The Gunman

First Hit:  This film tries to be interesting and fails.

Using the politics of forced mining in the Congo as a backdrop, what the story is about is how a man slowly comes to grips with his killing past. What is unfortunate is that using this and his redemptive actions of drilling for clean water to make Terrier (Sean Penn) someone we care about failed.

I did not care one iota about Terrier’s self-redemption. Walking into the theater I expected to sit through a bunch of scenes of people shooting (and missing) at each other but for it to be so poorly done was disappointing. True to Penn’s own publicly pushed political stance – there are scenes where he’s the good guy, however, he’ll do anything to keep himself and his girlfriend Annie (Jasmine Trinca) alive and shooting people is what he resorts to doing. He continues to state that he's got no choice.

Javier Bardem, as Terrier's co-worker Felix, was a poorly created and acted character. He’s required to be extremely jealous and a drunk, and neither of these were done well. At least 3 times during the film, I was sat there thinking, I just wanted this movie to be over.

The best part of Penn’s performance was that he was in great physical shape but to have him smoking in so many scenes is downright stupid. His character didn’t need it. Trinca was OK and although she exemplified being a good person in love with someone who has a history of killing people for money, she rose above the stupidity of this film and delivered what she could. Bardem was a wasted talent in this role. Ray Winstone as Stanley, Terrier’s only true friend, was strong in his supporting role. He was the only bright light in this film. Don MacPherson wrote this mess and Pierre Morel did his best to shoot this film in an interesting way.

Overall:  Poor story, poor acting, and lousy characters make for a waste of time.

Run All Night

First Hit:  The action is very strong, the acting is good and it’s hard to see older men attempt to move their bodies athletically.

Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson) and Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris) have been lifelong friends. They've been criminals for most of their lives.

Shawn has been the brains while Jimmy has been the muscle. Although Shawn has no problem killing someone, it’s been Jimmy that has racked up the kills and they haunt him. He left his wife and boy early on because he did not think he would be a fit enough father to be around his son Michael (Joel Kinnaman).

Michael resents his father and has chosen a life that, although difficult, is honorable. Shawn, on the other hand, has a boy named Danny (Boyd Holbrook) who is partly in the family business but keeps screwing up. When Danny kills a couple of crooked Albanians, Mike gets caught up and Jimmy kills Danny. This splits Danny and Shawn’s close relationship and now they’re out to kill each other.

Neeson is very good at showing determination and completing his appointed task with no feelings. Harris was very strong as the guy who has pulled the strings for years. Kinnaman was excellent as the bitter son. Holbrook was also very good as Maguire’s son. Common as professional hit man Andrew Price, was great. Brad Ingelsby wrote a strong script and Jaume Collet-Serra did a great job of creating a mood of NYC in this Irish community.

Overall:  The story of redemption of a difficult life was well done.

Focus

First Hit:  Despite the clichés, this film does have its surprises and overall was enjoyable.

I like con-films. One of my favorites, of course, is “The Sting”. This film does not have the acting that “The Sting” had, but it was very entertaining.

Will Smith as Nicky was raised by a con-man and has always lived the con-man life. He doesn’t allow anything to stick to him, personally, because that is the downside – stickiness leads to attachments and in his life attachments are not good. In walks Jess (Margot Robbie). She is also a con-artist but mostly focuses on picketing and tries to hustle Nicky.

He sees through the con, explains to her and her partner where they went wrong but see’s enough in her to have her audition to become part of a team that executes a set of cons and hustles in New Orleans during Super Bowl week. It was fun to watch the hustles and more fun to watch Smith intelligently swagger through this part. Although I suspected the ending, there was still enough of a twist that brought a level of humanity to it all.

Smith was perfect for this role, streetwise, smart, and having a level of humorous swagger to make it all work. This isn’t academy award type stuff, but it is enjoyable. Robbie is fun to watch and it appears that she probably had fun making this film – it showed. Adrian Martinez as Farhad, the computer nerd of the hustling group, was effective. Gerald McRaney was great as Owens. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa wrote and directed with film with enough humor and seriousness to make it fun to watch.

Overall:  I left the theater with a smile on my face, which is good enough.

A Most Violent Year

First Hit:  The acting, especially by Jessica Chastain, is superb.

This story takes place in the 1960’s, in New York and in the highly competitive home heating oil business. Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) has built his business with hard work and in a short period of time.

One struggle is that his drivers hurt when his trucks are getting hijacked by someone unknown to him. He’s also trying to buy a piece of riverfront property to give him a leg up on his competitors. His growth and the whole sleaziness of the industry is being monitored by a politically hungry DA name Lawrence (David Oyelowo).

Morales' wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) has a background in the mob and it shows with her attitude, actions and strength of character. She occasionally alludes to her ties to the family with threats to Abel that she wants to bring in the family in to resolve the hijacking as well as other things. The exchanges between Abel and Anna are wonderful and charged.

The scenes of Abel teaching how to sell their service is powerfully priceless. The addition of Albert Brooks as Abel’s lawyer Andrew Walsh was an amazing selection because he brings intense pointed guidance to both Abel and the film.

Isaac is very strong and he exudes drive to make it all work. Chastain is sublime, she is so strong that you know she is the foundation that makes Abel’s business (and the film) work. Oyelowo is good as the DA trying to “clean up” this industry but also seeing where his future bread could be buttered. Brooks is phenomenal. J.C. Chandor wrote a very strong script capturing the time and industry well. His direction was clear and concise and he made his script work for him.

Overall:  I’m glad the film wasn’t as violent as the title but the intensity was surely represented.

Inherent Vice

First Hit:  It started reasonably strong and faded to boredom quickly.

The opening 15 - 20 minutes I found myself laughing at quips, turns of phrases, and drug induced behavior.

However, it began to wear on me as the film progressed and with the storyline being as confusing as the drug addled Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), the path to enjoy the film dissipated into the realm of forgetful fantasy. By half way through, I found myself waiting for the end to arrive so I could leave. I don’t believe that is the intention of a filmmaker.

The best moments that kept the film somewhat alive were the bombastic statements from police Lt. Christian F. “Bigfoot” Bjornsen (Josh Brolin). He was funny and a great foil to Doc. I also thought the romantic scene between Shasta Fey Hepworth (Katherine Waterston) and Doc was interestingly and erotically well done.

Phoenix was oddly both interesting and mediocre. I kept thinking that a light would go on and he’d shine (the interest part) but it never did (the mediocre part). Brolin took this role by grabbing the bull’s horns and made it his own. At times it almost seemed like he was in a different film. Waterston was the most interesting character. Owen Wilson as Coy Harlingen was good in his limited but pivotal role. There was an amazing cast – but all seemed lost and faded into the montage of vignettes that were loosely aimed at an unclear plot. Paul Anderson both wrote and directed this film. Some of basis for his view of the drugged addled era he was projecting were not experienced based but story based and it showed. However, I loved “4012 The Strand” address was as a child I grew up in that area and recall “The Strand” well.

Overall:  I got bored early and couldn’t wait to leave.