Film Review: FOUR BROTHERS (2005)

Director: John Singleton
Writers: David Elliot, Paul Lovett
Running time: 105 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama
UK Release date: 30^th September 2005

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 31^st March 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is another of those films that I have a vague recollection of when it came out. I can’t remember how well it was received at the time but I still wanted to give it the once over. It’s quite an interesting film, very gritty and very down to earth; I have to admit I quite liked it. Sadly it seems the critics and many of the public disagree, but hey, we’re all entitled to our opinions. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

When Evelyn Mercer (Fionnula Flanagan) is killed in what looks like a professional hit her four adopted sons take matters into their own hands. The boys; Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), Angel (Tyrese Gibson), Jeremiah (André Benjamin) and Jack (Garrett Hedlund) are soon tracking down leads. The cops in the guise of Lt. Green (Terrence Howard) and Detective Fowler (Josh Charles) try to curb their enthusiasm but the boys are determined. The clues all point to Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a gangland leader who does not pull his punches when he’s trying to send a message. When the boys end up on the receiving end of one of his ‘messages’ they take matters into their own hands and you know that’s not going to end well.

The plot is very slow after the initial murder of Evelyn Mercer and this may have put many off. It does, however pick up towards the middle third and by the end it has reached full throttle. The gritty realism of the story is enhanced by the winter scenes on the streets of Detroit. I can’t say I was overly enthused by the choice of music throughout, but then it’s not really my scene man. The performances were all excellent with Mark Wahlberg and Tyrese Gibson taking most of the spotlight, but I thought nobody put a foot wrong throughout. Over all a gritty realistic and sometimes brutal revenge thriller. Maybe a little too slow for some in the beginning but the pace does pick up (I promise).

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.2/10.

IMDb Score: 6.8/10 (based on 70,231 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0430105/

MetaScore: 49/100: (Based on 31 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 52/100 (based on 131 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 55/100 (based on 367,861 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/four_brothers/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Damian: Call me an ambulance.
Bobby: What? For my Dog bites? Nah, I'll be fine.

Bobby: I wanna make a toast to Evelyn Mercer, the greatest mother four degenerate bastards ever had. Pour me and my brothers another round, and some nice warm milk for my little sister.
Jack: Man, I will drink you under the table.
Bobby: We're not talking about sperm, Jack, this is whiskey.

Bobby: Jack, it was a questionable kill.
Jack: What makes you think that?
Bobby: Boy, it's sad, you growing up without a father. Nobody taught you anything, did they? Maybe I should've stayed around longer and held your little hand, huh sweetheart? Sometimes pros will cover up their shots with another crime, like a burglary or something, then pay a witness to throw the cops onto the wrong suspect.
Jack: Why would anybody wanna kill the sweetest woman in the God-damn world?
Bobby: I dunno, Jackie. I dunno.

Lt. Green: You keep knocking on the devil's door long enough and sooner or later someone's gonna answer you.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: FAST FIVE (2011)

[A.K.A. FAST & FURIOUS 5]

Director: Justin Lin
Writers: Chris Morgan, Gary Scott Thompson (characters)
Running Time: 124 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller
UK Release Date: 21^st April 2011

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 17^th March 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I think I’ve probably seen the previous four ‘Fast & Furious’ films and so I thought it would be a shame to miss out on the latest instalment. I broke with tradition and checked a couple of sites before I decided to give it a look (didn’t want to waste my time on another turkey!). I was pleasantly surprised to see it scored quite well and so I thought I’d give it a shot. I must say it did exactly what it said on the tin and I can honestly say it’s a welcome return to form for the F&F franchise. I will tell you more after this very brief summary.

Having sprung Mia’s brother and Brian O’Conner’s best friend, Dominic Toretto, from prison, the trio head for Brazil to lay low. Mia and Brian meet up with an old friend, Vince, who steers them in the direction of a job; a car heist. The job doesn’t quite go according to plan but they end up in possession of some very useful information about the operations of a drug cartel headed by one Hernan Reyes. Some American D.E.A. agents were killed during the heist and so tough lawman, Luke Hobbs, and his team are sent to Brazil to capture Toretto and his associates. Meanwhile, Toretto decides to use the information they have on Reyes to take all his money and retire. To do this they will have to assemble a team and one final, spectacular, heist is planned. I will not say any more or the Spoiler Police (Care Chases Division) will be suspending my license (again).

Very well shot with some truly spectacular driving stunts and special effects; the driving in this film is really excellent; hats off to all those involved in the stunt work! As for performances, well everybody did a decent job; Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto and Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner, reprising roles from previous instalments were just as good as they were in the first film. Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto did a decent job, as did Dwayne Johnson as the no-nonsense cop, Luke Hobbs. Also worthy of note were; Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, Ludacris as Tej Parker, Matt Schulze as Vince and Joaquim de Almeida as Hernen Reyes.

You’d have thought a film about big men driving fast cars wouldn’t be all that appealing, but this one does have a bit of something about it. No, it’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it is entertaining in its own way and I can’t knock it for that. The stunt work is excellent and the plot isn’t all that bad as either. It does, however, require some knowledge of at least some of the previous films involving the main characters though. It works quite well as a caper/heist movie with a bit of an edge to it, although I did find a little too much time was spent with the ‘good guys’. The city of Rio features very prominently and, for me, was also a bit of a star of the show. Over all, although it’s not a great film, it’s an entertaining film and one I have no problem in deeming… Recommended.

My Score: 7.2/10

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 105,098 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1596343/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 78/100 (based on 180 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 83/100 (based on 104,318 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fast_five/

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FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Hobbs: Hey Toretto, you're under arrest.
Dominic Toretto: I don't feel like I'm under arrest.
Dominic Toretto: [to Brian] How about you Brian?
Brian O'Conner: No, not a bit. Not even a little bit.
Hobbs: Oh just give it a minute, it will sink in.
Brian O'Conner: We didn't kill those feds. That was Reyes.
Hobbs: I don't give a shit. I'm just here to bring two assholes whose names hit my desk.
Brian O'Conner: Yeah, that sounds like a real hero.
Hobbs: That's funny. From a guy who took the oath of a cop, then went against everything it stood for, for some wannabe tough guy prick who beat a man half to death with a socket wrench. Yeah, real tough. You turn around and put your hands behind your back.
Dominic Toretto: I don't think so.
Hobbs: Your mistake is thinking you have a goddamn choice, boy!
Dominic Toretto: And your mistake? Thinking you're in America. You're a long way from home. This is Brazil!

Brian O'Conner: You realize we're talking about going up against the most powerful guy in all of Rio?
Dominic Toretto: Yes, we are.
Brian O'Conner: Then we're gonna need a team.

Roman Pearce: [regarding going into a police station] Who's supposed to do all that?
[Everyone looks at Roman]
Roman Pearce: What do you mean? Why me?
Brian O'Conner: Cause you got the biggest mouth.
Tej: That is for damn sure.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.fastfivemovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: LEGION (2009)

Co-Writer/Director: Scott Charles Stewart
Running time: 96 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Adventure
USA Release date: 5th March 2010

Watched on DVD Sunday 22nd May 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This film has attracted some really bad reviews but I decided to see for myself just what everyone was getting so het up about. Well, although it’s not the best film in the world, it’s far far better than many would have you believe. Yes, the premise is pretty preposterous, but I like the execution and I like the performances and so it turned out not as awful as I feared. I should say for the record that I’m not a religious man as so wasn’t offended by the use of religious iconography in this film.

A waitress, Charlie, who works in a diner on a deserted road in the Mojave Desert is heavily pregnant. She is looked after by Jeep Hanson and his father Bob, who owns the diner. It’s a typical day with the usual comings and goings, but there’s something in the air. And when a sweet old lady tells Charlie her baby is going to burn before going crazy and trying to kill everyone, they all know something is seriously wrong. Then a stranger arrives, he is heavily armed and ready for a fight. He calls himself Michael and claims he is a fallen angel. He has come to save Charlie’s baby from the coming apocalypse as he is the only hope for mankind. More people arrive, but they are possessed and have only one thing on their minds. Many are killed but they are soon beaten back. Can this small band hold out until the baby comes, or will the possessed return to take the baby? A tough one I know, but I’m not going to tell you here.

The film is pretty well made with some nice special effects and some decent performances. It is let down by a rather weak story that could have been done with much more mystery than it was. Decent performances all round; Paul Bettany did a good job as Michael, although I felt he wasn’t really stretched, although he did have some of the best dialogue. Lucas Black was ok as Jeep Hanson and it was nice to see Dennis Quaid as his father Bob. Tyrese Gibson was also good as the reformed bad guy Kyle Williams and Adrianne Palicki was ok, without being spectacular as Charlie. Finally a mention for Charles S. Dutton who did a good job as the chef, Percy Walker.

It very much put me in mind of the 1976 John Carpenter film, Assault on Precinct 13 with the quite claustrophobic feel of it. It’s just a shame that the premise behind the storyline wasn’t better thought out, or that the character of Michael didn’t have more mystery about him. As I said at the beginning though, I think it was well produced and there were some decent performances. I know many won’t agree, but I didn’t dislike it all that much… I won’t recommend it, but neither will I consign it to the reject pile, with this one I’ll give you a free choice.

My Score: 5.2/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1038686/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/legion_2010/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/legion/
Trailer: