Reviews

Went to preview screening last night and was pleasantly amused for the first hour but then it just went downhill. Jon Heder's performance is pretty much flat, not bad in any way except that it does nothing to beyond what was on the page. This is typical of most of the cast who seem to be engaged in some sort of paint by numbers exercise. Even Billy Bob Thorton who is well cast as a drill instructor for losers loses steam. Todd Luiso, best known for the wimpy employee in High Fidelity is probably the only actor that manages to turn in something worthy of appreciation. There is an oneupmanship sequence reminiscent of "Rushmore" but only serves to make one wish they were watching that instead. Wait till it's in the video store and you have trouble agreeing what to rent and need something bland.

While the concept and potential of this film was tremendous, I found the execution of it to be quite poor, particularly in the script. David Cronenberg has pretty much admitted that he sold out to Hollywood when he agreed to helm this project and he seems to be the one of the few to realize this. There were some good moments and a lot of interesting questions raised but no real answers forthcoming. Instead we are shown (and this was skillful) the abhorrent nature of violence when it comes home in the first half of the film, only to have it flip over into the cartoonish realm for the second half so people can leave comfortably laughing? So sad to see what could have been a really great film had it only gone through a proper rewrite, and even sadder to see people applaud it.

Tony Scott has made a quantum leap forward with Man on Fire. This is a film of intense and riveting quality, that goes beyond the genre of action thriller. Some critics have complained of the the long run-time, and especially the first half with its lack of action. In my opinion every minute of that first hour was well crafted and a worthy investment into developing the bond between Creasy and Pita and set up items for the remainder of the plot.

There are a number of vengeance plots on the screen right now, but none pull it off as much style and more importantly depth as Man on Fire. Possibly the finest revenge tale since Soderbergh's The Limey. A very dark and violent film but one with a through appreciation for humanity nevertheless.

Not being a huge fan of the first Blade I went to the sequel not expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised by this visually exciting action film. Nothing about the plot is that innovative or exceptional, but accomplishes the purpose of driving the audience from one fight sequence to the next without making them groan or lose interest. The fight sequences themselves are very well done, combining excellent fight choreography, direction, and art direction. Great popcorn film!