16 | May | 2020 | Movie Reviews 101

Director: Richard Shepard

Writer: Richard Shepard (Screenplay)

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis, Adam Scott, Philip Baker Hall

Plot: A globetrotting hitman and a crestfallen businessman meet in a hotel bar in Mexico City in an encounter that draws them together in a way neither expected.

Tagline – A hitman and a salesman walk into a bar…

Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

Verdict: Fun Crime Comedy

Story: The Matador starts as we meet womanising lonely hitman Julian Noble (Brosnan) and upstart business man Danny Wright (Kinnear), the two are both in Mexico for work and meet in the hotel bar, where the two bond.

When the two go their separate ways, 6 months later Julian facing a crisis of conscience the normal couple of Danny and his wife Bean (Davis) find themselves in the middle of a battle they weren’t ready for.

Thoughts on The Matador

Characters – Julian Noble is the womanising hitman, he travels around the world for work, getting a woman in any city and enjoying way too many drinks. On his latest assignment he learns that it is his birthday which makes him reflect on his lonely life putting his career and reputation on the line. Danny Wright is a rising businessman about to close a deal which will put his company on the map, he befriends Julian as a new form of excitement in his life and now he just can’t get rid of him. Bean is Danny’s wife, we only see her interest in the stories of Julian. Mr Randy is the handler of Julian’s he sets up the jobs through the film.

Performances – Pierce Brosnan is great in this leading role, he gets to have a lot of fun with a character that could do anything with his next action. Greg Kinnear is good in his role as we know this style of comedy is well within his strength, the supporting cast are good even though they don’t get too much do.

Story – The story follows a hitman that is going off his game and a businessman that is at a big crossroads in his life that meet and strike up the unlikely friendship to help themselves find the best part of their lives. It does play out part buddy movie and part serious, showing everything that friends can be made from the unlikely places. The story does have good twists along the way and some great scenes that give us moments or laughter and sadness.

Action/Crime/Comedy – The action here is the weakest part of the film because well there isn’t enough or barely any. The comedy comes from just what Julian will do next, because certain times it is hilarious other times strange and the extra laughs come from just how Danny will react to moments. The crime side of the film shows us the world the Julian works in.

Settings – The film starts in Mexico which works for the new friendship, then we go across to different locations around the world which don’t work as well.

Scene of the Movie – Swimming pool entry.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not enough from the supporting characters.

Final Thoughts – This is a fun crime comedy that gets the best of out Brosnan who steals every single scene.

Overall: Enjoyable comedy

Rating

This is under P because of the director Philippe Van Leeuw

Director: Philippe Van Leeuw

Writer: Philippe Van Leeuw (Screenplay)

Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bou Abboud, Juliette Navis, Mohsen Abbas, Moustapha Al Kar, Alissar Kaghadou

Plot: A mother attempts to keep her family safe as war rages and a sniper lies in wait outside her home. This nerve-wracking study of life in Damascus won an Audience Award at Berlinale.

Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Intense Drama

Story: Insyriated starts as we meet Oum Yazan (Abbass) who is living with her family in a warzone, the streets are kept empty because of a ruthless sniper, with her children, Delhani (Navis) Yara (Kaghadou), Aliya (Halabi), they are joined by a neighbour Halima (Abboud) and grandpa.

The group keep themselves quiet and safe during any of the attacks being felt on the streets, showing they will do whatever is necessary to make sure they stay in the home and safe from all the dangers of war.

Thoughts on Insyriated

Characters – Oum Yazan is the mother and daughter, home owner that doesn’t want to see her own family killed with the war outside their door, she wants to keep them all safe with strict rules that can make this happen, she sees the horrors outside the door and must turn away from helping anyone else. Halima has just had a baby, with her husband out for resources, find himself shot, only for Halima not to know this, she is planning on leaving once he returns, only here she is trapped for the horrendous ordeal of unwanted visitors. Delhani is one of the elder children, she witnesses the shot and does help around the house more than the rest of the children. We do have the rest of the family that work and need protecting from the outside world.

Performances – When it comes to the performances Hiam Abbass and Diamand Bou Abboud are the stars of the show, going through the most intense scenes, dealing with the biggest traumas of war, while needing to remain strong for the rest of the family.

Story – The story here shows a family living in the middle of a war-torn city that haven’t left because it is their home, we see how they must look to survive the terrors outside their door. The story shows how much fear can be held within one family, how they have little option but to stay together through the ordeals. We see how they get through bombing nights, needing to hide out from visitors all in an attempt to survive the world they have become trapped in. we are kept on the edge of our seats as we like family members know the fate of Halima’s husband, as she waits for his return and we are stuck waiting to see if they family can make it through the horrors of war.

War – The war side of this film shows us just how dangerous living in the middle of a warzone would be, how risky it would be to stay and how people will do anything to stay safe.

Settings – The film keeps us in one single apartment, it shows how close the family are, how they must look to be together through the horror filled night battles, showing how trapped they have become.

Scene of the Movie – Hardest scene it the visitors, the scene you will remember the most for the pure shock in it.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing.

Final Thoughts – This is a powerful look at how war does affect everyone trapped in the middle, no matter the age and how it is always going to be hard to walk away from their home.

Overall: Powerful.