Tag: Crime

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – O – Out of Blue (2018) Movie Review

Director: Carol Morley

Writer: Carol Morley (Screenplay) Martin Amis (Novel)

Starring: James Caan, Patricia Clarkson, Toby Jones, Aaron Tveit, Mamie Gummer, Jackie Weaver, Jonathan Majors

Plot: When Detective Mike Hoolihan is called to investigate the shooting of leading astrophysicist and black hole expert, Jennifer Rockwell, she is affected in ways she struggles to comprehend.


Tagline – Can you explain your place in the Universe?

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Slow Thriller

Story: Out of Blue starts with the death of astrophysicist Jennifer Rockwell (Gummer), this brings in detective Mike Hoolihan (Clarkson) who has the reputation of being able to solve any case placed on front of her.

As Mike starts looking into Jennifer’s life, she starts learning about her childhood in a famous family under Colonel Rom Rockwell (Caan) a war veteran and hero and potential suspects within the faculty, keeping Mike on her own toes.

Thoughts on out of Blue

Characters – Detective Mike Hoolihan is a brilliant detective that always gets the case closed, she does have her own person demons and isn’t afraid to push people to the new limits to get the truth, which doesn’t always help the case in her favour. She is the only one that will put more of the puzzle together to learn the truth. Colonel Tom Rockwell is the victim’s father, a war hero after spending years in a prisoner of war camp, he has gone onto make a fortune, wanting to know the truth about his daughter’s death. Prof Ian Strammi is one of the fellow lectures on the campus, one of the main suspects even though he has an alibi for the crime. We do get other suspects, be it partners or family, which are around to keep us guessing.

Performances – Patricia Clarkson is great in the leading role, showing the determination and troubles in her life, while James Caan, Toby Jones and Jacki Weaver give us strong supporting performances through the film.

Story – The story here follows the sudden death of a brilliant astrophysicist whose death has brings in the detective that can solve any case, which sees her needing to dig into the life of the victim, one that isn’t just a what if, but dives into the greater scientific meaning of life and why we are here. Where this mystery gets lost in the story comes from trying to explain everything like it is some sort of greater meaning to what happened, rather than getting to the great cause of what happened, it seems to bypass the death and focus on the cosmos reason for life and being around, which doesn’t make it the most interesting idea for a story.

Crime/Mystery – The crime in the film comes from the death, which leads us to the mystery about just what has happened, something that gets deeper into the ideas of the universe than studying the actual crime.

Settings – The film does use the different locations to show us the world that Jennifer was living in, showing the different environments they grew up in and now work in.


Scene of the Movie – The truth.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Too much cosmos stuff going on.

Final Thoughts – This is a mystery thriller that offers up something bigger, only to spend more time dealing with the greater impact in the universe.

Overall: Bogged down thriller.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – I – I’m A Killer (2016) Movie Review

Director: Maciej Pieprzyca

Writer: Maciej Pieprzyca (Screenplay)

Starring: Miroslaw Haniszewski, Arkadiusz Jakubik, Agata Kulesza, Magdalena Poplawska, Piotr Adamczyk

Plot: Inspired by true events from the 1970s, the story revolves around a young detective who becomes the head of a police unit focused on catching a rampant serial killer of women, nicknamed ‘The Silesian Vampire’.

Runtime: 1 Hour 57 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Interesting Crime Thriller

Story: I’m a Killer starts when detective Janusz Jasinski (Haniszewski) gets sent to lead the investigation into a serial killer dubbed the ‘The Silesian Vampire’ for the relentless number of kills and styles of kills of random women and constant mocking of the police in the letters being sent.

The police are forced to up the investigation when one of the nieces of first secretary is murdered, which sees them looking for people to give information, with Wieslaw Kalicki (Jakubik) becoming one of the main suspects.

Thoughts on I’m a Killer

Characters – Janusz Jasinski is the lead detective placed on the case to bring fresh eyes to the murders, he leads the fellow officers in the investigation, which sees him trying to think outside the box more, he gets a prime suspect, which leaves him waiting for the rest of his team to believe it is the person he believes it is, all while he starts to see his own personal life spiral out of control with an affair. Wieslaw Kalicki is the prime suspect, he does confuse with Janusz with a plan that together would see him look to plan for insanity, he isn’t left with many choices with all the evidence pointing at him. Lidia and Teresa are the long suffering wives of both of detective and killer that deal with their consequences of their actions.

Performances – Miroslaw Haniszewski is the best of the performers in this film, showing us just how his character must take charge, while seeing things in his own life get out of control. The rest of the cast are all fine without being truly brilliant or bad.

Story – The story here follows the investigation into a serial killer in Poland that has been killing a range of women, making it difficult for anybody to put the killings into a bracket, within a country that isn’t willing to accept that type of sexual predator on the streets. The story picks up with a new detective trying to break the case, which would make sense, seeing new eyes being put on it, but it does end up giving us the problem where we are once again focusing on a country that wouldn’t accept anything outside their perfect views on the world being a potential killer, where they would rather wrap up the truth than solve the crimes in question. This isn’t the most engaging investigation, because it focuses more on the idea of getting the story out of the papers, than solving the crime.

Crime – The crimes that have been committed are murder of women in a sexual manner, we don’t see any of the crimes, just the remains and the attempts to get the case closed.

Settings – The film does take us back to the 1970s Poland where the film takes place, using the environment to make us feel like we are part of this movie.


Scene of the Movie – Punch heard around the office.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The music choice makes it feel like a heist movie.

Final Thoughts – This is a crime thriller that doesn’t get the right ideas through, it focuses more on the idea of cleaning up the case, than actually solving it, making it less engaging to learn about the truth.

Overall: Crime thriller that just shuts down the case.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Thriller – G – Gemini (2017) Movie Review

Director: Aaron Katz

Writer: Aaron Katz (Screenplay)

Starring: Lola Kirke, Zoe Kravitz, John Cho, Greta Lee, Ricki Lake, Michelle Forbes

Plot: A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant and her Hollywood starlet boss. As the assistant unravels the mystery, she must confront her own understanding of friendship, truth and celebrity.

Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Stylish Thriller

Story: Gemini starts as we meet celebrity Heather Anderson (Kravitz) who along with her assistant Jill (Kirke) are going through a tough time of dealing with being in the spotlight, Heather is backing out of films after a recent break up, as well as becoming worried about her safety.

When Heather is killed, Jill becomes the prime suspect with Detective Edward Ahn (Cho) investigating the murder, while Jill looks to get to the bottom of everything, about why her friend was killed.

Thoughts on Gemini

Characters – Jill is the assistant to celebrity Heather, they have a strong friendship, with Jill being the connection to Heather when people want contact with her, she does become the prime suspect in her murder and must search for the truth. Heather Anderson is the celebrity that is starting to worry about her safety, this leads to her wanting to relax with Jill, only to see herself killed with her murder being investigated. Detective Edward Ahn is trying to get to the bottom of the murder, he is tracking Jill believing she is behind it.

Performances – Lola Kirke in the leading role works well as the one that is left devastated about losing her best friend as well as wanting to learn the truth. Zoe Kravitz as the celebrity that is going through the bad time, Zoe brings this to life well, being in the spotlight makes this easier to understand. John Cho is good as the detective without needing to do to much with his role.

Story – The story here follows a celebrity that was worrying about her own safety that gets killed with her assistant trying to learn who was responsible for it. This is a story that does show the fear celebrities could be facing as they deal with the pressure of the limelight getting to somebody. The investigation does follow one person trying to learn who might have killed Heather, with most conversations leading to new clues, it does have a style to it, which does work very nicely for the film look, but doesn’t improve the story.

Crime/Mystery – The crime side of the film follows the investigation into the murder, though we don’t have many clues to follow, with the mystery about why, which just doesn’t come to the forefront enough during the film.

Settings – The film does use the LA setting through the film to show the spotlight holding people back in life.


Scene of the Movie – The truth.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – There isn’t enough about what happened being investigated.

Final Thoughts – This is a crime thriller that has plenty of style, without having the substance behind the depth of the story, with strong performances throughout.

Overall: All style, no substance.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – World Cinema – U – Unstoppable (2018) Movie Review

Director: Kim Min-Ho

Writer: Kim Min-Ho (Screenplay)

Starring: Dong-seok Ma, Ji-Hyo Song, Seong-oh Kim, Min-Jae Kim, Ji-hwan Park

Plot: Dong-Chul and Ji-Soo are a happily married couple. One day, Dong-Chul comes home to find his house in disarray and his wife is missing.


Tagline – Don’t Mess With Me

Runtime: 1 Hour 56 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Brutal

Story: Unstoppable starts as we Dong-Chul (Ma) a fisherman that is always looking for a quick way to make money, which has seen him make mistakes before, his wife Ji-Soo (Song) has always supported him, while encouraging him to stop risking their future, only for his latest attempt sees him potentially leave them homeless.

After the married couple are involved in a minor car accident, Ki-Tae (Seong-oh Kim) a criminal, kidnaps Ji-Soo, offering Dong-Chul money to walk away, a trade for his wife, only he isn’t going to stop at anything to get his wife back, teaming up with his brother Chun-Sik (Park) and a private eye Kwon (Min-Jae Kim) to dive into the criminal underworld.

Thoughts on Unstoppable

Characters – Dong-Chul is a local fisherman, married, living a happy life, away from a previous life, which was more dangerous, he is always looking for a way to make money, which has often left him facing problems at home, when his wife is taken, he uses his connection to search for her, showing that his previous life will make him a man not to be messed with. Ji-Soo is the wife of Dong-Chul, she does try to keep him on the straight and narrow, knowing he can easily fall for draw of money making ideas, she will support him through mistakes, but after their latest argument, she gets kidnapped, with her disappearance being the reason why Dong-Chul love will shine through. Ki-Tae is the criminal that is running a ring where he kidnaps women to repay debts, he is ruthless with his own men and believes money can solve all of his problems. Private Eye Kwon helps Dong-Chul dive into the criminal underworld, where he helps locate the pawns in the bigger game and helps with the connection while coming to learn the truth.

Performances – Dong-seok Ma is brilliant in the leading role, he is an actor that can bring together an action scene in a matter of seconds without looking like someone who wants to fight. Ji-Hyo Song doesn’t just play the helpless victim, we see her shine in the acts of kindness in the opening and her fight for the right thing by the end. Seong0oh Kim shines in the villainous role, with his character being so drawn into himself, he believes he is always in control.

Story – The story here follows a now mild-mannered man that is drawn into becoming like his former self when it comes to searching for his wife that has been kidnapped by a criminal who is driven by money. This story does follow the trends of any action crime story, where an quiet man who knows how to deal with criminals is drawn into a world to try and save his wife from a group of criminals that have taken her, it doesn’t need to re-invent the style, just keep everything together to make the intense moments work. We do have the villain that isn’t as smooth as he believes he is, with nearly every scene with him showing a weakness, be it his own or the people he surrounds himself with, while Dong-Chul as the reluctant hero gets to show us just how important love will be to keep him going.

Crime/Mystery – The crime side of the film shows us just how Ki-Tae operates with, his plans and how he has been getting away with it for years, with Dong-Chul needing to enter this life that he knows more about than Ki-Tae believes.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show how secrets can be operating within the shadows of bigger cities and when we get to any fight scenes, we use the environment to help increase the hard hitting nature of the fights.


Scene of the Movie – Warehouse fight.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The money involved doesn’t seem to translate very well.

Final Thoughts – This is a brutally violent action crime mystery that brings us flushed out characters, strong performances and an intense story.

Overall: Must Watch Crime Thriller.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – World Cinema – M – Mother (2009) Movie Review

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Writer: Eun-Kyo Park, Bong Joon Ho (Screenplay) Bong Joon Ho (Story)

Starring: Hye-ja Kim, Won Bin, Goo Jin, Je-mun Yun, Mi-seon Jeon, Sae-byeok Song

Plot: A mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl’s horrific murder.


Tagline – She’ll stop at nothing.

Runtime: 2 Hours 9 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Dark Crime Thriller

Story: Mother starts as we meet young man Yoon Do-joon (Bin) whose mother (Kim) always watches over him, making sure he doesn’t get into trouble, he best friend does tend to get him into trouble and when a 12 year-old girl gets murdered, Do-joon becomes the prime suspect.

With Do-joon in jail waiting for a trial, his mother isn’t as convinced that he is guilty and pleads with the lead detective Je-moon (Yun) an old school friend to help find the truth, before deciding she is the only one that can clear his name.

Thoughts on Mother

Characters – The Mother who never gives her name, always watches over her son, making sure he doesn’t get into trouble, dealing with his disabilities, when he gets accused of murder, she is the only one that will believe he is innocent and goes in search of answers, a determined figure that isn’t going to let her son go to jail for something he never did. Do-joon is the mentally challenged young man that people do take advantage off, his mother does watch over him to try and stop this happening, but he is accused of murder and even here he is taken advantage off, when looking for a suspect. Jin-tae is one man that has always used Do-joon, he is the closest thing to a friend and once he teams up with Mother, he starts helping her find the answers she is looking for, in his own violent way.

Performances – Hye-ja Kim is excellent in the leading role, she shows all the desperation her character is going through, along with the constant worry she is experiencing for her son. Won Bin plays his role with a natural feel, showing us that he can be taken advantage off, but he is capable of everyday function, the rest of the cast are great through the film, never looking out of place in this everyday life that has a sudden incident.

Story – The story here follows a mother that will do anything to try and get her son of a murder charge, a crime he didn’t commit, but was made to be the prime suspects because of his behaviour of the night of the crime. This does show us how an overprotective mother will do whatever it takes to prove the innocence of their child, how not every crime is cut and dry and shows us just how the bigger story could have many bigger issues going on in the background. We are kept guessing to how this will unfold, with a list of potential suspects growing as the story unfolds, though we never seem to address how the police pushed Do-joon into a confession, knowing he wasn’t capable of understanding the situation fully.

Crime – The crime is the murder of a 12-year-old girl, we don’t see it, we don’t learn about what was done to them, we just know they were killed and that the killer is still at large, unsure of their own motivation for committing this crime.

Settings – The film keeps us in a small town, one where everybody does know the strengths and weaknesses in people, one where any news moves quickly and people are always looking for a quick answer.


Scene of the Movie – The visit to the homeless man.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not addressing how Do-joon was treating in his interrogation.

Final Thoughts – This is a wonderfully dark crime thriller that brings to life a story about proving innocence at any cost.

Overall: Wonderfully Acted Thriller.

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Movie Review

The Limey (1999) Movie Review

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: Lem Dobbs (Screenplay)

Starring: Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzman, Barry Newman, Joe Dallesandro, Peter Fonda, Nicky Katt, Melissa George

Plot: An extremely volatile and dangerous Englishman goes to Los Angeles to find the man he considers responsible for his daughter’s death.


Tagline – Vengeance knows no boundaries.

Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Poorly Shot Thriller

Story: The Limey starts when volatile Englishman Wilson (Stamp) heads to LA after receiving news from Eduardo Roel (Guzman) about the news of his daughter Jenny’s (George) death, Wilson wants answers and starts to investigate the man believed to be behind it Terry Valentine (Fonda).

As Wilson doesn’t take long to get close to Terry, he finds himself being put on a hitlist by his fixer Jim Avery (Newman), with the personal battle between the two, with Wilson refusing to stop before getting revenge.

Thoughts on The Limey

Characters – Wilson is a violent English criminal who has spent time in prison for violent crimes, he is a free man now, which sees him travel to America in search for information behind his daughter’s death. He isn’t going to go down quietly and wants to get the message across personally in his attempt to get revenge on the person he believes was behind her death. Terry Valentine is the record producer that Wilson is targeting, he lives in the hilltop looking down on the city with his latest project on his arm, he lets Jim deal with his problems. Jim Avery is the fixer for Terry, he has the connections to solve problems, he doesn’t explain how, he just gets things done for him. Elaine is the only friend of Jenny’s Wilson meets, she explains how things were around the town, giving him somebody to talk to about the situation.

Performances – Terence Stamp is the highlight of the film as the relentless father who wants the truth, he brings confidence to every scene, where his character is the most important part of every scene. Peter Fonda as the record producer playboy works well with the rest of the cast never looking completely out of place.

Story – The story follows a criminal who wants revenge for the death of his daughter, which sees him investigating her life before getting involved with a battle against a record producer. The story is the easy revenge idea, nothing wrong with that, we get the flashbacks to the memories with the daughter, which all work well. When it comes to how the story is shot, we are left with most of the problems, it feels very jerky, nothing seems to focus on what is going on in each scene, with the conversation sequences almost showing the endless pauses, rather than giving us a proper conversation. It does feel like the story is trying to be more down to Earth and grittier than a flashy revenge thriller.

Crime/Mystery – The crime side of this film follows the criminal willing to do anything to solve the mystery about his daughter, in the criminal underworld.

Settings – The film is set in LA, which does show the luxury like Jenny would have been living in and how the different levels of people will be living in while there.


Scene of the Movie – The showdown.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The Cockney rhyming slang is bad.

Final Thoughts –This is a thriller that brings a grittier approach to revenge, only to find itself poorly shot even if the cast doesn’t put a foot wrong.

Overall: Gritty Thriller.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – World Cinema – D – Dogman (2018) Movie Review

Director: Matteo Garrone

Writer: Ugo Chiti, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso (Screenplay)

Starring: Marcello Fonte, Edoardo Pesce, Nunzie Schiano, Adamo Dionisi, Francesco Acquaroli

Plot: A timid dog groomer living in a poor suburb sells cocaine on the side and stays out of trouble, while trying to deal with his unstable, violent acquaintance who is a menace to the whole neighborhood.


Tagline – Everyone has a breaking point.

Runtime: 1 Hour 43 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Solid Crime Film

Story: Dogman starts as we meet the timid dog groomer Marcello (Fonte) who prides himself on his ability to keep the neighbourhood dogs in good condition, though he also moonlights as a cocaine dealer, with one of his biggest clients Simoncino (Pesce), an aggressive criminal.

When Simoncino forces Marcello into helping him commit a crime on his neighbour, he is left with no choice but to help, seeing his own life spiral out of control.

Thoughts on Dogman

Characters – Marcello is the timid dog groomer, dog lover and will always do everything to make sure animals are safe, he is reluctantly selling drugs to the side, slowly getting himself dragged into a life of crime, which he doesn’t want to, but things just get out of control forcing him to need to finally stand up to the bully criminal. Simoncino is the druggie criminal that is always pushing Marcelle into either supplying for him or helping break the law, he uses his build to intimidate him into committing the crimes.

Performances – Marcelle Fonte in the leading role is great, we get to understand the struggles he is going through with a bully of a criminal around, which also shines through in his kindness towards the animals. Edoardo Pesce fits the bullying criminal performance well, showing how his presence would use his intimation to get what he wants.

Story – The story here follows a timid dog groomer that has found himself in the middle of a crime ring after one of his drug dealing clients starts pushing him to his limits, he is torn between what to do and will still always protect his dogs. This is a nice crime drama that shows us just how far somebody might get pushed to fit in or stay out of trouble from the person trying to control the situations. It does show how the poor neighbourhoods will be forced into doing anything to survive, which does give motivation for why Marcello does have to lives.

Crime – The crime side of the film shows how Marcello is getting pushed into things he is uncomfortable about doing.

Settings – The film is set in the one small Italian village which shows how the residents do know each other and how things around the city might not know the criminal side of the behaviour.


Scene of the Movie – The cage.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We don’t learn enough about the supporting characters in the area.

Final Thoughts – This is a nice crime drama that shows however much you might push someone, they will be willing to fight back if you push them too hard.

Overall: Nice Drama.

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Movie Review

The Karma Effect (2020) Movie Review

The Karma Effect – Smart Crime Tale

The Karma Effect Poster

Director: Jimmy Dasaint

Writer: Jimmy Dasaint (Screenplay)

Starring: Bobby Rand, Nacirema Ledom, Edward Ferguson, Tiona Brown, Markee Djordan, Lauren Mack, Cathy Dance

Plot: One man’s journey to find the man responsible for his sister’s death.


Tagline – Sometimes our enemies are the ones we love

Runtime: 1 Hour 6 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Karma Effect starts as Manny (Ferguson) looks to go about his day of taking dealings off the book around Philadelphia. Wanting to make sure his girl Nikki (Ledom) is safe at home while he is on job.

When Karma (Rand) arrives at Nikki’s home. He forces Manny into getting his money, holding Nikki hostage until he does. Which will see Manny needing to run around town looking to collect favours.

Thoughts on The Karma Effect

Characters & Performances – Manny is a wheeler and dealer around town that holds people up for the money they owe, but doesn’t become violent when they don’t. he finds himself needing to collect money to pay off a mysterious visitor holding his girlfriend hostage, using his connection to make it happen. Edward Ferguson brings us an everyday man that fits in as the family man and the connection around town.

Nikki is the girlfriend that finds herself being held hostage. Wanting to know why and making sure she stays alive. Nacirema Ledom does well in her role, which isn’t just a victim in distress.

Karma is the man that is holding Nikki hostage demanding money. He has his motive for being here and it will become clear as the story unfolds. Bobby Rand gives the calming performance needed for being in control of what is happening.

Story – The story here follows a man who must spend the day tracking down money to pay off a man that is holding his girlfriend hostage for an unknown reason, using all his connection to get this done. This is a story that plays out like you would imagine for the most part, seeing the connections coming in good for the money, while having a big mystery about why the person wants the money in the first place. Where this story truly stands out is with the final act reveal, which will make you think back to every single interaction we have seen earlier in the film. The story does have a bigger message behind everything and is based on a true story too.

The Karma Effect is a crime thriller that gets turned on it’s head in the final act which makes you want to re-watch each interaction.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Favourites – Y – White Boy Rick (2018) Movie Review

This is under Y because of director Yann Demange.

Director: Yann Demange

Writer: Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, Noah Miller (Screenplay)

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors

Plot: The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.

Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: White Boy Rick starts as Rick Wershe Jr (Merritt) is getting tired of his father Richard (McConaughey) behaviour in the questionable business ideas. Rick finds himself looking to make a deal with the Curry crew with Lil Man (Majors) running the operation.

What starts out like smooth sailing for Rick, soon turns sour as he finds himself in the middle of a battle between arms dealers and drug dealer, along with FBI agents Snyder (Leigh) and Byrd (Cochrane) trying to bring the Curry family down, forcing Rick to work for them.

Thoughts on White Boy Rick

Thoughts – White Boy Rick follows the teenage years of the drug lord named White Boy Rick, a teenager that stepped into the arms dealing game to protect his father and soon finds himself as an informant, turned drug lord of the area. The story shows us how one young man became one of the most famous criminals for never hurting anyone. Showing how a teenager rose to the top by playing the game that the authorities placed upon him. We do go down the road of not getting much sympathy for Rick because most of what happens is his own downfall, despite showing the kindness to help people, including his sister. The performances in the film are strong throughout, seeing McConaughey taking the supporting role does work very well in the film too. The timeline we get to follow do show quite a few years of how the world was changing, which seems to show one or two big moments per year before moving on, which takes away the position of power Rick managed to gain.

Final Thoughts – White Boy Rick is an interesting look at the rise to power of the teenage drug lord, well acted but does seem to skip over the smaller points on his rise.