There's a red flag with movies that go straight to video, esp. one that features big stars like Robert DeNiro and John Cusack. The supporting case, including Rebecca Da Costa and Crispin Clover, is also strong.
But something is just very wrong with this film. It tries way too hard. It tries to be "gritty" but succeeds only in being clichéd. The script has many twists, but most of them are fairly predictable. The problem is that characters do many things without any visible motivation to do so. This leaves us wondering whether the writers are bad or just doing a bad job trying to sneaky. As the motivations become apparently, it becomes increasingly obvious that it's just bad writing.
John Cusack is playing a role reminiscent of his character in "Identity", which unfortunately was another bad movie. DeNiro plays a crime boss, a role he can do in his sleep. Neither is bad, it's just that they have so little to work with.
But something is just very wrong with this film. It tries way too hard. It tries to be "gritty" but succeeds only in being clichéd. The script has many twists, but most of them are fairly predictable. The problem is that characters do many things without any visible motivation to do so. This leaves us wondering whether the writers are bad or just doing a bad job trying to sneaky. As the motivations become apparently, it becomes increasingly obvious that it's just bad writing.
John Cusack is playing a role reminiscent of his character in "Identity", which unfortunately was another bad movie. DeNiro plays a crime boss, a role he can do in his sleep. Neither is bad, it's just that they have so little to work with.