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Female close protection officer Noomi Rapace bodyguards a bratty American teen, but is soon on the run from unknown assailants. Underwritten whilst also exposition-heavy, but not without its pleasures. Directed by Vicky Jewson.
Death Wish (2018)
Eli Roth and Joe Carnhan update the Michael Winner vigilante revenge classic, and it’s sleek if not outstanding. With Bruce Willis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue and Dean Norris.
The Gunman
Second spin for Pierre Banlieu 13 Morel’s actioner about an ex-special forces humper-turned-private sector black bag merchant (Sean Penn) facing assassination nearly a decade after a soured hit job persuaded him into quiet retirement.
Some decent chase and fight scenes, a decent cast (Jasmine Trinca, Javier Bardem, Mark Rylance, Ray Winstone, Idris Elba), but by no means watertight.
Hop
Not great live-action-and-CGI-carton business, grimly hitting its focus-grouped beats (slacker human, childish animated animals, striving to ‘grow up’, silly villains, etc). Just about watchable. With James Marsden and the voices of Russell Brand, Hugh Laurie and Hank Azaria, directed by Tim Hill (credits include a Muppet movie, a Garfield movie, an Alvin movie…)
In The Loop
Armando Iannucci’s Stateside The Thick Of It reboot, with idiot minister Tom Hollander and spineless SPAd Chris Addison vainly trying not to precipitate an inevitable war. With Peter Capaldi, Gina McKee, David Rasche, Mimi Kennedy, Anna Chlumsky and James Gandolfini.
Pacific Rim
Goes on a bit. Well, a lot. Soldiers don massive robot suits to fight aliens attacking Earth through a rip in the space/time continuum or something. Much less enjoyable than it thinks it is. Idris Elba is pretty much the only thing going for it. Okay, well Burn Gorman and Charlie Day as feuding comic relief scientists are alright too. Not the best I’ve seen from Guillermo del Toro.
American Psycho
Mary Harron has a fair crack at Bret Easton Ellis’s yuppie satire, with Christian Bale fully committing as unhinged rich asshole Patrick Bateman.
Marauders
Unsuccessful attempt to make a Heat-like heist movie from Steven C Miller (one of those young unknown directors who pep up their unremarkable low budget genre flicks with small bit parts for big name stars like Nic Cage, John Cusack or – as here – Bruce Willis,; bit parts which are then chopped up and expeditiously edited throughout the whole movie). A convoluted plot with silly twists undermines the odd well-framed scene. The cast (Chris Meloni, Dave Bautista) do seem committed though.
A Week In Film 