User reviews

This is one of those movies that you'll either love or hate.

I loved it.

The opening scene had me thinking that it was too over-the-top, and I wasn't going to like it, but I just kept laughing. Out loud.

Being from New Mexico, some of the jokes at the expense of the ABQ PD had extra spice.

Black comedy isn't for everyone. If you don't like the dark side, you aren't going to enjoy this one. I can understand the reviews from those who like their comedy dark but just didn't connect with this one, too. Different strokes and all. It is wacky, crazy, and out there, not just black.

I found the chemistry between the two buddy cops great, there are some truly wonderful lines amongst their banter.

If you can get over the "silly factor" involved with being so over-the-top, I think you'll enjoy the ride, otherwise you'll be one of those that "HATED IT".

If I had to give this film a pass-or-fail grade I would give it a thumbs up, but not very enthusiastically. A lot of the elements of this movie I really like on their surface, but for some reason they don't all come together as a cohesive and coherent motion picture. On the plus side the acting is good and a lot of the sardonic humour played very well for me.

On the down side this movie just seemed to have a lack of direction and a real "point" it was driving toward. I've read other reviews here about how the lack of point itself may be the point, but I think that is letting the filmmaker off the hook. I don't think that's really what they were going for.

It feels like they wanted at times to make a very black comedy about power, corruption, and the pointlessness of it all (for some), but at other times it's more of a light-hearted and sarcastic "buddy cop" flick, and they two just don't quite gel.

Good acting, it looks great, and a lot of funny moments make this a worthwhile watch though.

This week's Odeon's Screen Unseen was my highly anticipated War On Everyone, highly anticipated for a number of reasons. Firstly, I really enjoyed John Michael McDonagh's Calvary with Brendan Gleeson, both written and directed by McDonagh, just like this film. Secondly, Michael Peña being one of my favourite actors since the film Crash and have liked him in everything since. Thirdly, this year's Tarzan, Alexander Skarsgård, having enjoyed his John Clayton/Tarzan I was eager to see what else he can offer.

Peña and Skargård play Bob and Terry, two corrupt cops who wreck havoc across New Mexico taking and doing whatever they want under the protection of their badge and guns, roughing up criminals in their unorthodox policing methods, who are unfortunately enough to get in their way. Skargård's Terry being the hulking, unhinged, drunkard that swaggers about punching most people in the face; a lot, and Peña's Bob is the intellect of the two, smart-talking and quick-thinking being his forte, throwing out quirky philosophical comments at any given moment. The chemistry between the two is highly entertaining, provoking you to want to know what they're going to do next.

The two of them rampage about town in Terry's indestructible 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and no one is safe, apart from the meek, so justice is on the agenda, just not the kind of justice the precinct would warrant, especially their Lieutenant, played by Paul Reiser. Their shake downs of crims eventually leads them to smug, rich Brit, crime-Lord James Mangan, who is just wrong, very wrong indeed but played well by Divergent's Theo James, donning his home accent and wonderful tweed attire.

The film goes all over the place, (even to Iceland) and although not hard to follow, it feels like a mess, thinking I had missed something along the way. A lot happens in the 98min runtime but I can't say it's fast pace, it felt unbalanced quite a few times during the movie but the events that do unfold are dark and brutal if not amusing.

There's quite an assortment of characters besides the key players, notably the absconding informant, Reggie, the squirmy, feminine Birdwell, Paddy Power, Pádraic and the stunning Jackie Hollis, played by Creed's Tessa Thompson. With all the colourful characters it made the story feel like a disjointed, poor version of a Tarantino movie but and lacked a great soundtrack, apart from the Glen Campbell that seems to be playing most of the time during the film.

It's a rough, tough buddy-cop movie like no other, could well have been written by Elmore Leonard whilst on LSD. It's very much a McDonagh's movie, being quite refreshing in effortless style, only Americanised and yet, there's great potential to improve on this film.

Running Time: 7 The Cast: 8 Performance: 8 Direction: 7 Story: 5 Script: 8 Creativity: 6 Soundtrack: 6 Job Description: 6 The Extra Bonus Points: 5 for being quite outrageous and offensive in parts.

66% 7/10

Irish-born, London-based writer/director John Michael McDonagh's previous two films, The Guard (2011) and Calvary (2014), were jet- black comedies set in his native country, and both featured knockout performances from their lead, Brendan Gleeson. McDonagh's debut features were warmly received by critics, especially Calvary, which played out a rather twisted revenge tale against a backdrop of religious guilt. Neither managed to generate much commercial success, but nevertheless made McDonagh hot property and offered him the chance to work in the U.S., much like his brother Martin after In Bruges. Has John gone the way of his brother and delivered a misfire in the mould of the messy Seven Psychopaths?

Well in a way, yes. More akin to the broad, bad-taste tale of a corrupt, hateful cop on a journey of redemption in The Guard than the contemplative weight of Calvary, War on Everyone moves the action to Albuquerque, New Mexico and replaces Gleeson with the sharply- dressed, acid-tongued duo of Alexander Skarsgard and Michael Pena as bad cop and badder cop. Skarsgard plays Terry Monroe, an alcoholic, Glen Campbell-loving giant of a man who is prone to violence. Pena is Bob Bolano, an intellectual family man who enjoys philosophical arguments with his wife (Stephanie Sigman) while berating his fat children. They are the worst kind of cops imaginable; both are corrupt beyond belief, taking cuts of every stash or bundle of money they find, and generally f*****g up scumbags left right and centre.

McDonagh has great faith in his actors to make these truly despicable characters seemingly defined by their quirks likable, and it's a testament to the leading men that they actually manage to pull it off. Pena can do this kind of thing in his sleep - he could be playing Hitler and will still charm the pants off anybody watching. The real revelation is Skarsgard, showing a real knack for comic timing after previously being resigned to more stoic roles. Apparently Garret Hedlund pulled out at the last minute, and what a stroke of luck that turned out to be. At almost 6"5 and permanently hunched, Skarsgard often resembles a slow-witted giant come to stomp the place to pieces, instantly banishing all memory of the ripped hunk of The Legend of Tarzan. The duo's chemistry really holds the film together, as the remainder is little more than a mishmash of violence, colourful characters and homages.

Another way to make loathsome characters more sympathetic is by pitting them against someone even more heinous. Here the big villain is English aristocrat James Mangan (Theo James), a narcissistic psychopath whose planned heist with Muslim convert and police informer Reggie X (Malcolm Barrett) ends in a bloodbath. Terry and Bob still want their cut though, but the well-spoken Lord may prove too powerful to intimidate, especially with police chief Gerry Stanton (Paul Reiser) and City Hall breathing down their necks. It's not a particularly interesting story to build a collection of shakedowns, car chases and shoot-outs around, but some relief is offered in the relationship between Terry and former stripper Jackie (Tessa Thompson), who form a sweet romance amidst all the misanthropy. A certain step back after the mastery of Calvary, War on Everyone will offend some but have others in stitches, and I'm somewhere in between.

Philosopher Thomas Hobbes foretold a future "War of All Against All" in his book Leviathan, published in 1651. In his political/philosophical novel, he wrote his masterpiece during the English Civil War, which occurred from 1642-1651, arguing that a state of sovereignty is the only which way a body of politics can operate, without interference for third party or outside sources and individuals. His "War of All Against All" is an idea that was derived from the 'state of nature argument', where government can only be successful if it is strong, undivided and unified.

Now, I'm not sure if writer/director John Michael McDonagh intentionally wrote a script and titled a picture that could (not only be) so relevant in the United States with regards to government and policing today, but also, be such a comical and cynical interpretation of the very brutalities happening within America involving its citizens and civilians with such bravado, and most of all… balls. One has to wonder, is McDonagh warning everyone, or just laughing at them, especially since it's titled is source from such a serious and foreboding doctrine.

McDonagh, who was born in London, England, but is most notably known for being a very predominant Irish citizen, and the older brother of Martin McDonagh (considered one of the greatest living Irish playwrights today) delved deep, back into crime comedy genre with War On Everyone after The Guard became the most successful Irish Independent film of all time. Similar to The Guard, which starred his frequent collaborator and muse Brendan Gleeson, McDonagh decided to shoot his third film in the United States for the first time, keeping away from his native Irish land, and uses the landscapes of Albuquerque, New Mexico as a hellish field of nightmares. Surrounding his narrative on two very intractable corrupt cops who makes it their mission in life, and in their careers, to make every scumbag and criminal who crosses their path, as miserable and unfortunate as possible, War on Everyone is easily one of the most unsettling yet hard-hitting black comedies of 2016 that leaves all regard out the door.

While the premise and story of War is nothing to marvel at, the film itself, is easily one of the hardest films to look away from and not finish, thanks to the outlandish and quite unexpected direction McDonagh decided to take his story and characters on. Luckily for us, McDonagh decided to venture off with new actors to play the role of intimidating asshole cops on crack, to a new level.

With Peña, an actor who isn't unfamiliar with playing policemen or governing officials in the past, thanks to roles in Babel, Observe and Report, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, Gangster Squad, Vacation, the upcoming CHIPS and of course, one of my favourite of Peña's roles, Mike Zavala in David Ayer's masterpiece End of Watch, Peña could practically get a job as a cop with all his experience in the role. As Peña's partner, McDonagh choose someone who has never played a cop before. Luckily for us, actor Alexander Skarsgård literally stumbled upon the role from a video that went viral, showcasing the actor at a soccer match, drunkenly rooting for his team, leading a chant, and being completely and utterly intoxicated, making not only a huge fool of himself, but showing director McDonagh everything he needed to see for his beloved Terry character. Thanks for Skarsgård behaviour during his intense period of inebriation, the video secured the role for the towering actor, whose character Terry is an un-wreckable force of chaos and brutality with no brake or lever for control, a role Skarsgård completely punches and bruises into us without apology. Skarsgård is absolutely, unapolgetically, relentlessly perfect as Terry.

While every citizen in The United States are well aware of their rights, including the right to remain silent, War is a film that really doesn't say too much, other than offer an unlimited sources of one- liners and crass, crude jokes, heavy racial slander and bizarre perspective of criminals, but also allows the action seen on screen to speak for itself. Certain scenes in the film play off as set pieces in a play, where the intention and purpose of meaning is never really understood or comprehended, showing off personalities of certain characters and their interaction with one another, as well as bizarre interpretation of the coming to reality of a scorn and doomed society. One of these very characters is the introduction of Jackie Harris (Tessa Thompson), who plays Terry's love interest, and inevitable life-partner. The two share very awkward tonal scenes that resemble instances of a musical, a horror and a romantic comedy, yet, Jackie's relationship with Terry reveals absolutely nothing about him, other than his inconsistent ability to enforce ethics and morals to people, without ever compromising his own corrupt personality and desire and obsession with greed.

While Terry and Bob set fire to the world around them, including their own personal and family lives, the two indulge in the perks of having a badge, which include consuming countless narcotics that that they confiscate, including a large portion of cocaine from a mime-on-the-run (do mimes make a noise when you run over them?), large quantities of cash that they use for their own personal use, and beat up physically, verbally and mentally civilian that crosses their path. Luckily for the audience, everyone within the War world has as much as quick witted, vulgar tongue to argue back with are two unluckily antiheroes, that the dialogue is a measure of how far McDonagh's script actually pushing the boundaries. Luckily, no secondary characters are truly able to deliver comebacks that compare to the joint efforts of the corrupt duo. With no regard for women, race, culture or social status, the levels of offence and discrimination are pushed in each and every scene and word that comes out of Bob and Terry's mouths.

The trouble with John Michael McDonagh is that he's not half as clever as he thinks he is or that he would like us to think he is. If he was really smart he wouldn't be making pretentious crap like "War on Everyone". This should have been just another buddy cop movie with a lineage that goes all the way back to the seventies but that would have been too common-place for a man like McDonagh, the much less talented brother of playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonagh.

"War on Everyone" is a semi-serious, name-dropping, (from feminism, the classics, literature, the movies, popular music; the kind of things 'smart' people are supposed to know about), buddy movie, all done in the worst possible taste which isn't a problem in itself; I love bad taste when it's funny but this just isn't funny. On the plus side, the ridiculously handsome Alexander Skarsgard, (son of Stellan), who plays one half of our pair of anti-heroes, shows that given a half decent script he might even be able to deliver the goods. Otherwise, that's about it. Don't waste your time.

I really liked War On Everyone, to me it was an alternate reality made through the trope of American cop movies and TV from the 70's. Not the real 70's but the film fiction of the 1970's but with the movie actually set in modern times.

I also noticed the viewer has to pay attention or you will miss the connection of each scene to the next (no checking your cell phone). War On Everyone is a tightly woven film where a homage to 70's film/TV style might be too obscure for anyone under 50 or someone who never watched old 70's cop stuff. The movie probably needed some objective editing from someone besides the writer/director.

I'm 54 and I thought War On Everyone was very funny. :-) I have a tomboy mom who took me to every car chase movie that came out in the 70's - R rated included - and her favorite TV shows (that me and my brother were 'forced' to watch) were Mannix, Dragnet, and Adam 12. I loved Starsky and Hutch 1975 (Huggy Bear reference in WOE). It probably helped me like the movie.

The movie does not pull it's punches in swearing, offensive racial slurs, and bawdy humor but it strangely passes the Bechdel test when the two main female characters have a scene where they talk to each other about their travels.

War On Everyone is movie where everyone has their faults but seems to ask the questions, "Does societies definition of right and wrong mean anything, are there acceptable degrees of wrongness and is there a line that even "bad" people won't cross?"

I'm a colossal fan of John Michael McDonagh but the way this was advertised made me nervous - a "laugh out loud buddy cop romp with oodles of slapstick violence"? From the Calvary man?? However - it's nothing of the sort really. It's essentially a 70's cop film as seen from outside being deconstructed as it unfolds - not all of it works, but it's a serious dark hoot and they go to Iceland which I'm generally in favour of. It won't (and didn't) float everyone's boats but it definitely tickled me.

Despite a strong, anarchic start, which got me laughing, I felt uneasy watching this comedy.

Why did the smartly exaggerated, anti-authority gags that would inevitably follow the exploits of two corrupt, lazy cops fail to flow?

What we get is infantile, juvenile and sometimes blatantly nasty economy pot-shots at Muslims, the English aristocracy (whose addition is unaccountable), the country of Iceland, obese children and, of course, the US police who are "all fat racists". Now there's a witty and sharp observation...no one will say. Ever.

If I've lost my sense of humour, where? Probably on the train as I travelled out to see this as my home cinema wasn't screening it.

I am a fan of Pena and Skaarsgard. Let's start by saying that. BOTH are hilarious in this flick. Real slick dialog and quick quips, get me everytime. It's fun and I like fun. Here is the issue: The dialog, at times feels like they are trying for it. That's the danger of "snark." It has to flow natural and feel effortless. Once that fails, it's in danger of feeling false. That happened a few times. The bad guys were quirky in their right, but you always felt the protagonists were going to best them. And the plot is 2nd seat, to all thier attempts to dazzle you thru those quick jokes. Another mistake. However, it was still fun. And I like fun. Well worth the time. Streaming on HBOMAX.

I liked Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Pena in it. They had the chemistry that makes for good buddy cop movies.

The buddy cop parts of War on Everyone was really cool too with Paul Reiser as that boss that always comes down on them hard for being good cops(although in the case they are far from good cops). The look and feel of War on Everyone feels like a classic cop show from the 1970s, which was very cool.

But they needed far better material. The movie lacks interest for my taste. Love the concept, thought the implantation of the concept was a bit of a snooze.

Overall, it is worth checking out.

Before we even get to our review of War on Everyone, we urge those who have yet to see writer/director John Michael McDonagh's previous works – Calvary, The Guard – to take the time to seek, relish and savor two of the best hidden gems of films that have sneaked in and out of our playlists for the past few years.

McDonagh's latest, War on Everyone, is a cop/buddy comedy that pairs actors Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood) and Michael Peña (End of Watch, The Martian) in a story about two corrupt officers who eventually meet their evil match in present day New Mexico.

Terry (Skarsgård) and Bobby (Peña) seem to have come from the Alonzo Harris School of Policing. That is if Alonzo Harris worked for Police Squad! Terry and Bobby run rampant through the city they are sworn to protect with reckless abandon. They drink and drive, do drugs, threaten criminals and generally just break all the rules in the police handbook between reprimands from their commanding officer played by Paul Rieser (Aliens).

Terry is the heavy drinking womanizer that has the intellect of a Joey Barone. Bobby is the (supposed) smart one who has a family consisting of a wife and two boys that he throws verbal barbs at like he was auditioning for Bad Santa 2. But while on the job, the two are more alike than different in that their goal is to survive each day with civilian disregard.

So the two sniff, drink, shoot, smash, punch, kick and speed through daily challenges all of which seem stitched together without any true cohesive narrative. Whereas this year's The Nice Guys had a dense story coupling two unlikely characters in a plot that develops and builds on each new character introduction, War on Everyone instead treats each new scene and character like a disposable Saturday Night Live skit. Even the two leads don't look like they are having much fun as they plod through the shallow script pages. Only Malcolm Barrett, who plays informant Reggie, shines with scenes that have any appreciative value.

The film ends up being a convoluted mess. John Michael McDonagh can write. His previous efforts confirm that statement. And War on Everyone should have been something that would fit his style. We had hoped to see how a foreigner would write a movie about American violence and policing. Instead, we got War on Everyone, a movie that is so awkward and contains so many scenes that seem so distant from the one just before that it takes McDonagh down a long snake in the Snakes and Ladders Hollywood game.

This was an utter waste of time. It was so bad I'm angry I sat through it waiting for it to achieve the 6.1 rating it currently has.

I don't mind bad movies when they're funny or have some redeeming qualities, but this has none. Far too many names were attached to this movie for it to be so bad. At no time did you feel anything for any of these characters.

They threw every cliché storyline at it, but then resolved the entire movie in the last 7 minutes. Save your time and do some laundry. Watching your clothes spin around in the machine would be more entertaining.

Alexander Skarsgård and Theo James performed fairly decent, but Michael Peña seemed bored and too monotonic in his role. Interesting story, but weirdly played out. Directing and cinematography was decent. IMO, this film failed to deliver with such a great cast. 6/10 from me.

So we had two movies about an investigating couple in 2016. The other one was Shane Blacks "Nice guys". They weren't cops there, like they are here. But then again, these cops right here, you won't find too many of them around. It's obvious this is anything but politically correct. So if you don't like humor off the rails and off the norm, you probably should not watch this.

If you on the other hand like your comedies to be crazy and all over the place, you should give this a chance. It's actually pretty funny and the two buddies on the front are doing a great job with their characters. Completely crazy and without any morality center they take whatever they like and do not care. You could argue that this makes them despicable persons, but remember this is a movie and a comedy. Don't be offended by it, it takes away all the fun you could have

It's not one of Martin's films but it's so good. I watched it so many times over. I don't understand the bad reviews, this is exactly what you want from one of their films. Loved it and watched it a hundred times over. Treat yourself

Director/Writer John Michael McDonah Wow-Ed Critics with His First 2 Low-Budget Gems, Filmed in Ireland..."The Guard" (2011) and "Calvary" (2014).

In His 3rd Outing the Film-Maker is Less-Concerned with Verisimilitude or "Heaviness" of Statement that can "Change the World" from its Madness.

He Lets Loose with what can be Very Annoying Characters Doing Very Outlandish and Over-the-Top Behavior Slinging One-Liners and Biting Sarcasm Relentlessly Running Amok Throughout.

It's the Kind of Film that You Must "Check-In" and be Ready for the Onslaught of a "Fever-Dream" and Capitulate to the Film's Misanthropic Tone of Death and Destruction.

The Script Takes No Prisoners. It's Wild, Colorful, Anti-Everyone and at Times Reminds of Pre-Code "Marx Brothers" with the Modern-Art Insensibility of Wes Anderson.

It is the Directors 3rd Best Film out of 3, but Make No Mistake, this is a Rare-Bird, an Odd-Duck, and the Cutting-Edge Irreverence may be an Endangered Species.

Not for Everyone, but...

Worth a Watch

For those that can Take It.

This film tells the story of two bad policemen, who do all sorts of illegal things. They associate with crooks and criminals, and get up to every type of trouble possible.

"War on Everyone" may sound like a funny comedy, but unfortunately it is not. The first fifteen minutes already completely put me off, and the remainder of the film displays no improvement. The two policemen are annoying and silly, rather than funny. The comedy only comes from them doing things they shouldn't be doing, but these jokes only go so far, and cannot carry the whole film. The pace is slow, so slow that there even film Theo James walking half naked from the bed to the execution room, which takes over a minute. The acting is bad as well, actors consistently overact.

With the two famous lead actors, I thought it would be a good film. Unfortunately, it is horrendous.