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Bullitt County (2018)
Not a bad movie at all ...
It's a stretch to call this a thriller, but it certainly grips you a little. The movie starts slow, and I mean real sloooow. I was tempted to turn it off a few times in the first 30 minutes. You have a bunch of juvenile-acting hipsters who seem to be goofing around and wasting everybody's time, but you then get the feeling that they have a dark secret hovering over them, which is when things start getting interesting.
The action kind of picks up when they start searching for a treasure which is legend in those parts. Once we reach the psychological part of the movie, that's when the film starts messing with you and you start realizing what you may have missed the entire movie even though it was right in front of you the whole time (starting from the very first scene).
I would recommend checking out this movie, but do not expect a masterpiece. It can be better made, and the suspense scenes can be directed better. The acting is not too bad and the plot is first-class.
All the Devil's Men (2018)
A boring action movie
This is a reasonably good action movie that has many raw and realistic fighting scenes, but has one boring gunshot too many. Milo Gibson, son of Mel "Braveheart" Gibson, gets his first leading role in this movie, and plays a jaded ex-CIA operative Collins, who needs pills just to get him going through a normal day. One just wishes Milo had at least 1% as much screen presence as his father, as he waltzes through scene after scene with just a single deadpan expression on his face. Even more uninspiring is the way he jogs away from a spectacular kill scene as though he's getting his car keys from the kitchen counter.
On the female front we have Sylvia Hoeks playing a CIA agent Leigh, who's out to get a bad dude (McKnight) who was CIA too but has turned jihadi and intends on providing his new pals with some good ol' nukes. However, Leigh has a personal vendetta though which mars her judgement when it comes to protecting her own "attack dogs" who trust her with their lives.
The downside of this film is the complete lack of any character development. Hence the main players don't have any personality at all. The two dudes with any personality at all are the ones that got bumped off way too early. William Fichtner (you may remember him in The Perfect Storm, Armageddon, The Longest Yard) plays an even more jaded assassin, but somehow brightens up the movie in his too brief cameo. Joseph Millson (Last Kingdom) plays the badass Deighton who was the real star of the film, but unfortunately was just the main villain's sidekick.
As for McKnight, his only memorable scene (if you can even call it that) comes at the very beginning. So definitely don't miss that one. The hero's sidekick (Gbenga Akinnagbe) had only job in the movie - to look angry all the time and snarl insults at people.
So if you want to watch a movie that boasts a kill every minute, and has everyone backstabbing everyone else, then this one is definitely for you. Seriously though, it's a good B-movie with plenty of action and little else.
SGT. Will Gardner (2019)
No man left behind
"No man left behind" is the message of the extremely moving film - Sgt. Will Gardner. Actor Max Martini plays the role of an Iraq War veteran, Will, who comes back home from the war a devastated man suffering from TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Though Will made it back alive, unlike his best friend and fellow soldier Samuel, he is still fighting several demons in his head. He is aptly nicked-named "Ghost" by the way. There are also other references to ghosts.
Sgt. Will Gardner tells the now very familiar tale of several thousands of U.S. war veterans, many of whom are homeless and have lost their way in life struggling to adjust to normal civilian life after going through hell in the front-lines. While the movie's message is admirable, it meanders along for close to 2 hours before ending right where it started, after giving hope to the viewers that Will had finally put his demons to rest and given a new purpose in life. If we are not bored to tears by the many mundane scenes in this movie, we are left scratching our heads with the abrupt and unreal ending.
Some of the best scenes in the movie are when Will goes to reconcile with his 11 year son, who he left behind to fight in Iraq. In order to do that, he steals his boss's motorbike and rides cross-country to Florida. No explanation is given on how he survives without any money during his trip. What's more is that he meets a slightly unstable woman who mistakes him for Bryan Cranston and even has sex with him in her car. Lily Rabe plays Mary-Ann Mackey who has had enough of her numb boring life, quits her job on a whim and drives to Disneyland. Her delusional belief that Will is a celebrity, though he bears absolutely no resemblance to Bryan Cranston, provides a lot of humor which eventually devolves into pity.
Going back to Will and his bike, in fact the only time Will feels anchored and moves with purpose is when he's on that bike. When the bike gets taken away from him, he reverts back to the drifter that he was before he got possession of it. This is the main inconsistency of the movie, which proves to be its undoing. The viewer is left wondering why the bike is so important. It is just a means to go around, and does not come for free. Why was Will suddenly reduced to begging on the streets the moment he lost the bike? How was he even living, eating and filling gas for the bike?
Martini who plays Sgt. Will also wrote and directed this film. He should have finished it on the high inspiring note he reached just 5 minutes before the ending. Instead he ruined it by trying to create even more sympathy for war vets, and in process creating a totally fabricated ending which made no sense whatsoever.
I also wish the female characters in the movie were given a more solid role. Both of the prominent female characters come across as goofy and weak-willed. The film also features subtle cameos by Gary Sinese as a sympathetic bartender and Dermot Mulroney who plays the insecure husband of Will's ex-wife.
Overall, a good movie with a strong message. But it could have and should have been tightened a lot more. I give it 6 stars out of 10.
Shoot Out (1971)
A different kind of Western
Think about a western where the hero goes after a bad guy along with a 7 year old girl, and the bad guy stooges follow the hero along with a woman who cooks for them and has sex with them whenever they feel like it. That is "Shoot Out" for you.
I must admit that I have never seen a western quite like this. And even the ending is a bit of a twist. We are waiting for the grand showdown between Lomax and Foley (Lomax's fellow bank robber who then decided to take all of the loot, shoot Lomax in the back and leave him to rot in a prison). But that showdown never happens. Instead the showdown is actually between Lomax and Bobby Jay Jones - the head stooge.
Clay Lomax is played by the formidable as always Gregory Peck. A gentle guy, who can be tough as needed. On the other hand, the villains Bobby Jay Jones and his fellow stooges are portrayed as dangerous buffoons, who spend their time cracking silly jokes but fully capable of murdering innocents.
Lomax is kind of stuck with 7 year old Decky (who is probably his daughter, but the movie never says it for sure). Decky's mother had died just days ago when they had set out to meet Lomax and return his money after he had gotten out of jail. Decky's sad plight melts Lomax's heart and he lets her tag along, though off and on he tries to get someone else to take care of her. But Decky strikes you as the kind of girl who is fully capable of taking care of herself and then some. A tough cookie just like her father.
Lomax and Decky eventually meet a widowed mother called Juliana who cares for them on a rainy night. It is pretty late in the film when she makes an entrance. The only reason for her existence in the film to provide a hint to viewers what will be Lomax and Decky's fate once they get rid of the bad guys.
Overall, a good fun-filled film which shows a strong man who is reformed after a stint in jail, and a plucky girl who is determined to let nothing bring her down.
A Decent Arrangement (2011)
A slow movie with a weak ending
"A Decent Arrangement" is about an Indian-American man (Ashok) who goes to India to find a wife for himself. We see that he is not entirely comfortable with the whole notion of arranged marriage, but it is also made clear in the movie that he was not forced into it against his will.
And this is where the film becomes totally muddled and confusing. Ashok is portrayed as slow, confused, indecisive and unambitious. He clearly does not know what he wants and constantly changes his mind. Maybe there was a past experience with a girl that contributed to his apathy regarding marriage. There are allusions in the film to exactly such a thing, but it is not made very clear to the viewer what exactly happened.
Ashok finally agrees to marry a girl (Amita) who has her own baggage, but has no qualms about marrying Ashok because she realizes that it is what she has to do, and there is no point in vacillating. Ashok, however, meets an American girl (Lorie) who is traveling across India to find herself. They even end up sleeping together.
Ashok realizes that he probably has more in common with Lorie. He decides to call off his engagement with Amita and pursues Lorie. But one is left with the feeling that Ashok is just too afraid to take any decisive step and will continue wandering in confusion.
This is a decent movie, but be warned that the story moves very slowly (and I don't mean that in a good way).
The Gunfighter (1950)
You can never really run away from your reputation
If you are looking for a shoot-em-up western, this film is NOT it. Instead you get a gripping drama with a lot of dialogue and emotions.
Gregory Peck plays Jimmy Ringo, an ace gunfighter with a fearsome reputation, but is tired of it all and wants to reunite with his wife who he left many years ago and his young son who he has never met. However his reputation is also the cause of his downfall. That's because every young squirt wants to pick up a fight with the great Jimmy Ringo to enhance his own reputation, as he himself had once been. This film is about life comes a full circle and your deeds eventually catch up to you.
Peck's style, as always, is about a man who does not feel the need to vigorously assert his manhood or toughness. He goes about it in a calm and collected way with a quiet confidence. The town marshal (who was Ringo's buddy back in the day) is played beautifully by Millard Mitchell. As Ringo remarks in one scene, Marshal did not need to carry a gun to intimidate the bad guys.
Ringo's wife Peggy is played by Helen Westcott who is torn between having nothing to do with Ringo and going away with the hopefully reformed Ringo. She still clearly loves him but is afraid to trust both her and her's son life with a man who lives so dangerously.
All in all, this is a very fulfilling movie with lots of clear lessons to learn from it.