Iron Man (2008)

A summer hit … yeah …

I was not too sure about this movie mainly because it stars Robert Downy Jr and it is a Marvel character that is unfamiliar to me, however, I was pleasantly surprised at the movie as a whole. The story is not too bad, the main character (??? Stark) is a ruthless arms dealer who is equally brilliant. Having been kidnapped by some terrorists he is instructed to make a weapon of mass destruction, he uses the materials and time to come up with Iron Man V1.0 which he uses to escape.

Back home …

He goes back to the US and starts building Iron Man V2.0 which is sleeker, faster and stronger than the first, I liked the scenes where the project goes wrong, Downy is perfect for these scenes because of his sarcastic attitude. Eventually he gets the suit working correctly and this is where the fun starts.

His side kick ..

Gweneth Paltrow makes a welcome appearance in this movie (and return to the big screen), she plays Stark’s butler and general dogsbody. Her obvious affection for Stark gives the movie that something special that wants you to believe that these people should be together.

The final battle (and special effects) …

The final battle is full of special effects that keep you glued to the screen, they have done a good job with the effects in general, sometimes they are over the top but hey, this is the Marvel world so what do you expect.

Bottom line …

A good action movie that deserves to be up there as the top movie of the summer, Downy and Paltrow work well together and there are enough twists and turns to keep you interested in the plot. Make a date for next summer for the sequel.

Ratings
Overall rating:	9/10
Special effects:	9/10 (the best in a while)
Acting:	8/10 (par for the course)
Music:	8/10 (fine for this type of movie)
Where seen:	Movie Theater
Perceived length:	Short

//*Eggbox

Revolver (2005)

I have been waiting for this movie for ages, as you can see the movie was released in 2005 but I have only just picked it up from the local video store.

High hopes …

I did have high hopes for this movie but I should have known that it was not as good as it sounds due to the fact that it did not have a theater release in the US (I don’t know how it did in the UK). All the elements are there, Jason Statham back with Guy Richie directing and written by Guy Richie and Luc Besson.

On top of that you have an evil Ray Liotta playing the boss, Terence Maynard paying his heavy, Vincent Pastore and André Benjamin playing a couple of shady dudes who give Jason a run for his money (literally).

This seems to be setup to be a humdinger of a movie but it has issues.

What I liked …

I liked the characters and the violence, the world they created for the characters to live in is larger than life, everyone has a quirk that makes them stand out. As I said, the violence, any Guy Richie movie is splatter (again, literally) with people getting their just deserts, this is no exception, each death is beautifully choreographed but not overdone.

The plot …

It started out as standard fare, Jason Statham does time for Ray Liotta and he wants to get even, that seems simple enough, well things get complicated with the arrival of Vincent Pastore and André Benjamin who have something over Jason that makes him do whatever they want.

It works out that the whole thing is a con on Jason of the highest caliber, orchestrated by Vincent Pastore and André Benjamin.

What is wrong with it then …

Well the problem is that the intricacies of the plot are too subtle especially for a Guy Richie movie. Yes, it is interesting, though provoking but I don’t want that from this type of movie, I want colourful characters beating the crap out of each other. I don’t want a tortured soul (souls in this case with Ray Liotta being a nutbag as well), I can get that sort of thing listening to Dr. Phil.

The best scene in the movie …

This was the scene when the main character played by Jason Statham is in a lift and he is fighting his alter ego, the scene cuts between him (all quite and cerebral) and his other side going mental, shouting, hitting the walls of the lift and generally being a nutbag (I like that word).

The other best scene in the movie was the montage of death by the hard nosed hit man who gets a conscience when the bad guys are about to kill a child (bad bad people). He goes through about 10 heavies with grace and flair, he gets it in the end but it is an honorable end to his life of misdeeds.

Who was that ?

Francesca Annis makes an appearance in the movie, she has not aged well, I didn’t recognise her at all and only found out she was in it when I read the cast list on the DVD cover. How the mighty have fallen.

Jason, be careful …

Jason Statham is a great action star, Trainsporter, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Cellular; all great movies, good action and interesting stories.  Then he did Crank and In the Name of the King and this one, not good choices in my opinion.  I will still go and see him in his movies but he better be careful that he picks better movies or people will start to walk.

Bottom line …

I sort of liked it mainly for the characters; I want to call out André Benjamin he is great in this movie, understated but powerful, a pleasure to watch. The plot leaves something to be desired but the violence makes up for it. The main problem is that I think that it was trying to be too clever.

Ratings
Overall rating:	5/10
Violence:	8/10
Acting:	7/10
Music:	6/10
Where seen:	DVD at home
Perceived length:	Medium

//*Eggbox

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

I revisited this movie recently, I watched this one in the office during my lunch breaks over a couple of days. In fact I watched it twice, first the movie as-is, then again with the commentary by the director, very interesting.

The concept of Rambo may be a bit passé these days but I tried to appreciate the movie as if I was watching it when it was released (as such).

In general I was impressed by the movie, the acting was not terrible and the action made up for it in more ways than one. The story was plausible and does get you into the movie quickly, it is easy for you to understand the motivations of the characters very quickly.

Sylvester Stallone looks good in this movie, the commentary indicates that the guy spent over 4 hours a day training to get the physique for the roll, the dedication by Stallone pays off. Steven Berkoff plays the evil Russian commander perfectly, he is a cool and calculating instrument of torture that gets your blood boiling and you want to cheer when he gets blown up by Rambo.

The other bad guy is Marshal Murdock played by Charles Napier (you’ll know him when you see him), I like this dude, he plays the character in a way that makes you want to hate him but you understand that he is really a grunt following orders but he doesn’t have the balls to do the right thing. Richard Crenna is the rock that keeps Rambo going and his greatest ally, he is the father figure that gets Rambo to do the mission and fights for him when things get out of hand.

The action is punctuated with a couple of tender moments with the female lead Julia Nickson-Soul, she plays a sympathetic Vietnamese who gets Rambo to the site of the POWs. It was obvious that she would die and cause Rambo to go haywire but she does add that something extra to the movie that lets you see the softer side of Rambo (even though it’s only for a few minutes).

The thing to remember with this movie is that this was really the first movie of its kind and most other movies of this genre followed the same paradigm, i.e. the lone warrior fighting for honor and glory over insurmountable odds. The set pieces with Stallone firing the automatic weapon in the air, trashing the control center, killing the bad guys one at a time silently in the jungle have been copied time and time again.

So the bottom line is that anyone who enjoys a good action movie and is willing to get over the fact that they have probably seen something similar in the past (albeit a take off on this movie) should enjoy the movie.

Ratings
Overall rating:	8/10 (For action)
Special effects:	9/10
Acting:	6/10
Music:	6/10
Where seen:	DVD (in the office)
Perceived length:	Medium

//*Eggbox

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007)

OK, I’ll have to admit that I was looking forward to this movie, how could it miss, Jason Statham kicking butt and set it a mythical world of honor. The basic plot is that there are two bad guys (played by Matthew Lillard and Ray Liotta) who are trying to gain power from the king played by Burt Reynolds using troll type beings to do their evil bidding.

So the scene is set, Jason just wants to be left alone tending his turnips (Baldrick from Black Adder would be pleased) and working with his young son and hottie wife. All this tranquility comes to an end when the village is attacked, his son gets killed and his wife kidnapped.

So who is this farmer? Why is he such a good swordsman and a kick ass fighter? Will he be able to get his wife back and get revenge? Well all of this is explained as we go though the movie. The problem is that it seems to take ages to get to the interesting part of the plot that does the explaining. It is just too slow and unbelievable, don’t get me wrong you are rooting for Jason (note that I cannot remember his characters name!) and you know that he will prevail in the end.

The dialog is sketchy at best and the acting takes second place to action, pomp and circumstance and we are asked to believe that Burt Reynolds is a king! Supporting cast includes John Rhys-Davies and Ron Perlman who are along for the ride but add little to the plot. Claire Forlani as the farmers wife is pathetic and shows little emotion, Kristanna Loken (of Terminator fame) adds some interest in the forest with her band of merry women, she also seems to have access to a Wonderbra that distracts you from the plot (not a bad thing)

As we get through the final reel we everything comes together and everyone gets what they deserve unfortunately this is the best part of the movie, the end!

While I sort of enjoyed seeing Jason doing what he does best (kicking butt) I felt that the production as a while was straining at the seams and everything was much too forced asking the viewer to enter the world of make believe that it did not explain adequately.

In hindsight I would leave this one on the shelf of your local video store.

Ratings
Overall rating:	4/10
Special effects:	6/10
Acting:	3/10
Music:	6/10
Where seen:	DVD at home
Perceived length:	Long

//*Eggbox