Term Life (2016)
5/10
The father-daughter drama might just save "Term Life" when the action falters
9 May 2016
At some point of action stars' life, they are bound to have adventure with their estranged daughters, just like Liam Neeson or Kevin Costner did. Those expecting a level of action production for action blockbuster might be disappointed, but the saving grace comes in unexpected engaging drama and an adequate crime thriller.

Nick (Vince Vaughn) is a planner for heist, he scouts the place, sets up escape routes, then sells the whole gig to another party. His recent buyer is caught up dead and now mobster and police are chasing Nick, who immediately grabs his daughter before making a run for it. This may seem like ordinary scheme, however it creates several chances, which unfortunately only a handful of them bear fruit.

The action is not great, one can see from the first brawl that the choreography is tedious. It's definitely not the caliber of high pace fisticuffs or intense shootout. In fact, any fighting seems a bit underwhelming and might even be detrimental to thriller aspect the movie is setting up for.

Surprisingly, the drama holds up nicely, especially the father-daughter bond between Vince Vaughn and Hailee Steinfeld. They have good chemistry and it shows a progression of their characters. Its mystery thriller works as well, while it's not complicated it is a decent crime story. Furthermore, there are some veteran actors here like Bill Paxton and Terrence Howard to name a few.

This star-studded movie is sadly lacking in action, although drama and cast do admirable job on giving it a lifeline.
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