I like a movie with twists and turns, but this was too much even for my preference. It twists, then it twists a different way, then it twists again, then it twist back, then it twists back the other way.
I totally see that the makers were trying to "break the mold" by stepping away from basic formulaic trash, but in the process they just make non-formulaic trash; not better, just different. In the end, it ends up being trope after trope after trope. "Fight me like a man!" and then everybody taking their guns off to duke it out with fists...which in itself is the dumbest trope ever; you tell the bad guy "let's fight like men" and if he's dumb enough to take off his gun, you pull out your hidden gun and shoot him. This one aspect (which, in the "ending" is the main driving trope) sort of unravels the whole premise; we want Cole dead, dead, and dead, for what he did, so when we have the chance to double-cross and trick him, let's just "fight like men" and let him get away. Begs the question if wanting him dead was even desired. Really, begs the question if anybody wanted anybody dead, really; lots of "person who is claimed as someone we want dead could be shot easily, but let's not".
Three hours, and 80% of it is new information that's meant to be a twist on what just went on since the last unexpected change. Instead of being a cliffhanger "edge of your seat" experience, it ends up being frustratingly unsatisfying.
Shot pretty well, acting was okay (only a couple people were clearly bad at acting), setting was good...but that's all moot because the core problems with this movie were that the script started out bloated and too long. Everything wrong with this one could have been fixed with a script editor to sit down and hack out about 75-100 pages.
The nail in the coffin? The ending isn't even satisfying. The bad guy don't get got; it's left ambiguous to, presumably, leave open the option to have a sequel.
I sincerely hope it's an option that is not exercised, because it shouldn't be.
I give it two stars solely because there's glimmers that they actually tried to make a good movie and should be rewarded for the effort, even though it wasn't a successful one.
I totally see that the makers were trying to "break the mold" by stepping away from basic formulaic trash, but in the process they just make non-formulaic trash; not better, just different. In the end, it ends up being trope after trope after trope. "Fight me like a man!" and then everybody taking their guns off to duke it out with fists...which in itself is the dumbest trope ever; you tell the bad guy "let's fight like men" and if he's dumb enough to take off his gun, you pull out your hidden gun and shoot him. This one aspect (which, in the "ending" is the main driving trope) sort of unravels the whole premise; we want Cole dead, dead, and dead, for what he did, so when we have the chance to double-cross and trick him, let's just "fight like men" and let him get away. Begs the question if wanting him dead was even desired. Really, begs the question if anybody wanted anybody dead, really; lots of "person who is claimed as someone we want dead could be shot easily, but let's not".
Three hours, and 80% of it is new information that's meant to be a twist on what just went on since the last unexpected change. Instead of being a cliffhanger "edge of your seat" experience, it ends up being frustratingly unsatisfying.
Shot pretty well, acting was okay (only a couple people were clearly bad at acting), setting was good...but that's all moot because the core problems with this movie were that the script started out bloated and too long. Everything wrong with this one could have been fixed with a script editor to sit down and hack out about 75-100 pages.
The nail in the coffin? The ending isn't even satisfying. The bad guy don't get got; it's left ambiguous to, presumably, leave open the option to have a sequel.
I sincerely hope it's an option that is not exercised, because it shouldn't be.
I give it two stars solely because there's glimmers that they actually tried to make a good movie and should be rewarded for the effort, even though it wasn't a successful one.
