Tag: Thriller

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Movie Review

The Good Liar (2019) Movie Review

Director: Bill Condon

Writer: Jeffrey Hatcher (Screenplay) Nicholas Searle (Novel)

Starring: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Russell Tovey, Jim Carter, Mark Lewis Jones, Laurie Davidson

Plot: Consummate con man Roy Courtnay has set his sights on his latest mark: the recently widowed Betty McLeish, worth millions. But this time, what should have been a simple swindle escalates into a cat-and-mouse game with the ultimate stakes.


Tagline – Read between the lies

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Tense Thriller

Story: The Good Liar starts as we meet Roy Courtnay (McKellen) a con man that has mark out his latest target, a widow Betty McLeish (Mirren) who he gets to romance getting close before presenting his plan with his partner Vincent (Carter).

Betty is happy to welcome Roy into her life despite her grandson Stephen (Tovey) not being as welcoming, only for this job to become one that will finally put Roy against his toughest match.

Thoughts on The Good Liar

Characters – Betty is a widow teacher that has always been smart with her money, with her only remaining relative being a grandson that always makes sure she is safe, she is looking for companionship with Roy and wants to remain her own confident self while making decisions with her money. Roy is a conman that is always working on his latest scheme to steal people’s money, he targets wealthy widows with Betty being the latest target, he always presents himself as a kind gentleman and even with the deals he is doing, he does have a violent side to him which he only shows when he needs to, making him a very dangerous man. Stephen is the grandson of Betty, he is always wanting to make sure she is safe and not being taken advantage of, not taking to fondly to Roy. Vincent is the partner of Roy, he is there for any final deal playing the person that will broker the deals, he does try to play into the human side of Roy too.

Performances – Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen are absolutely brilliant together, seeing the two legends dominate the screen through the film. Russell Tovey and Jim Carter do well through the film to try and keep up with the legends too.

Story – The story here follows a veteran conman that is still working on his cons with his latest target being a widow, worth millions, only this time he is meeting his match. This is a con man story that shows how one man has turned it into an art never fearing the job will go wrong, but Betty isn’t going to be an easy target. The big problem with this story comes from the fact you know this needs to have a twist and you are just waiting to see if you can figure it out before it is revealed, luckily it is a wonderful twist which can make the story revisited to pick up on the little clues being left through the film. It might not break the wheel with how everything unfolds because it is one where he learn and want Roy to get what he deserves through the film.

Thriller – The thriller side of the film plays into the conman mindset being explored through the film, we are kept guessing, while we don’t need to have too many intense scenes.

Settings – The film uses the locations to the advantages, with busy life of London, which Roy enjoys, to the quiet life which always makes him uncomfortable.


Scene of the Movie – Underground meeting.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – You are left waiting for the twist to happen.

Final Thoughts – This is one of the thrillers that can be enjoyed, it is smart, slick and has two legends of the industry shining through the film.

Overall: Entertaining Thriller.

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Movie Review

Door in the Woods (2019) Movie Review

Director: Billy Chase Goforth

Writer: Billy Chase Goforth (Screenplay)

Starring: Jennifer Pierce Mathus, David Rees Snell, CJ Jones, John-Michael Fisher, Katherine Forbes, Cassie Self

Plot: Things take a turn for the worst when a small town family finds an abandoned door in the woods. Is this just an abandoned door, or a gateway to something so dark no one sees coming?

Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Starts Well, Fizzles Out

Story: Door in the Woods starts when Everlyn (Mathus), Redd (Snell) and son Kane (Fisher) move to a small town to hopeful start a new life, helping Redd get more job chances. Kane doesn’t always fit into the schools he attends and it doesn’t take him long to get into trouble and when the family decide to spend the day in the woods they find a random mysterious door in the middle of the woods.

When the family put the door in their new home, they start to get evil visitors and the local pastor Uriah (Jones) comes to try and help them deal with new problems they are facing before the darkest takes over.

Thoughts on Door in the Woods

Characters – Evelyn is the mother that is preparing to start her own internet business, she redecorates the random door they find and starts experiencing the events, she learns the truth and sets out to get help. Redd is the father that has moved here to start a new job hunt, he tries to help with the behavioural problems and joins Evelyn searching for the truth. Uriah is a pastor that has come to bless the house, he is turned to, to help deal with the hauntings knowing how to end the problems they are facing. Kane is the troublesome child that often finds himself getting into trouble at school, becoming the target of the sinister nature of the door.

Performances – When we look at the performances, we don’t have the strongest ones here, Jennifer Pierce Mathus and David Rees Snell do struggle to make us believe the situations and life they have lived with these characters, while CJ Jones is the standout performer in the film.

Story – The story here follows a family that are looking to start a new life in a small town only to find a door in the woods, inviting evil into their own home needing to get rid of it before it is too late. The start of this story is really good, with creepy elements of hauntings in the house, the problems start when the story tries to break out of following this trend and spends way too long with the final act that is more talking than anything thrilling, which is could have been. This is a story that could have become a lot deeper, but gets caught up in the middle of the two ideas and not using enough of the horror involved.

Thriller – The opening half of the film does offer plenty thrilling horror moments, only to spend more of the second half of the film trying to make up and discuss what has been happening.

Settings – The film uses the small town setting for everything to unfold, showing people can try to escape for a new life, but every small town has a secret.


Scene of the Movie – Background walking.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Would you really take that door home.

Final Thoughts – This is a film that has a lot of potential only to fall short in how everything unfolds.

Overall: Doesn’t hit the marks.

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Movie Review

Hotel Mumbai (2018) Movie Review

Director: Anthony Maras

Writer: John Collee, Anthony Maras (Screenplay)

Starring: Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Anupam Kher, Jason Isaacs

Plot: The true story of the Taj Hotel terrorist attack in Mumbai. Hotel staff risk their lives to keep everyone safe as people make unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and their families.

Runtime: 2 Hours 3 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Intense, Emotional and Heart-Breaking

Story: Hotel Mumbai starts on what was a normal demanding day at the luxury Taj Hotel in Mumbai, Arjun (Patel) is trying his hardest to keep his job with his wife due to have a baby any day now, the guest on this fateful day include Iranian-British heiress Zahra (Boniadi) and her husband David (Hammer) along with their new-born baby, Russian businessman Vasili (Isaacs).

This night is something nobody involved with ever remember, when a group of terrorists start causing mayhem through Mumbai, before getting into the Taj, to continue their rampage, leading to the staff needing to make sacrifices to try and keep the guest safe from the horrific action.

Thoughts on Hotel Mumbai

The Events in this film are based on the true events, any description given is solely on how the film presents the real people whose lives were affected by this tragic and horrific event.

Characters – Arjun is married with one child and another on the way, he is one of the many employees at the Taj hotel, he is portrayed as being a man that will work for anything to keep his family fed and safe, but one that could not always play by the rules at work, he begs for this shift and shows every of his guests and co-workers just how much he will risk for the right thing. Zahra is an Iranian Heiress that is considered one of the most important guests one who could make or break the reputation of the hotel. She is one person that gets trapped, waiting for her husband David to find their baby which was left with a nanny in the room, David will risk more by going out into the battlefield in a hope to get to the baby, where he becomes one of the top picks for a hostage, an American. Oberoi is head chef in the hotel, he does everything he can to keep the guests safe, letting the employees decide if they want to help or be with their own families. Vasili is a Russian businessman that seems like he will be loud and rude for most of his stay. He however proves to be one of the most important men during the hostage situation. We do get to meet the terrorists, who are doing this in the name of their God, they are young naïve and don’t seem to have any understanding just what they are doing, performing the acts with completely heartless manor.

Performances – Dev Patel, Nazanin Boniadi, Armie Hammer, Anupam Kher and Jason Isaacs are the biggest names in this film, their performances are faultless, we have one of the best all around cast performances too, from everyone involved.

Story – The story here shows the guests and staffs point of view of the terrorist attack on the Taj hotel in Mumbai in 2008, it shows what they did to survive, how heartless the terrorists were and gives the many people who risked their lives a chance to show their story. There is no easy way to describe this story, it was one of the worst ground level terrorists in attacks in recent history, seeing how calculated the terrorists were in their actions in hard to watch, seeing how helpless the victims were, is heart breaking. We can see how horrific their actions were and just how heroic the staff at the hotel were, when it comes to helping the helpless.

History/Thriller – The moment in history will always be one that shocked the world, it is one that you should have heard about and now you can hear the stories of the people involved. It is a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the film.

Settings – Most of the film is set within the walls of the Taj hotel, it showed us just how trapped the victims and survivors would have been.


Scene of the Movie – Lift sequence.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – However hard this would be to portray everyone involved, it does feel like some of the characters and people don’t get enough of a story behind there events.

Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the most intense films you will see and it shows just how horrific the events of the film were to the people involved.

Overall: Pure Intensity

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Movie Review

The Pining (2019) Movie Review

Director: Eduardo Castrillo

Starring: Diogo Hause, Tom Sizemore, Jackie Dallas, Connie Jo Sechrist, Miguel A Nunez Jr, Jonaz Cain

Plot: When members of Joe’s (Diogo Hausen) therapy group start dying under mysterious circumstances, Detective Harris (Jackie Dallas) is forced to reopen a cold case. Her only lead: Father William (Tom Sizemore) – the group therapy leader who seems to know more than what is in his police statements.

Runtime: 1 Hour 13 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Thriller that Lacks Intensity

Story: The Pining starts when Detective Harris (Dallas) starts investigating an unusual murder, with this being one in a line that murders that seem to have a connection to Father William (Sizemore) and his support group, which sees the victims being a mix of murder and accidents. We meet recently disabled photographer Joe (Hausen) who has a string of models that he can make look beautiful on camera.

Joe has started seeing Father William to complete his healing process, which has seen him start to move on by dating one of his models, but soon he finds himself being part of next incident, can Harris unlock the truth before it is too late.

Thoughts on The Pining

Characters – Joe is a disabled photographer, he used to be an athlete before his accident too, this saw his life change overnight with him still feeling the effects of what happened to him, he has built up a reputation for his skills with a camera too and just when he starts getting help, he starts to see unusual things happen to him too. Father William is the man that held the support group meeting, he is trying to help people get over the trauma in their lives, but he becomes one of the suspects when the bodies start piling up. Detective Harris has been investigating the bodies, some seem like clear murders, others look like accidents, she believes there is a connection between the support group meeting and wants to get to the bottom of it.

Performances – Diogo Hausen is the best of the performers, he does show us how the character does feel like he has been a victim and showing the strength to carry on. Tom Sizemore is an actor we expect so much more from, he doesn’t get a chance to shine in this one, while Jackie Dallas does well with her scenes.

Story – The story here follows a string of cases that involve the members of a support group being involved in murders or strange accidents, we see how one detective is trying put the pieces together, while trying to save one of the final living members of the group. This is an interesting spin on the idea of victim selection, it does work for making the characters seem like they have been selected to play into their strengths and weaknesses. With this strong idea, comes a weaker way of telling the story, which doesn’t seem to make many of the scenes feel connected, or get to a targeting moments, which could bring about motivation to light until way too late in the film. This is a story that could be a lot more intense only it fails to capture the moments well enough.

Thriller – This film does try to keep us guessing to what will happen next, the problems comes with the fact we only have one scene that feels unpredictable with most just being a cut and dry version of the incidents.

Settings – This film is set in one city where the victims have all been around one locations which could make them the potential latest victim to what is going on, it shows how people don’t know everybody’s stories in life.


Scene of the Movie – Grace’s bad date.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The film spends too much time on Joe, when it seems like we should be investigating the murders.

Final Thoughts – This is a thriller that doesn’t manage to hit the levels it could do, it has an interesting idea, only it never gives it the full focus it should.

Overall: Thriller that misses the edgy side.

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Movie Review

Ransom (1996)

logoDirector: Ron Howard

Writer: Richard Price, Alexander Ignon (Screenplay) Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum (Story)

Starring: Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Brawley Nolte, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Lili Taylor, Live Schreiber, Donnie Wahlberg

 

Plot: Tom Mullen is a millionaire; he built his fortune by working hard. Along the way he learned how to play the game. He has a great family. One day his son is kidnapped. He is willing to pay the ransom but decides to call in the FBI, who manages to go into his home secretly. When he goes to make the drop something goes wrong. The kidnapper calls him again and reschedules it. On the way Mullen decides not to go and appears on TV saying that the ransom he was going to give to the kidnapper is now a bounty on the kidnapper.

 

Verdict: Where are you limits?

 

Story: Ransom starts out as a simple kidnapping with a ransom wanted turns into a thriller unlike anything we have seen before. We see how one man will risk his own son’s life to get the people responsible for kidnapping his son. Our hero goes against every he is told to get his son back, but is he really after some redemption after his errors have caught up with him? The villain comes off very calm but even he isn’t ready for the reaction from the hero. This keeps you guessing what the next step will be from both sides as well as test the relationship between a married couple with the effects of the kidnapping. (8/10)

 

Actor Review

 

Mel Gibson: Tom Mullen a multi-millionaire whose son is kidnapped, while he starts following the instructions he figures out that there is no plan for him to get his son returned, so he goes to extreme levels to out play the kidnappers. Good performance from Gibson showing great intensity against the kidnappers. (8/10)

 mel

Rene Russo: Kate Mullen Tom’s wife who wants to do everything by the book and gets very upset when Tom starts going his own way with the plan. Solid supporting performance. (7/10)

rene

Gary Sinise: Detective Jimmy Shaker the man with the plan that has arranged the kidnap and the exchange to work perfectly. He has back up plans for when things go wrong too. He is very twisted and determined to get his money and will do anything to make sure he gets what he wants. Good performance creating a good villain that not quit. (8/10)

 sinise

Delroy Lindo: Agent Lonnie Hawkins the man called in with his team to help with return of the son. He advises Tom and how to handle each part and tries to change his mind when Tom wants to go his own way. Good performance showing that it has to be done a certain way. (7/10)

 

Director Review: Ron Howard – Good direction taking the thrills to a new level for a story that usually comes off very simple. (9/10)

 

Crime: Ransom is a great test for all law enforcements handling a kidnapping case. (9/10)

Thriller: Ransom uses great thriller aspects that will get keep you guessing. (10/10)

Settings: Each setting used in Ransom works for the next chapter of the story, especially when Tom gets sent to do the trade over. (8/10)

Suggestion: Ransom is one of the best action thrillers you will see, watch this even though Mel Gibson is not the most popular actor anymore. (Watch)

 

Best Part: The first attempted trade over journey.

Worst Part: Generic supporting villains.

Believability: No (0/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No

Post Credits Scene: No

 

Awards: Mel Gibson was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globes.

Oscar Chances: No

Box Office: $309 Million

Budget: $80 Million

Runtime: 2 Hours 1 Minute

Tagline: This Fall, Pay The Price.

 

Overall: Great Thriller A Must Watch

Rating 89

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Movie Review

Red Eye (2005)

Director: Wes Craven
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox, Jayma Mays, Jack Scalia

Lisa Reisert (Rachel McAdams) a manager at a hotel in Miami is travelling back home from her grandmothers funeral. Having a big fear of flying doesn’t help her having to catch the red eye flight. We see what customer skills she has when has to deal with a phone call from one of her receptionist Cynthia (Jayma Mays) who made a mistake to one of the loyal customers that she goes on to fix.

Upon arriving at the airport she meets a charming man Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy) who befriends her in the terminal, while in the terminal a clumsy woman spills a drink on Lisa prompting her to have to change her top revealing a scar from a past event.

On arriving at her seat on the plane Lisa finds herself sat next to Jackson. Lisa thinks this might be a good flight as Jackson helps her relax on the take off. Things soon change when Jackson reveals a plan to Lisa. If Lisa doesn’t move Charles Keefe (Jac Scalia) to a different room he will kill her father Joe (Brian Cox).

Lisa is now left with her fear of flying and the terror on the plane will Lisa do as Jackson says who and save her father or not?

The suspense is nicely built in this thriller. Not giving names to any other adult on the plane adds to the realism of a flight where you don’t know the people you are on the plane with just a description. Cillian Murphy shines as the villainous Jackson Rippner while Rachel McAdams does a very good job as the career woman who had a big question to ask.

The story is pretty much a routine one with little twists so your are never really left guessing what will happen next but with lots of tension you will be left on the edge of your seat through out. It is also a pretty short movie only just over 80 minutes but still well worth a watch

My rating 82%

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Movie Review

Don’t Say A Word (2001)

Don’t Say a Word: Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, and More

Don't Say a Word: Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, and More

Director: Gary Fleder
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Guy Torry, Jennifer Esposito, Shawn Doyle, Victor Argo, Conrad Goode, Paul Schulze, Lance Reddick, Famke Janssen, Oliver Platt

Starting off with a robbery of a rare gem by Patrick Koster (Sean Bean) and his group of thieves Dolen (Guy Torry), Max (Conrad Goode) and Russel Maddox (Shawn Doyle). Only for for Patrick to be double crossed by one of his crew. Ten years later Patrick wants his gem back and he sets out his plan to get it.

Prominent Psychiatrist Nathan Conrad (Michael Douglas) gets a call from his friend Dr Louis Sache (Oliver Platt) asking for him to see a young patient Elisabeth Burrows (Brittany Murphy). Finding out Elisabeth is a very disturbed woman who keeps talking about ‘They wanting something’. giving Louis is opinion on Elisabeth he leaves and returns to his family.

Returning home to his daughter Jessie Conrad (Skye McCole Bartusiak) and wife Aggie Conrad (Famke Janssen) who is stuck in bed with a broken leg. Looking forward to the Thanksgiving Parade the next day they think they are safe in their home and head to sleep. The morning comes and Nathan starts looking for his daughter only to find out she is missing. Upon trying to the police Patrick is on the end of the line forcing Nathan to get a number out of Elisabeth by the end of the day or they will kill his daughter.

Having Detective Sandra Cassidy (Jennifer Esposito) on the tails of Patrick and his crew the race hots up. Can Nathan get the number before time runs out?

This is a good action thriller filled with twists in the story keeping audience on the edge of their seats from the moment the call is made to the very tense climax. Giving that Nathan is pushed to a time limit he manages to keep calm for most of the story knowing that panicking would only get his daughter killed. Sean Bean does work to his strength as a villain who will do anything for his prize. This would be worth a watch for most action fans.

My rating is 76%

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Movie Review

Black Swan (2010)

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder, Benjamin Milepied, Ksenia Solo, Kristina Anapau, Janet Montgomery, Sebastian Stan, Toby Hemingway

A Young ballerina Nina (Natalie Portman) who has spent years under the tutelage of her over obsessive mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) gets a shot to play the lead role in a new Swan Lake. Nina Portrays the white queen perfectly with her innocents and grace but lacks the ability to play the Black Swan. Nina has a rival for the part in Lily (Mila Kunis) who is the opposite to her being able to play the Black Swan well but lacks the innocence’s to play the white swan.

With an angry ex lead dancer Beth (Winona Ryder) who can not accept she has been replaced by a new dancer and one she feels is a lot worse than her confronting at her grand announcement by the director of the show Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel). Thomas sets out to force Nina into turning into the Black Swan by pushing her into a rebellious way and driving her sexual desires. Lily uses her style of life to befriend Nina and try and push her into the Black Swan.

Having Thomas and Lily pushing her Nina mind starts to unravel she is left to question her own sanity. Nina is left wondering how badly she wants the lead role giving her ever changing mental state.

Natalie Portman Oscar is very well deserved with this outstanding performance as the ballerina pushed to the limit, with great supporting roles from Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Vincent Cassel. Adding the great direction from Darren Aronofsky who follows up ‘The Wrestler’ and ‘Requiem for a Dream’.

Giving that i know nothing about ballet i found this young woman quest to find herself and deliver the best role a truly brilliant piece of cinema with great story that keeps you guessing what will happen next and what has really happened in the psychological thriller. The tension grows through out the film giving an excellent climax that will shock all viewers.

My overall rating would be a stunning 97%

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Movie Review

Buried (2010)

Director:Rodrigo Cortes

Starring: Ryan Reynolds

A man Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) is buried in a coffin and has 90minutes to raise $5 million simple sounding movie right?

From the opening scene or Paul stirring awake realising where he is you just know you have to see this through to the end. Finding out he has a lighter, cellphone and the contents of his pockets. After making several phone calls trying to he starts finding solutions but just as one closes another one started.

This movie is one the most suspense driven movies you could possibly see Ryan Reynolds shines in this outstanding performance that will have you seating on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Rating a nail bitting 90%