Mara.

One of the more difficult things is that Wooters has fallen in love with Cohen’s girlfriend Grace Faraday (played by Emma Stone). The film’s plot isn’t that interesting and the amount of overt violence by both the police and Cohen’s crew is uninteresting. Maybe the taking back of LA from Cohen went just as the film suggested, but it is not worth making a film about.

Penn is good at times and overdone at other times as Cohen. This is not his crowning role or film. Nolte is a waste and fully uninteresting as Parker. He didn’t bring anything of value to the role. Gosling is good, has some wonderful touching moments as only he can. Stone is OK as Cohen’s girlfriend but there lacked a depth of history as to how she became his girlfriend in the first place that made the whole thing unrealistic. Will Beall wrote a very mediocre script and Ruben Fleischer’s direction was at the same level.

Overall:  This film is not worth seeing and is forgettable within hours after watching it.

Jack Reacher

First Hit:  Cruise is Cruise which means you always know it is Cruise playing a character and because his presence is generally intense, the film is entertaining.

The film is about a young Iraqi vet who is framed for shooting 5 people on the river bank in Pittsburgh, PA. All the evidence points to him and while he is being interrogated he writes down on a piece of paper, “Get Jack Reacher”. Why?

The DA Rodin (played by Richard Jenkins), the head detective Emerson (played by David Oyelowo) and the defense attorney Helen (played by Rosamund Pike) who is also the DA’s daughter, all think he's guilty and don't understand who Jack Reacher is or why he would know anything about this case. Reacher (Cruise) lives anonymously after leaving the Army. He has no phone, car, or home. He arrives unannounced at the police station.

Helen is curious as to why he’s there and what he can do to assist the case. Reacher is a former Military Policeman and he doesn’t make mistakes. He's there because he’s the best and only the accused knows it. The accused knows that Reacher will find out the real truth. Well as you might imagine he discovers the entire plot which has to do with Russians that take over businesses.

Fairly lame plot, but Cruise surrounds himself with the best and therefore the film works, there are few mistakes so it works, but it isn’t memorable by any stretch of the imagination.

Cruise is perfect at acting this role and we always know it is Tom Cruise. This thought never left me as I watched this film. Jenkins is fine as a powerful, righteous and rich DA. Oyelowo is good as the head cop. Pike is very good as the DA's daughter and as a main character in the film. Werner Herzog is interesting as a one eyed former prisoner named "The Zec". Robert Duvall is amusing as "Cash" a shoot range owner. Christopher McQuarrie wrote and directed this unimpressive but cleanly executed film

Overall:  This is the kind of film one can sit and watch realizing there is nothing of real value but it is entertaining. 

Zero Dark Thirty

First Hit:  An impactful, single focus, no nonsense story about how Osama bin Laden was killed.

This film is about one subject and one subject only – the finding and killing of Osama bin Laden (OBL).

There are no real subplots in this film which meant that we follow one storyline from beginning to end. To do this, the writing, characters and acting have to be clear, focused and crisp. This film does all this in spades.

We follow Maya (played by Jessica Chastain) from when she arrives in Afghanistan, about 10 years of interviewing, analyzing, and searching until she identifies and verifies, to the US Government, that OBL as dead. The in office Presidents are heard on occasion in the background but only as place markers in time and to spout policy and precedents.

We join her as she gets her first indoctrination into the torturing of prisoners to get information. Then we follow her as she digs up small leads and puts pieces of the puzzle together and with her unqualified belief, she finds OBL’s hiding place. There have been questions about the showing of torture and even more questions about if the US Government tortures people.

Nothing I saw on film is beyond the ability of our government. I know our government likes to think we treat prisoners fairly, but frankly I don’t believe it. Although I never saw waterboarding, I’ve seen some pretty terrible treatment of the enemy while in Vietnam and I’m sure it is worse today.

Chastain is sublime in her role. There is nothing else in her mind except finding Osama bin Laden. Although her face is extraordinarily beautiful she doesn’t draw attention to her beauty. All the audience focuses on is her driven single-mindedness and the story. Jason Clarke plays Dan her boss when she first gets this job, and he is outstanding in intensity and drive. Mark Boal wrote a great screenplay. Kathryn Bigelow’s direction was amazing and easily on par with her Oscar direction of “The Hurt Locker”.

Overall: Amazingly detailed film with a single focus.

The Impossible

First Hit:  Based on a true story, I sat in awe throughout the entire film.

What would it be like to experience a tsunami? Although the actors played this family as English, it didn't detract from the real Spanish family's experience.

In this story the family; wife Maria (Naomi Watts), husband Henry (Ewan McGregor), oldest son Lucas (Tom Holland), middle son Thomas (Samuel Joslin) and youngest son Simon (Oaklee Pendergast) are on a vacation in Thailand.

What happens was one of the greatest natural disasters to ever be recorded - 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The direct visuals of the water, what happens under the water, and how the human spirit pulls together to continue to live is amazing.

It felt almost like we were watching a documentary in that we were given the realism of the ensuing chaos after an event like this. Although Watts is the main character, Holland’s strong role as oldest son having to learn what family means and how the connection of the human spirit and the connection of family carry life onward.

The actual water sequences with the outstanding sound editing gives the audience the feeling what it could be like to be caught in a huge water wave.

This story about amazing survivability of humans when faced with death and calamity is amazing.

Watts gives an amazing performance. I fully believed her. Her characters strength and selfless compassion was beautiful and remarkable. McGregor was good but his role felt a bit pressed when compared to Watt’s performance. Holland is a true star in this film. His growth as a human being and as a boy becoming a man was nothing short of amazing. Josin and Pendergast were perfect as the youngest boys and the tender scenes of Simon’s head on Thomas’ lap was perfect. Sergio G. Sanchez wrote an amazing script which was expertly directed by Juan Antonio Bayona. He did a remarkable job in all aspects of this film, the effects, actors and managing the story.

Overall:  One of the best films I’ve seen all year.

Django Unchained

First Hit: Visually strong and arresting, crisp action, good story and great acting.

The story is about a slave named Django (played by Jamie Foxx) who is rescued from slavery by a dentist turned bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (played by Christoph Waltz). He saves him because Django knows the faces of Shultz’s next bounty.

Django is good as his partner and they work together as bounty hunters through the winter with a promise by Shultz to assist Django in finding his enslaved wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). Broomhilda is enslaved by Calvin Candie (played by Leonard DiCaprio) who has a wizened and manipulative house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson).

That’s the premise and along their journey there is enough of a story to set up backgrounds and motivations for each of the characters. The funny moments are truly funny. The violent bloody moments are true Tarantino blood baths.

The story and characters were wonderfully conceived and delivered.

Foxx is absolutely delivers a very strong performance as the enslaved and now free Django. Waltz is superior and excellent in his role and delivers some of the best lines in the film. Washington is sublime as the comfort slave with an unending spirit to live her life fully. DiCaprio is surprisingly and excellently nice, crude, and mean as the owner of the largest slave plantation. Jackson is beyond sublime as the wizened house slave. His ability to show both control (drinking a drink in the library room) and subservience was amazing. When he is on the screen you have to watch him. Quentin Tarantino wrote a tight, engaging and expressive script and his direction was flawless.

Overall:  This film is one of Quentin Tarantino’s best efforts as writer and director.