3 Days to Kill

First Hit:  Parts were really funny; some were really unrealistic, but overall it was entertaining.

Does the CIA really have agents that act and look like a hooker that drive around in an Audi R8 sports cars? I doubt it. But here the head agent Vivi Delay (Amber Heard) charged with killing “The Wolf” (Richard Sammel) gets to do this and more.

The plot is a bit convoluted with “The Albino” (Tomas Lemarquis) and some other characters who work for The Wolf while he’s trying to sell a dirty bomb. To get the job done Vivi hires Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner) who is a veteran at killing people for the agency. He’s grizzled yet he’s got a soft spot for his daughter Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld) whom he hasn’t seen since she was a small child.

Each year he contacts her on her birthday but that’s it. He’s fighting what he thinks is a cold but discovers he’s got cancer and only has a few months to live. With this news he wants to spend more time with his daughter and wife Christine (Connie Nielsen). Both are reluctant to have him back in their lives while Christine makes him promise to quit doing jobs for the Agency. But Vivi hooks him in by offering him a unclassified drug that might extend his life a bit.

The funniest part was when he and Vivi are trying to decide which guy in the room is The Wolf’s accountant.

Costner is fun, craggily, physical and smooth. I enjoy watching him use his experience in these parts to make them work for the audience and story. Heard is quirky and electric as the agent. Steinfeld is very good as the daughter who is trying to figure out if she cares, why she cares, and how to express her mixed emotions. Nielsen is very good as Costner’s estranged wife. Adi Hasak and Luc Besson wrote an unbelievable script but in the end it worked. McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol) directed this and cannot figure out what impels him to use “McG” as his name, when the film pretty good – don’t we want to know his name?

Overall:  I was entertained throughout this implausible story.

Robocop

First Hit:  A good remake – this had more humanness.

Remakes are generally not as good as the original(s). This remake is clearly better. Mostly the characters are more clearly defined, the acting is better and the production value is far better. But what they really did was the adding humanness to Robocop.

Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is hurt by a car bomb and there is little left of him. Raymond Sellars (Michael Keaton) owns a company that is pushing to make drones and robots the way crime is fought and dealt with in the US. Although these drones are used in the rest of the world, there is strong resistance in the US (Congress) to having drones manage our crime.

Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) has an idea of combining a human (partial) and robotics to help make this transition. They choose Alex and using only his lungs, face, one arm, and brain, he builds robotics around him. Alex becomes a success after tinkering with his dopamine to make his more aggressive and less feeling oriented. His wife Clara (Abbie Cornish) and their son David (John Paul Ruttan) are distressed as they see their husband/father become less human and fight to see him.

Kinnaman was very good at being human, Robocop with some humanness, and Robocop with less humanness. Keaton was great to see again and as always he always seems to be on the edge of sanity – his mind is so quick. Oldman was very good as the doctor walking a fine line of integrity and doing things just for the money. Cornish was OK as the stressed wife who wanted her human, caring husband back. Joshua Zetumer and Edward Neumeier wrote a good script but it was the direction by Jose Padilha to use his actors to make this film work.

Overall: Someone finally got this film right – enjoyable.

Monuments Men

First Hit:  Disappointing execution of what was probably a marvelous story.

The cast was stellar. The story was probably interesting. However the result was a disjointed, lackluster, and mediocre film. When you have; George Clooney (as Frank Stokes), Matt Damon (as James Granger), Bill Murray (as Richard Campbell), Cate Blanchett (as Claire Simone), John Goodman (as Walter Garfield), Jean Dujardin (as Jean Claude Clermont), Hugh Bonneville (as Donald Jefferies), and Bob Balaban (as Preston Savitz) there is an anticipation, if not expectation, of seeing a great film and story.

What hurt this story was that it seemed like a bunch of vignettes strung together to meet the end result of the story. Some of these side stories had me scratching my head and wondering why they were there, one such side piece was the dental work piece featuring Murray and Balaban. Couldn’t understand why it was important to show this.

Then there were the cutaway scenes following Damon when he first came to France, while riding in a cart - what was the point of showing these without some conclusion or reasoning? These are just a couple of moments in this film that just seemed to be there for no real reason or point. There were also awkwardly shot moments, like when Bonneville makes an attempt to kill a German, the whole scene was poorly conceived and executed.

This scene seemed like an afterthought. However, there were also touching moments, like when Damon and Blanchett were having dinner, or when Bonneville gives his thanks for a chance to prove his worth after his alcoholic ways.

Clooney as an actor here was OK, but his direction and screenplay contributions seemed lightweight or maybe he didn’t take this seriously enough. Damon was good, as always, but there wasn’t enough meat in the part to have him give a great performance. Murray appeared to be trying to make something out of nothing and when the audience sees this – it is disappointing. Blanchett was one of the best in her role as a mistrusting woman who finally believes the motive of the US forces. Goodman was OK, nothing special. Dujardin was somewhat interesting as he brought some European flair to the film. Bonneville was nothing special in a minimal role. Balaban seemed to capture the screen when he was in a scene which says something about his strong skills. Clooney and Grant Heslov wrote this screenplay and it seems that they were unclear about direction as was Clooney as director.

Overall:  This film was better as an idea than its execution. I left the theater disappointed.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

First Hit:  Better than I thought it would be with a good story, believable acting, and the way suspense was created.

Carrying on the legacy of Clancy’s Jack Ryan character is a tall order. Just like carrying on the 007 story with different actors, it takes someone who can embody the spirit of the character, yet show us something and someone new. Daniel Craig has definitely moved 007 forward.

Here Chris Pine, just as he did with Captain Kirk, moved the character of Jack Ryan forward. As his mentor, Kevin Costner is excellent as Commander Thomas Harper. I loved his wry smile, direct commands and hands on engagement.

This is where this film excels. It wasn’t someone behind a desk giving commands from HQ to the lowly analyst (Now your Operative) it was a team of people letting Ryan be the lead, yet knowing he was fully supported by a competent team made it all work. Keira Knightley, as Ryan’s wife Dr. Cathy Muller, was really good and it was great to see her again in a film role.

Briefly, Jack, inspired by September 11th, joins the Marines to fight for the US. He’s super smart and although he’s been sending great intelligence to the Marine’s HQ, he’s doing a grunt role. He gets hurt and rehabs at Walter Reed Hospital where he meets Dr. Muller. Harper read Ryan’s reports and begins to recruit him into the CIA.

As an intelligence analyst he’s real good, and on a trip to Russia to do an audit of a client, he uncovers a plot to destroy the US (of course you would expect this from a Jack Ryan story). It is here that he becomes an operative. Just because we know the ending doesn't take away from the way we get there.

This is what makes this film very watchable, entertaining, and enjoyable.

Pine was an excellent choice for the Ryan role with his charming good looks, intelligence, and ability to be physical. Costner was great as the older, wizened, and veteran CIA operative in charge of the mission. Knightly was sublime as Ryan’s wife Muller. There was enough strong independence as well as intelligent support of her husband. Kenneth Branagh as Viktor Cherevin was particularly strong and I felt he clearly knew how to direct himself. Adam Cozad and David Koepp wrote a wonderful script based on Tom Clancy’s characters. Branagh did a wonderful job of creating suspense and excitement throughout the film.

Overall:  This was a very entertaining film made well by strong people.

Lone Survivor

First Hit:  Knowing the end (title gives it away) before the film starts makes it difficult to watch.

When you know the end of the film before it starts, it can hurt the experience.

Here the audience has to sit through a small group (4) Navy Seals being slowly slaughtered because they consciously let 3 Afghan goat herders go. The decision allowed the Taliban to know the soldiers whereabouts and how to systematically kill the soldiers.

The film is supposed to show the fraternal and brotherly closeness of these Seals. To make this point the beginning of the film shows some of the training exercises the commandos go through to become a Seal.

As most of the candidates quit, by ringing a bell three times and leave their helmet on the ground, the ones who make it through to the end are very close. As the Seals are picked off one by one in horrible/bloody fashion I just sat waiting for the end to come. This film tries to bring the feeling of honor, bravery, and the rightness of the US being at war in Afghanistan – but to me these things do not justify the actions of war although I appreciate the closeness of their brotherhood.

From a story perspective this film might have been better served by not telegraphing the end. However, some of the dialogue was pointed and truly Seal like.

Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Luttrell was focused and fully engaged in this role. This was a typical “full on” performance by him. Taylor Kitsch as Michael Murphy was good as the leader of this group. Emile Hirsch was very good as Danny Dietz communications guy. Ben Foster was the best of the bunch in his part as Matt “Axe” Axelson. Peter Berg wrote and directed this based on Luttrell’s book. The dialogue was strong and cinematography was good but the focus on their struggle to survive the onslaught wasn’t my cup of tea.

Overall:  Not an easy film to watch, especially if killing is not your bag.