I really liked this movie. 4 Stars. There were some all right movies out last weekend, but my friend and I went to this one because of our love for the great Denzel movies we’ve seen. Unfortunately, there were only glimpses of the Denzel attitude and flair that we’ve come to love. There were some though, and we had a good laugh at his nonchalant humor in the face of life-threatening danger. Denzel was more of an anchor and a side kick to Ryan Reynolds, who didn’t exactly steal the show as much as not let the show flop through an admirable display of fight and car chase scenes.
I try to avoid watching trailers of movies I want to see because I don’t like having the action spoiled. For movies like G.I. Joe: Retaliation, I’ll watch the trailer because I know that’s about all that movie has to offer.
***Minor Spoiler*** I was pleasantly surprised when I realized early on that this movie wasn’t going to be about defending a safe house from invasion. One of my more disappointed moments though was how easily the safe house was overrun. ***Minor Spoiler Over***
This movie reminded me of The Bourne Identity, combining chase scenes, extended hand-to-hand combat and a conspiratorial theme. I was impressed with these aspects of the movie, so that similarity was a plus. There were long, conjoined fight scenes that made me cringe in my seat and even groan from how bad these guys were getting beat up. As long as you understand Denzel is not the main character and therefore expect him to play a big role, then you’ll likely walk away satisfied from the action and twists of plot. The South African setting was a nice touch (crowded soccer stadium, shanty town), though not fully utilized as most of the fighting was indoors. Ryan did a good job playing the Bourne lookalike, and I felt my money for a good action flick was well spent, though mainly because it’s been a while since I’ve gone to the theaters and paid the daytime price.
As an aside, The Bourne Legacy trailer looked good. I haven’t read that far into the series, but if it’s anything like The Bourne Identity book to movie comparison, than all bets are off. I heard the books after the original trilogy weren’t that good because Robert Ludlum didn’t write them, but the movie could still be good, and I liked the Bourne movies so far. The hero in this movie is Jeremy Renner, whom I remember from 28 Weeks Later and The Hurt Locker, both decent movies.
*** Breaking News: 2 Book Giveaways ***
Click to Enter Giveaway of Your Choice of a Kindle Book from Evolved Publishing
For you book readers, I currently have two book giveaways going. The first is from my AudioTim podcast, episode 26, where I interviewed Lane Diamond about his psychological thriller Forgive Me, Alex. The second is from my Holy Worlds Podcast, episode 16, of NAF Alumni, Rebecca P. Minor, who has a fantasy book The Windrider Saga releasing in print version any day now. The giveaway is in a separate post, Podcast Love: Debut Author, Rebecca P. Minor, as part of my teaming up with the New Authors Fellowship to spread the word.
