While watching the trailer for this movie, I was quite skeptical and amazed by the talented and large cast ensemble and also the tension within the room that is quite reminiscent and equivocal to the Quentin Tarantino's film debut, Reservoir Dogs. Now, I am going to get hate for this controversial statement that I did not enjoy his debut film because it was mostly style over substance and there are some illogical problems, even with one character lying down bleeding to death looking like he could last his whole life. This movie felt like Reservoir Dogs times 100, making the whole experience frustrating and a bit boring.
The movie starts with Steve and Bernie (Sam Riley and Enzo Cilenti) on their way to meet with two IRA members, Chris and Frank (Cillian Murphy and Michael Smiley). They wait outside of a Boston warehouse and along with them is Justine (Brie Larson). A rep named Ord (Armie Hammer) gets them inside as the group is there buying weapons from arms dealer, Vernon (Sharlto Copley) and his team of men. Chris' group secure the weapons and hand over the money in the briefcase.
As the day continues, Steve notices a guy from Vernon's group named Harry (Jack Reynor), who beat him up the previous day because he abused his cousin. Harry eventually notices and lashes out at Steve, bringing tensions onto both men and both groups. Steve initially apologizes but then he pushes Harry's buttons as to what he said he specifically did to her cousin. Harry shoots Steve in the shoulder, setting both groups to split and commence shooting each other. One of the men who had the briefcase gets shot and the briefcase is in the middle of the room during the standoff.
I was excited for the first 15-20 minutes by the ensemble and how they are poorly dressed but most of the cast inhabits and blends into their characters particularly well. However, the movie's pace is weird and inconsistent as the shootout is slowing down like the music on a portable walkman is slowing down and running out of batteries and dies. Like I said in the beginning of my review, I did not like Reservoir Dogs because there's not much story to back it up. In comparison, I liked this movie less because this was a bloody, gritty mess because the editing is quite erratic and not set up properly as to who is where in one warehouse. We get lost sometimes who is chasing who in what area and the location each character is going to.
I will admire a few individual performances because I quite enjoyed Armie Hammer as a person who smolders like some sort of pretend spy. Cillian Murphy is quite suitable as a character that we closely root for during this whole standoff and sometimes, he gets lost in the shuffle as to where he should be cast in his next movie. He is an underrated actor. After her Oscar win for her unbelievable performance in Room (one of the best movies of 2015), Brie Larson gives a cool performance as a female criminal who speaks volumes with silent eye-rolling to some insults or "compliments" to her moments of prowess in which I think in the latter stage of the movie is "too little, too late". Sharlto Copley does ok in some sort of a more menacing role than others but his performances are becoming a bit too predictable, lately. I want him to sort of lay back on his meaty roles a bit.
I have not followed director Ben Wheatley's works as much because the only other movie I have seen of his was High-Rise, a particularly interesting premise that falters in its latter stages. This movie is a copy-cat of Tarantino's work with some entertaining, but on-the-nose dialogue like the over-used line that a sole woman in a movie filled with testosterone has to say, "Ughhhh, men!" The action is neat and the execution is fine but in the end, even though there are interesting themes, there was not a character I cared about that I can root for, the dialogue is sometimes silly and not as fresh and the shootouts become pointless and boring in a 90-minute movie. Plus, the resolution for this whole shootout was predictable and anti-climactic as I could have thought of a few ways to end the movie because I'm getting a little tired of the same sort of ending. And, think about it, it's the same different type of ending of Reservoir Dogs. Just saying. It brought some energy in the beginning but it crashes and burns.
**
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