In new action/crime/drama, Honest Thief, Liam Neeson is Tom, a notorious bank robber inspired to lead an honest life, starting with turning himself in. The problem is that doing just that leads to him being double-crossed by two FBI agents.
Directed by Mark Williams; additional key cast includes Anthony Ramos, Kate Walsh and Jai Courtney.
This is highly reminiscent of Taken (2008). Yet, I don’t know that I care as long as it’s a good movie. Plus I just like Neeson.
Jeffrey Donovan, Robert Patrick, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Jose Guns Alves, Osmani Rodriguez and Janelle Feigley also star.
Kajillionaire (2020), Evan Rachel Wood, Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger, Focus Features
New crime/drama Kajillionaire stars Evan Rachel Wood as a young woman whose life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider (Gina Rodriguez) to join them on a major heist they’re planning.
Also starring Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins Kajillionaire is written/directed by Miranda July.
I’m in because this one seems very peculiar indeed, the cast is the reliable kind and I want to know more about Wood’s character’s parents. Based on the scene the smile in the above picture is from, at least one of them seems to really enjoy being a nuisance.
Ian Casselberry, Diana Maria Riva, Patricia Belcher, Adam Bartley, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Mark Ivanir, Challen Cates, Steve Park, Madeleine Coghlan and Rachel Redleaf also star.
Sicario – Day of the Soldado (2018), Isabela Merced, Benicio Del Toro
Sicario – Day of the Soldado, has Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro back as US Federal agent Matt Graver and hitman Alejandro. This time the drug war on the US-Mexico border has escalated and the cartels have started trafficking terrorists to the states.
Now that the talented Emily Blunt, Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins and Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve are all nowhere in sight for this sequel, I wouldn’t say I was initially concerned, but rather hopeful. I mean, the trailer did look very promising indeed.
Having now watched director Stefano Sollima’s sequel, I find myself feeling relatively neutral about it. I neither hate nor love Day of the Soldado. Yet, Alejandro remains my favourite thing about both movies. For he’s at the centre of the much loved and and notable action sequences.
Sollima’s film certainly has tension. Though, for me, it’s not quite the expertly captured, bristling tension of the first movie. The musical score and cinematography weren’t bad either. I just liked both, the story and the way it was captured better in the first movie. Additionally, I wouldn’t say that I missed Blunt’s Kate Mercer, but I missed what she added to the story. She was a person I could identify with as someone very new to the very specific, highly violent world of the film.
Is Day of the Soldado still worth watching if you liked the first movie? Yes. However, I may be shocked if anyone prefers it to the first instalment. And I’d be intrigued to find out why.
Starring Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rodrigo Santoro; Project Power is a new sci-fi/action movie focused around taking down the creators of a pill that gives its users unpredictable superpowers for five minutes.
Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman; additional key cast includes Dominique Fishback, Machine Gun Kelly, Amy Landecker, Courtney B. Vance…
I can’t quite tell which way it’s going to go with this one. I certainly want it to be great. My fingers are therefore crossed for what’s hopefully a very pleasant surprise indeed.
Tait Fletcher, Yoshi Sudarso, Allen Maldonado, Dominique Fishback, and Casey Neistat also star.
The Departed (2006), Leonardo DiCaprio, Warner Bros. Entertainment
I remember watching Martin Scorsese’s The Departed when it was released in 2006. A film I just had to see because of Scorsese, but also thanks to the triple A-list acting talents of Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon.
It’s been more than 10 years since then, and Scorsese’s highly rated crime/thriller about an undercover cop and a mole in the police who are trying to identify each other, while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston remains a notable film.
As good as it is, I’m not sure if The Departed is the kind of movie that loses a portion of its shine over time. Or, myself being caught up in ‘Leo Mania‘ in 2006 made me rate it a little more highly than it may have deserved, because I did rate it VERY highly indeed. It could also just be that this isn’t the first time I’ve seen the film; therefore, chances are, I won’t feel it’s as great as it was at first viewing. Either way, today I’d say that the first half of the movie is good, but it’s really in the second act that things get most thrilling.
Can I continue to call The Departed my favourite Scorsese movie? Maybe not. Even though I still think it’s one of his best. And besides the example of what a good crime/thriller can look like, I’ll also remember The Departed for being the first time I heard a croissant referred to as ‘a French doughnut.’
For anyone who’s never watched The Departed, part of what makes the movie notable, besides the great story and cast is it doesn’t end the way you expect. Thank goodness that ten-plus years was enough for me to forget the ending, almost entirely. I mean, I did remember the rat on the window sill, but that’s it.
Watch it because it’s good and it is definitely a classic after all.
Spenser Confidential (2020), Mark Wahlberg, Netflix
Spenser Confidentialisn’t a perfect movie, but it is a fun action/comedy with some well-executed standout scenes.
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Iliza Shlesinger and Alan Arkin; director Peter Berg’s story about an ex-felon who takes on Boston’s criminal underworld to solve a twisted murder conspiracy, may have a dip in pace near the beginning. It may also feel as though at least one specific aspect of the story comes across aa tad contrived. But overall, there’s enough humour, action and well-executed scenes to make Spenser Confidential more fun than not.
My favourite line in the whole film is ‘Don’t play with me right now, Ok? Give me the cloud.’ I promise it’s more amusing in context, which I haven’t provided here as that would spoil it.
In terms of the most memorable scenes, The first one take takes place at a Mexican restaurant, while the other involves much of what happens at ‘Wonderland’ towards the end.
Watch Spenser Confidential if you’re curious and for a central mystery that you’ll want to see solved.
Infamous (2020), Bella Thorne, Vertical Entertainment US
New crime/drama Infamous stars Bella Thorne and Jake Manley as two young lovers who rob their way across the southland, all while posting their exploits to social media.
Written/directed by Joshua Caldwell; additional key cast includes Amber Riley, Billy Blair and Marisa Coughlan.
A modern day Bonnie and Clyde, perhaps?
I’m hoping that this will be an interesting and well-executed take on the so-called ‘fame hungry youth.’ Specifically the kind with a drive to become famous at any cost.
Robert Peters, Michael Sirow, Paul T. Taylor, Kyle Jacob Henry, Todd Jenkins, Jennifer Rader and Joey Oglesby also star.
The Last Days of American Crime (2020), Edgar Ramírez, Netflix
Based on the graphic novel by Greg Tocchini; The Last Days of American Crime is a new action/crime movie starring Edgar Ramírez, Michael Pitt and Sharlto Copley.
Directed by Olivier Megaton, the story is set in a not-too-distant future. A future where America’s final response to terrorism and crime is the the government having the ability to broadcast a signal making it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit a crime.
I’m in to find out more about the ‘freezing crime’ capabilities. Fingers crossed that the story around the tech is equally compelling.
Anna Brewster, Jay Anstey, Inge Beckmann, Sean Cameron Michael, Tamer Burjaq, Robert Hobbs, Daniel Fox and Clayton Boyd also star.
