I read a quick synopsis of the movie and was interested enough to watch this. Besides, it had Woody Harrelson, and I love his acting styles and the characters he's played before.
The narration sets you up for what's to come: "there are more ways of killing a man than there is of making bread". I thought the opening sequence was inspired - a cartoonish origami-cum-puppet style that was moderately amusing as well.
There are no guns, so there is a lot of close-quarter fighting. The choreography is decent but there was much room for improvement. For a movie that tries to rely on its story and humor but doesn't do a good job, it needs to make sure its fight action is good. The wooden acting is not easily overlooked as well. Harrelson and Hartnett are good actors with excellent resumes - I felt cheated at how the film and cheesy script did not exploit their natural potential. Woody Harrelson has the best lines (relatively speaking), which aren't many, but they are funny. And it is fun seeing how the different assassins are dispatched.
I did like the artistic style of the movie though. I found it a cross between Sin City and a live-motion version of Speed Racer. Animation using cutouts are used, some background objects look like stage props, etc.
Overall, it is a good story not very well told yet still manages to be sufficient. Those who enjoyed Sin City will enjoy this, just on a lower level.
The narration sets you up for what's to come: "there are more ways of killing a man than there is of making bread". I thought the opening sequence was inspired - a cartoonish origami-cum-puppet style that was moderately amusing as well.
There are no guns, so there is a lot of close-quarter fighting. The choreography is decent but there was much room for improvement. For a movie that tries to rely on its story and humor but doesn't do a good job, it needs to make sure its fight action is good. The wooden acting is not easily overlooked as well. Harrelson and Hartnett are good actors with excellent resumes - I felt cheated at how the film and cheesy script did not exploit their natural potential. Woody Harrelson has the best lines (relatively speaking), which aren't many, but they are funny. And it is fun seeing how the different assassins are dispatched.
I did like the artistic style of the movie though. I found it a cross between Sin City and a live-motion version of Speed Racer. Animation using cutouts are used, some background objects look like stage props, etc.
Overall, it is a good story not very well told yet still manages to be sufficient. Those who enjoyed Sin City will enjoy this, just on a lower level.