Reviews

I was disappointed and genuinely frustrated in this film. The idea, civil war, essentially; was a juicy one. And it could have gone in so many directions. The sheer number of missed opportunities here is overwhelming. The writing requires lots of suspending disbelief and in a way they but off more than could chew. They didn't have the budget for decent special effects and it shows. The scoring was unique but a bit repetitive and wearing, the cinematography was far from groundbreaking (although satisfying enough) and the acting ... well, let's talk about that.

The female lead, Brittany Snow did alright, but her performance needs work as she often feels stiff and practiced. Given her age and the poor script she was given to work with however, I don't think a lot of criticism here is necessary. Dave Bautista, a former wrestler, did surprisingly well.

There was a good amount of tension throughout but the pacing was more than a little off and overall I would feel comfortable describing the film as, "unsatisfying, underwhelming, and not worth your time". Which is a shame, I wanted this to be good. It had so much potential. Sadly, almost none of it was realized.

Seriously, just do it.

I saw another review which said it was, "cinematic euphoria" and I can't possibly think of a better way to describe it. The raw creativity in this film is legitimate astounding. An artist's wonderland.

There was some promise in this film. But I have to say it got buried under poor writing, unimaginative cinematography, and a heavy-handed approach to film-making and storytelling.

Leto performed well, given the fact they handed him an impossible character. One which is supposed to connect with the audience on an emotional level, while also being a detached psychopathic killer. Believe it or not, there is a way to do this engagingly and 'correctly'. Leon the Professional comes to mind. They didn't do that here.

The overly-long transition scenes were a poor attempt at pacing. The acting rarely managed to deliver the goods, and the ending was trite and unimpressive. However, they clearly splurged on the scoring which was a welcome surprise. It's a Japanese lovefest all the way around, giving us all the the things traditionally associated with the country. But while I appreciate paying homage to an incredibly unique and beautiful culture, I don't think staining it with the horrific crimes of a small subset of the population was entirely appropriate.

Bottom line? I don't think this movie is worth your time. And I'm sorry to say that. It really had some potential, it was so unrealized.

Okay, sooo this was just truly awful. The plot is forgetful and shallow. And it's packed full of the most overused Hollywood action tropes you can ppssibly imagine. I was so busy bouncing between being shocked and/or insulted by how appalling the acting is in this movie, I barely had time to notice anything else. I will say the lead pulled off a convincing, 'struggling addict' routine in the beginning. But that's about where this movie begins and ends. Was there scoring? I suppose so, but it was so boring I hardly noticed.

To be totally honest here, I lost interest in this movie unbelievably quickly. And as a result I actually had to stop watching it, a half hour from the end. Why? ... Why not? The characters had no connection with the audience. Every single aspect of this movie is so painfully predictable, why would I think the ending would be any different? I didn't care what happened in either case. I don't remember the last time I actually had to give up on a movie it was so bad.

I feel bad for those involved in this production. I hope they went on to do better things. Please, don't make this thing, whatever it was, again.

And for those of you intending to watch this movie, your time is better spent on literally anything else you can find.

You have a decent cast in this movie and a decent plot to boot. Is it a B movie? Yes. Is it bad? No sir. The reason for the title of this review is Banderas really carried this movie. He took the script, strapped it to his waist and dragged it through a filmmaking minefield. There was potential galore for this thing to be bad, but they dodged every bullet. In large part thanks to Banderas. Kingsley delivered his typical ominous badguy-ness and there were some good performances by the others. But Banderas really had the weight of the whole production on his shoulders as his allies left a lot to be desired. He did such a good job of being relatable, emotional but strong, really he gave us a rich, deep character for us to root for.

The writing was actually decent and one thing that really stood out to me about this movie is the pacing. It's really good at giving us breaks when we need it and ramping up the action right when you feel like they should. The scoring was alright, but I'm really getting bored with the typical boomy action movie trumpets and drums. And the tension between the good guys and bad guys creates an engaging dynamic.

There isn't a ton of substance here, admittedly. It's a fairly straight forward action movie. If you're looking for cinema genius, exceptional cinematography, jaw dropping writing, and a thrilling, moving adventure ... I'm sorry to say you will have to look elsewhere. BUT if you want to sit back with a few beers or a bowl and enjoy a good old fashioned (I would go as far to say above average) action movie? You could do a lot worse than Security.

So, here's the thing. Wheelman is good. It's not amazing, it doesn't deserve an oscar. But it is really, really, good. When the movie started out I thought okay, so we've got fairly fixed cameras with longer shots and not particularly well known talent. Do I want to watch a lower budget, maybe even semi-indie film tonight? Well, I'm sure glad I said, "Meh, I'll give it a whirl."

The plot centers around a divorced father who is a professional wheelman for criminal types. You know, a get-away driver. But the movie follows him, his relationship with his friend, wife and daughter and does a fantastic job of not only humanizing the character but also elevating the usually faceless getaway driver. We're brought into his life, and live it with him. It's so gripping that the short run time (somewhere in the hour and a half ballpark) makes it feel like a full feature film. And I mean that in the best way possible. At first, I quickly caught on to the fact the cameras were really going to be in the car pretty much the whole movie. Which I was very, very skeptical about. I really thought it was a gimmicky idea. I was wrong. It's an idea which has a LOT of potential to be gimmicky and poorly executed and ultimately boring. Wheelman, somehow, made it literally the exact opposite of all of these things. It's a top-notch B movie, and they did so well with what they had to work with. It's not just a good attempt, it's a successfully executed, highly enjoyable film.

It's not perfect. The faceless badguys had the desired effect but the casting for the final big bad guy (I'll leave it at that as to avoid spoilers) was underwhelming. I do think we could have gotten out of the car just a tiny bit more, as well. We feel just a little too cramped by the end, after all, we've been sitting in a car for an hour and half. Even though it doesn't quite feel that long. The performances were alright, but my biggest bugaboo is the main talent. He has anger issues to say the least and that doesn't make him as relatable as he could have been. And while I understand his situation was intense, I think we could have seen more depth to him. He also used the phrase, "sit back" far to often.

And the biggest drawback of all, what could have really made this film so much better, was the scoring. The scoring is minimal and best and very underwhelming. I feel like they skimped out a bit on this part of the production and it really shows.

So, that's really all I have to say about it. If you're looking for a wild ride? Sit back and buckle up with Wheelman.

Alright. So this movie isn't bad ... but it's far from great. The director is admittedly inexperienced when it comes to larger films, mostly known for music videos. However, I think he has potential. I think he was good at communicating with th le talent and working the emotional side of things. Where he lacks is technical talent. Flashback scenes tend to be too drawn out, and there's really nothing special about the camera work. One thing I found a bit odd in particular was more to do with the script however. The things which were more obvious tended to be explained more than we needed, while the more vague details which could have used some elaboration remained untouched. Keeping the viewer in the loop is appreciated but this feels heavy handed and poorly implemented.

The performances were on par with what you've come to expect from these guys. And the scoring is a bit boomy and old school when it comes to the action sequences. Which while a feast for the eyes, do tend to be somewhat predictable. The thing that irks me the most about this movie is it had so much potential. The situation they have set up isn't actually that bad and could have been really gripping EXCEPT for the main twist at the end. Don't worry, I wont reveal it ... but it's stupid. The ending ruined the movie for many and I completely understand why. They squandered what could have been an intriguing story on old hollywood gimmicks.

Should you watch this movie? Maybe. If you want a sub-par B movie. You would better served by almost any other Statham film. Or, better yet, check out Wheelman. A top notch B movie.