Not really a good crime thriller and not a great cultural critique either.
Living in the PNW just a couple hours from Coeur d’Alene, I was hoping this would be a tightly-crafted, insightful movie about an issue that is still prevalent today in North Idaho. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed by the poor pacing, confusing and instant location jumps to places and towns hours away from each other, and general under-cooked feeling I got from most aspects of the film.…
Pleasantly exceeded my expectations, which were, admittedly rather low and skeptical. Trends closer to Top Gun: Maverick then Twisters as far as legacy sequels go. It looked great (the CGI was much better than in the trailers) and the plot was more interesting than I figured it would be. Lots of varied action sequences. Definitely lacked the gravitas and emotion of Gladiator, and none of the performances were truly exceptional except, of course, Denzel. I’m rating it a half star higher than I would just because I’m relieved it wasn’t lame, and there really aren’t enough historical epics made anymore.
Still holds up entirely on the third watch. Insane, unprecedented action, it exceeded my expectations more than any film in recent memory. The lighting for the entire Osaka sequence is otherworldly. I believe it will go down as the best action film of the 2020s. Fun fact, Scott Adkins and Donnie Yen are 2/3 of my actual fancasting from before the cast was even announced.
Scott Adkins is back. I’d been looking forward to this for some time and it didn’t disappoint. The action was varied enough from One Shot that it didn’t feel too derivative or repetitive, and there were a few truly intense moments that had a lot of emotional weight. I appreciate James Nunn’s dedication to the one take style and don’t think it’s gimmicky or overdone at all. I think he has a ton of potential to become a big name…
