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Reviews
Without Remorse (2021)
The title Without Remorse is without spoilers
Has anyone considered putting together a class action suit against Amazon for this misrepresented product? Let's face it, using the words "Tom Clancy's Without Remorse" to lure an audience at all acquainted with that author's name and who may even have read and enjoyed his book, Without Remorse, isn't just bait and switch; it's flat-out false advertising. Of course, a more accurate title, such as Characters with Names and Occupations Reminiscent of Characters in Tom Clancy's Without Remorse Swim, Fire Weapons, Crash Vehicles, Start Fires, Travel, and Seek Revenge While Doing Nothing Related to the Original True Events that Later Inspired American Gangster and Parts of Without Remorse, would probably be a tad long and might scare away most of the target audience.
At this point, I must tread cautiously lest I run afoul of the DEI police. So, someone help me, please. Some time has passed since I last read Without Remorse, but I always had the impression John Kelly was an Irish American Catholic. Even one of the other characters said "...he was green."
The Merciful (2022)
Needs a better teaser summary
"...but that doesn't happen" (from the film's IMDB teaser summary) is as terse and almost as uninformative as the deluge of expletives that come flushing through the main character's ("Hey" portrayed by the writer/director) mouth. Perhaps, the author of the summary believed providing anymore detail would scare away an audience already experiencing indigestion from over consumption of a particular sub-genre of film. Something like "A depressed, guilt-ridden man seeking refuge and resolution in a snow blanketed wilderness reluctantly rescues a young woman fleeing a hunter from her mountain based 'community'," would probably provide a bigger draw. Note the lack of spoilers or even a hint of what the story is really about.
Of course, a lead in phrase such as "In this deliberately paced adventure tale..." though half honest (guess which half) would likely discourage a sizeable number of potential viewers.
Random thought: Whenever the Allison character is on the screen, even if only her color changing hand, she steals the scene.
My rating could have been a smidgeon higher if fractional scores were possible just out of respect for what was assembled on a sub $20K budget.
Worth a watch? Sure.
Will I watch it again? No.