Security (I) (2017) User Reviews

Antonio Banderas Delivers

[lava-70009 · 7/10 · 1 October 2019]

You have a decent cast in this movie and a decent plot to boot. Is it a B movie? Yes. Is it bad? No sir. The reason for the title of this review is Banderas really carried this movie. He took the script, strapped it to his waist and dragged it through a filmmaking minefield. There was potential galore for this thing to be bad, but they dodged every bullet. In large part thanks to Banderas. Kingsley delivered his typical ominous badguy-ness and there were some good performances by the others. But Banderas really had the weight of the whole production on his shoulders as his allies left a lot to be desired. He did such a good job of being relatable, emotional but strong, really he gave us a rich, deep character for us to root for.

The writing was actually decent and one thing that really stood out to me about this movie is the pacing. It's really good at giving us breaks when we need it and ramping up the action right when you feel like they should. The scoring was alright, but I'm really getting bored with the typical boomy action movie trumpets and drums. And the tension between the good guys and bad guys creates an engaging dynamic.

There isn't a ton of substance here, admittedly. It's a fairly straight forward action movie. If you're looking for cinema genius, exceptional cinematography, jaw dropping writing, and a thrilling, moving adventure ... I'm sorry to say you will have to look elsewhere. BUT if you want to sit back with a few beers or a bowl and enjoy a good old fashioned (I would go as far to say above average) action movie? You could do a lot worse than Security.

Hyper-Action made tolerable by presence of Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley

[gradyharp · 5/10 · 14 August 2017]

SECURITY is low on originality, medium on clashing fight scenes with guns and bombs and fire and a bit maudlin in the end when the father/daughter concept finally adds some human interest. Otherwise this 'made for action lovers' film, written by Tony Mosher and John Sullivan and directed by Alain Desrochers is a sidebar t the careers of tow fine actors – Antonio Banderas (in fine shape physically) and Ben Kingsley.

An ex-special services veteran (Antonio Banderas), down on his luck and desperate for work, takes a job as a security guard at a run-down mall in a rough area of town. He is introduced to the motley crew of security guards (Liam McIntyre, Gabriella Wright, Chad Lindberg, Jiro Wang). On his first night on the job, he opens the doors up to a distraught and desperate young girl Jamie (Katherine de la Rocha) who has escaped and fled from a hijacking of the Police motorcade that was transporting her to testify as a trial witness in a briefcase. Hot on her heels is psychopathic hijacker (Ben Kingsley), alongside his resourceful henchmen, who will stop at nothing to extract and eliminate their witness.

That is the bare bones of a story that is basically one of shooting, fire, explosions, murder, and all the other derring-do that builds a story based on the chased and the chaser. It gets repetitive but Banderas and Kingsley (and Liam McIntyre) are strong enough to hold or interest.

Adult version of Mall Cop

[npjy83 · 6/10 · 3 March 2019]

I have to first disagree with one of the user comment in this section which said there were no F-Word, when there were about 7-9 said throughout.

If you have watched "Mall Cop" then this is just the adult version of it. More action + gore, more swearing and cursing. Apart from that, the storyline is similar.

Banderas plays a good character in this. Haven't yet seen him act poorly. The young girls acting in this movie starts off really poorly, but gradually becomes better throughout.

A watchable movie non the less, entertaining.

A Somewhat Ordinary Action Thriller with Some Heart

[tabuno · 7/10 · 8 January 2019]

22 October 2017. This Die Hard (1988) wannabe strays into dangerous territory in how seriously dramatic it descends. It's tone becomes darker as contemporary action movies seem to have become in general nowadays. The movie starts with a hard-hitting road battle the likes of Clear and Present Danger (1994). However whether the entertainment value goes up with this type of action thriller genre, does it reach a delicate balance between intense suspense along with heroic exhilaration or result in more disappointment, frustration in the dramatic outcomes that occur as the storyline progresses? Security almost plays out, even if it might reflect more of a rational outcome, more like a typical horror movie, with the human assassins playing the role of monsters. Think From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Instead of using the Die Hard story formula, Security tries too hard to expand on the drama and torturous action experience, including probably the inclusion of unrealistically too many bad guys. Psychologically, the audience attachment and connection to the characters to the movie becomes fewer and fewer and a sense of frustration and disappointment increase. This movie is pretty much run of the mill action thriller that proceeds towards a rather predictable and over rather the top dramatic climax. What makes this movie a bit different is the precarious performance of the Mall boss who is both quite irritating, irascible yet somehow engaging with a good heart as well as a rather tender last few scenes. So instead of a six, this movie might be grudgingly a seven. [12/14/2018: After a second viewing, Security holds up much better and the consequential deaths don't appear to be that overly simplistic or unrealistic as first thought. The set up and the subsequent action scenes play out well. The pacing is good and the defensive actions are nicely thought up and carried through. A "solid" seven out of ten stars.] Like Die Hard, this movie apparently has repeated entertainment viewing value. The martial and lethal shooting scenes are reasonably well done, close but never actually going over the top. Even Ben Kingsley's poignant life story and later offer is quite tempting in some ways. The last few scenes of the movie are also unusually extended for most movies of this genre but in a nice, soft concluding way. Therefore, this movie is a continuing strong seven out of ten. [2/1/2019]. 7/10.

Suitable Change for Banderas

[cparmisan · 7/10 · 8 July 2017]

One wouldn't imagine that Banderas would take a role like this but he pulls it off.Combat skills are convincing enough and the story line is predictable but entertaining.The budget is not huge given that entire film was shot in one location but the videography was nicely done.I would have preferred a different ending altogether but the film was enjoyable and worth the time.

Watch. Don't think.

[avraham_tal · 5/10 · 16 August 2017]

There is nothing sophisticated or clever in this film. All very banal, and of course full of unrealistic sequence of events.

Nevertheless, Banderas plays quite well, and the film is generally enjoyable.

Best watching this in the background of doing something else, or while relaxing from a long day of work.

Mall Cop meets Jason Bourne meets the A-Team

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 7/10 · 3 July 2017]

This movie was enjoyable - specifically the story-line, but it lost its major appeal and potential with a poor screenplay with many plot holes, sub-par directing, and the choice of some of its actors.

The only decent actors in this film were Ben Kingsley playing the odd-ball villain Charlie, of which he's done before so I'm used to him, and the little girl Jamie played by Katherine de la Rocha.

Liam McIntyre as Vance (mostly in the 1st half of the film) and Chad Lindberg as Mason where just the wrong actors for their roles, or the wrong roles for those actors. Then there was that ninja mercenary who was just really unnecessary.

Now to be clear, I am a big fan of Antonio Banderas (Eduardo "Eddie" Deacon), but this was not the role for him. Playing the Mall Cop meets Jason Bourne was very unconvincing, especially during the fight scenes. Additionally, putting him in roles that he has to whisper is a mistake, because I can barely understand his dialog with his accent.

The screenplay and directing where very confused in what they were trying to accomplish. Had this movie been serious throughout, with convincing and appropriate actors/roles, this would have been a hit. But unfortunately, having Chad Lindberg play the big baby-nerd role, and Liam McIntyre with those dumb sideburns and annoying dialog at the beginning, I couldn't take this film seriously, especially after seeing that ninja mercenary with the dual samurai swords that he never even used. Had their roles been as serious or convincing as the sniper, or Gabriella Wright (Ruby), it would have kept me in suspense and enjoyment from start to finish.

Overall, the story is what kept me interested the most, and for that, it's a 7/10 from me.

Home Alone set in a mall !

[valleyjohn · 4/10 · 3 July 2017]

I fall for it every time. A film I've never heard of that's starring a couple of respected actors which has been released straight to DVD . When am I going to learn that there's a bloody good reason why these films come out of nowhere with little or no publicity ? Antonio Banderas is a shopping mall security guard who has to protect a child trial witness from a psychopathic criminal and his gang of soldiers looking to stop her testifying against them.

In recent years there have been a few actors who have reinvented themselves with hard guys characters. Sadly I don't think this film is going to do anything for the career of Antonio Banderas or Ben Kingsley come to think of it. The film starts with the criminals attacking and killing a convoy of US Marshalls yet as the film progresses they ridiculously get taken out by a bunch of overly stupid shopping mall security guards as well as Banderas who is ex forces of course. Not heard that scenario before! At times it feels like Home Alone with their homemade booby traps but sadly nowhere near as entertaining. Once you get past all the juxtaposition and unintended comedy it isn't that bad but I still wish I hadn't bothered.

Security review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 5 May 2020]

Die Hard in a Shopping Mall (with a dash of Home Alone). It might not break any new ground, but it treads the old with a firm step, and Banderas has proven himself capable of devoting admirable energy to projects that might not deserve it on paper. Ben Kingsley appears to be trying for a soft Welsh accent with mixed results.

Parody of an Action Film

[richard-teemal-172-789865 · 2/10 · 13 July 2017]

I read somewhere that someone reviewed this title and referred to it as "Die Hard in a mall". This is way off in my opinion. If it is to be compared to any movie I would go with "Home Alone", such is the puerile and paper-thin plot.

Despite fairly good acting on behalf of the leads, Banderas and Kingsley, the script just fails to deliver, and in an effort, it seems to compensate, the director pulls out every cinematic cliché he could muster from his film school playbook.

Watching this film, you cannot help but think that at any second you will hear the director yell "Cut" and we will have realized that it was all just a parody of an action film that is pretend being shot as part of the real movie which now is about to begin.

The story is all too familiar, the action scenes are sub par, and save for the two big stars the acting is poor. Save your time re-watch Die Hard or Home Alone... you're welcome.

Enjoyable!

[kgrv2000 · 8/10 · 10 July 2017]

This movie might be considered a B-movie because of the budget and released straight to DVD, but honestly, it's a really good movie. Antonio Banderas is underrated, and should really be given the chance to go back to mainstream, especially action films.

The movie isn't perfect, and characters could've been fleshed out more but other than that, this is a nice movie to watch on a lazy afternoon on your day off.

The action sequences are great. Ben Kingsley, another underrated actor, was also great.

It's a well-done action movie with a simple story. If you want to be entertained for an hour and 45mins, this is not a bad choice.

Family friendly violence in the die hard tradition

[jasontheterrible · 6/10 · 2 September 2018]

No F bombs, drug scenes, or blaring rap music and a pretty good story. There are more casualties on both sides which probably killed the potential BO. But besides very little plausibility, it was exciting throughout, Antonio Banderas has too much of an accent and was a bit hard to understand, so this killed his action hero future. The acting was good and Ben Kingsley did his usual bad guy role with aplomb. My major problem was the entire movie is filmed fairly dark. It is all at night and the mall scenes are mostly without full lighting. Kind of gets claustrophobic after awhile.

Someone should call security to evict this flick from Netflix

[ungratefulwhelp · 1/10 · 13 October 2021]

One of the worst movies I've ever seen, and I don't say that lightly. The premise is thus: the bad guys want to kill a witness for a drug gang, so they wipe out a team of escorting US Marshals and she legs it to a mall.

Then Banderas and his heroic band of geeks pick them off one by one til at last the cavalry arrive.

It is not remotely in the same league as Die Hard or anything else. It is an appallingly stupid, moronic film which would insult the intelligence of the average cocker spaniel. Granted, Banderas was never a Hollywood A-lister, but it must kill him deep inside to participate in such rubbish given some of the decent movies he has made in his native Spain. Save yourself, it's already too late for me.

Now, this was actually a surprisingly good action movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 12 June 2018]

This movie was actually surprisingly good. I had little expectations to the movie, and hadn't even heard about it prior to finding it on Netflix. Despite this, I gave it a chance because Antonio Banderas do put a good movie out there every now and again.

"Security" turned out to be one of those good movies. Luckily.

The storyline was good and nicely constructed, although a bit generic. But you will be well enough entertained throughout the course of the movie.

The movie also had some good acting from an interesting and good ensemble of cast. Aside from Antonio Banderas, the movie also has some good performances from Ben Kingsley and Cung Le.

"Security" is loaded with action, and the action sequences were quite intense and also well-executed on the screen. And the abundance of action actually does soften the blow of the movie having a generic storyline.

Antonio Banderas doing his version of the old tough guy, after Liam Neeson already succesfully explored this market. Predictable, yet the tough action is ok ish. Worth 1 watch

[imseeg · 6/10 · 14 February 2019]

Worth 1 watch, if there is nothing else to see. It is predictable from beginning to end, major loopholes in the plot, but it is still a watchable action flick. There are a lot worse action flicks out there, compared to this. What makes this one bearable are the good acting performances by Antonio Banderas and oscar winner Ben Kingsley. The last one I didnt expect to see in such an average action flick, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless, because he plays a great baddie.

The story? Antonia Banderas plays a night security guard at a shopping mall. A kid seeks refuge there fleeing from gangster Ben Kingsley, who is trying to kill her, before she can testify against him in court. Will they survive the violent attacks in the shopping mall? The suspense kept me amused till the end. Nice, but noting special.

Meh

[hypersonic8999 · 3/10 · 17 August 2017]

This was a waste of time for the most part. The only redeeming factor was the action, which honestly was above average. Also Banderas gives a pretty solid performance. Everything else sucked.

Screenplay and dialogue are idiotic and check every cliché. I think they were intentionally trying to imitate cheesy dialogue from the 80s, but it didn't fit with the tone of the film. Tired hurting veteran who just wants to be a normal guy while everything around him is despair and darkness. Whereas the 80s action hero is the exact opposite of this. A happy go lucky guy who kicks bad guy ass daily and it's what fulfils him as a person. He might have a few problems but he never lets it affect his flamboyance and humor. The result is something really weird that just perpetually keeps you out of place.

It's a shame really, because the premise was interesting, and they could have worked a lot more with it. The mall and all the resources it contains are barely used beyond a couple scenes. Ben Kingsley performs a ruthless villain, but he's never given the chance to shine. Everyone along the ride with Banderas could have done a better job if they were coordinated better by the director. Most egregious is that most of the bad guys aren't killed by clever traps or the unexpected tactical skills of the good guys. It's just Banderas sliding and pirhouetting around who kills most of them, and he does it so easily it's almost supernatural.

There's a lot of issues with the pacing. It's clockwork really. 5 minute build-up, 5 minutes action, 5 minutes slow exposition and here we start again. Most of the time the characters aren't doing anything. They are just sitting around not being prepared. Then just before the action starts they start running around like headless chickens. The exposition part is really lame. Most of the time they were talking I was just cringing.

All in all, it's not the worst film ever. It's a B-movie after all. But it's not a very enjoyable one. There's far better things to do with your time, than to watch this.

Mediocre at its best

[Wizard-8 · 18 August 2017]

This production by Millennium Films (the Cannon Films of the 21st century) initially has some interest because it's clearly heavily influenced by two movies. The first and most obvious is "Die Hard", but it is clear the filmmakers got some inspiration from the John Carpenter movie "Assault on Precinct 13". But while this combination gives the movie an initially interesting start, it soon becomes clear that the filmmakers had little else to jazz up this tired movie. It takes forever for it to get going, and once it does, the energy level is surprisingly flat for the most part. Even the final confrontation is a letdown. The script is extremely predictable; you'll be a few steps ahead of the characters at any point. The combination of the flat screenplay and direction probably explain why stars Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley both phone in their performances. Oh, there are a few unintended laughs, like how the shopping mall interior is clearly a very cheap construction on a sound stage somewhere in Bulgaria. And I admit the movie, while being extremely predictable, is not really boring. But for the most part, the movie is utterly forgettable; it'll afterwards evaporate completely from your memory within hours.

Good Suspense and Tension

[rutzelb · 7/10 · 5 November 2017]

Former ex-Special Forces Captain Eddie Deacon (Banderas) takes a job in a Mall and allows 12-yr old or so Jaime (Katherine de la Rocha) to come in as she is running from bad guys headed by Charlie (Kingsley) who does not want her to testify against him.

You knew where it was going from the very minute Eddie opens those doors to Jaime. Although Vance (Liam McIntyre) was in charge of security, he realizes he is out of his league and lets Eddie run the show when Charlie confronts both at the doors.

With seemingly over-whelming force Charlie meets resistance led by Eddie and the rest of the Mall security force. The task was made more difficult as Charlie had cut off all telephone lines so help could not come from outside. The stunts and shooting were good. What I especially liked was the expressions of fear within the security people as they made everything seem quite real. Can't blame them as this would be the case with almost anyone in that situation. The suspense and tension throughout was very good. Hey, I was looking for a place to hide too. Great work.

You still looking for a twist? Well, there was one almost, but Eddie figured it out when U.S. Marshalls came to the Mall in what appeared to be a grateful rescue.

All in all, not bad and Ben Kingsley and Antonio Banderas make this movie credible. Katherine de la Rocha does a very good job as the youngster running for her life and not knowing who to trust. (7/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex; No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, there is some, but not much.

One star and that's pretty much it.

[BilbasGreblinsas · 1/10 · 16 October 2021]

You would be barely keeping yourself together while watching this movie. The story is below mediocre. However, the most unbearable thing of this movie is its characters. The team of mall security is portrayed as a bunch of idiots, lacking the most basic/essential survival skills.

Not Bad Mr. Banderas

[felix-rosalez · 7/10 · 19 August 2017]

Banderas will most likely not win an Oscar for this movie but who cares? He's definitely really good in this film. The plot, acting, scenes are well put together and it really does keep you going, there's never a dull scene. I love Ben Kingsley and this keeps his Sexy Beast attitude in this one, which I love. I hope Banderas will make more films period, in any genre. He's got a certain look and feel of a very determined person and it's wonderful to see him act.

Home Alone for grown ups

[ainars-19285 · 3/10 · 24 March 2019]

Don't even know where to start. This movie was an absolute drivel. Don't even know what Banderas was doing in this one. The first 10-15 minutes were intriguing and then it all went down the drain. The story was building up and then it crashed like a piece of glass on concrete. They set traps against pro killers, who turn out to be nothing more than Walmart employees when we finally get to see them in action. The traps themselves are not even worth of Kevin McCallister's shoes to be honest. Antonio plays an ex-military Captain, and yet it seems that we are looking at a field cook. The attempt at flashing out action scenes failed. The reality check in this movie seemed to be floating in the space. You would expect proper escort for a witness, who could take down an agency, yet they go along with 3 cars and marshalls who can't hit the bad guy at the distance of 30 feet. If you are Antionio's fan, I highly suggest you to avoid this. This movie isn't really even worth your popcorn. I was extremely disappointed.

Simple plot but incredible execution with impressive performance by Banderas

[misbahirfan-09536 · 9/10 · 3 July 2017]

Simply not a home alone movie but more of a assault on precinct 13 set in a mall. The negative reviews simply don't do this movie justice. I saw this movie after Transformers 5 with my 12 year old and wow it was refreshing and entertaining from start to end the complete opposite of Transformers for which I switched off after 25 minutes and was on the phone searching through eBay adds. Lol.

Great execution by director and an impressive performance by all the cast. Very impressed by Antonio Banderas who shows his worth. He has returned to his roots from when I first saw him in desperado. Again good casting all round and acting was above par.

The story is simple with good pace and execution. Good TV movie that keeps you wanting till the end. I have reviewed this 9/10 just because of the budget and it's really made for TV

Entertaining film with elements of self-redemption thrown in

[FrankieCoffeecake · 6/10 · 30 August 2017]

Enjoyed the film. There were elements of Assault on Precinct 13, with a sample of the theme music added in at one point too. Banderas was OK but Kingsley's accent varied from Irish to Scottish at times. Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes and better some would have you believe. Action was just right and there were some unintentional funny moments too. Characters were enjoyable and the undertones were a bit obvious at times. Enjoy it with the family.

Lousy Movie, Pinky Promise

[vmxgroove · 1/10 · 24 August 2017]

This has got to be THE worst premise for a movie ever!!! Mall security guards vs trained army of assassins??? Mall security guards win??? Are you kidding??? You have Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley, both of which are great actors. They decide to be in this truly awful film??? What were their agents thinking? They are deserving of much better roles in REAL movies. Security is low budget all the way through. Poorly written, ridiculous concept of a script. The sets are laughably cheap. The supposed "Mall" is obviously not a mall at all. All the set design in this film seems cheap and unrealistic. With the exception of Banderas and Kingsley, ALL the other actors are terrible. Like a student film. The characters are weak and one dimensional. The cinematography and editing are good but the story and cheap sets pull the whole thing down. I was actually laughing through this entire film. It starts out bad and ends up totally absurd. I really don't understand how this movie got funded and green lit. You would have to be a complete moron to take this film seriously or care about these characters in peril. Its a joke, a real stinker. Avoid watching this. You will never get the time back and be truly disappointed.

So much ignorance from reviewers

[gtbarker · 30 September 2017]

This film was no great shakes, it was better than some say and worse than others. As others have mentioned it was the presence of Banderas and Kingsley that lifted it above average, but some of the other relatively unknown actors did quite well. But it is the ignorance shown by the reviewers when comparing it to other movies which is laughable and compelled me to write this review. This movie isn't like Die Hard, or Terminator or Robocop or any of the other silly comparisons and if this movie resembled any other it is like a b movie remake of Assault on Precinct 13