6 Days: A Police Negotiator, The Most Thankless Job You Can Have

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

This is based on the true story of the 1980 London Iranian embassy siege. Where the SAS gather to storm and the negotiators try and avoid a bloodbath.

This was a surprisingly good thriller. Netflix based on a true story thriller films have a reputation for being terrible, but this was actually good.

The film managed to maintain a sense of tension consistently throughout, as the events keep you on the razors edge: not knowing what is going to happen. This is masterfully conducted by Mark Strong who plays police negotiator Max Vernon. Strong easily captures a wide variety of emotions and conveys them with a facial expression when best effecting the scene.

However, I find where this film trips itself up is with the rest of the cast. Jamie Bell and Abbie Cornish are both talented performers in there own rights, but unlike Strong they are given very little to do here, especially with Cornish, and it becomes a clear waste of talent as the film progresses.

Overall, surprisingly watchable and tense with a good performance from Strong. However, the usual Netflix problems, poor side characters with famous faces, drags this film down and makes it less than it could have been.

Pros.

Strong

The tension

The ending

Cons.

They waste the rest of the cast

It has pacing issues

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71: Surviving The Troubles

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

This film follows Gary Hook, Jack O’Connell, a young soldier who becomes separated from his unit and finds himself having to survive the night in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

I enjoyed this film a fair bit, it kept me entertained throughout. I thought the film did a good job of maintaining its tension and it never allowed you to feel safe, or to feel like the character was safe, which also adds to the realism of the film.

In many respects this is quite a hard film to watch, there are a number of scenes that are very visceral and graphic and that will leave and impression on you afterwards. The sudden and random death of Hook’s fellow soldier early in the film being one of them, in many ways it perfectly manages to capture the murky and unpredictable nature of that part of Irish history.

Moreover, Sean Harris as the morally dubious covert intelligence officer Captain Browning is a revelation. Harris always shines through whatever he appears in and adds an uncertain edge to proceedings. I would say he comfortably out acts O’Connell here, with the latter’s rough boy charm sometimes clashing with the character he is trying to portray. For example when Hook is taking his younger brother out for the day he becomes very angry at the doorman for no explained reason, this doesn’t work when later in the film he is portrayed as the ordered and controlled soldier who would never lose his temper in a yobish sort of way. It becomes a clashing personality over the film.

Overall, a good film though more character work was needed with the construction of the lead, a fixed personality was needed rather than one that jumps around.

Pros.

Harris

The tension

Not knowing what was going to happen next

Cons.

O’ Connell

A few plot threads that are unanswered and also go nowhere

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The Visit: The Grandparents Aren’t All Right

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Two children who have never met their grandparents before are send to go and stay with them for a week, however, once they get their they start noticing their Grandparents behaving strangely- this quickly escalates.

In my mind this is Shyamalan’s best film, easily. Yes, there will be many out there that will make a case for Signs or The Sixth Sense, but I truly believe this is the man at his finest. Every aspect of the film works in perfect harmony, with the film feeling like something other than the twist is being built to. This is a common issue with Shyamalan’s work as often the films feel built around the twist and as such can’t function without it, which is bad writing, however, here the events of the film could work without the twist and the twist itself feels like it only enhances the strangeness further.

I enjoyed the tension and the slowly growing unease throughout. I thought the film showed great promise when it made seemingly every day activities that anyone would do with their elderly relatives feel some how off-kilter, this is of course ramped up as the film continues but never ends up feeling over the top.

The performances are mostly good. With Child actors one never goes in expecting much, but I thought both leads were passable. The one thing I will say is Ed Oxenbould does have moments where he becomes annoying, such as the rapping scenes or when he has to call out a female singers name instead of swearing, though there is some unintentional comedy in there to.

Overall, probably my favourite Shyamalan film.

Pros.

The twist

The tension in the seemingly ordinary

The ending

A few solid jokes

Cons.

The rapping is annoying

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Old: Live Your Life In An Afternoon

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A group of people find themselves on a mysterious beach where they age rapidly and seem incapable of leaving.

Other reviews of this film have been very mixed, and mine will only add to that.

The premise for this film is very interesting the concept of rapidly aging is fairly unique from a cinema standpoint and it does hold up throughout the film. The film does a lot of interesting things with aging its characters, we see many deaths and a birth, though the less said about that the better.

However, where things fall apart for me is with the big twist. As with every Shyamalan film there is a twist here, however I think it ends up disrupting and ultimately ruining the film. I won’t spoil what it is here, but I will say this, it is underwhelming and what you want to be happening isn’t….. It is far more mundane and generic than that. My issue with the ending of this film is that it is overly simplistic, it is too neat. The film ends with a surprising amount of it’s questions answered with little left to think about, what’s more the aging beach is seemingly forgotten about and no answers for it are given. In short it both gives you too many answers and too few.

The performances across the board are good, if sometimes a little eclectic and eccentric. I think that Rufus Sewell is by far the standout of the film as his characters slow descent into mental illness is both saddening and terrifying, and he does manage to feel quite threatening towards the end of the film. I also thought that Alex Wolff was strong as the families young child stuck in the body of a twenty year old, he brings a lot to the character.

Overall, a fascinating hook is pulled off course by a weak twist/ ending.
Pros.

The premise

The questions

The performance

The tension

Cons.

The ending

The twist

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Settlers: The Fight For Survival Is Bleak

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

In a post-apocalyptic future settlers on Mars must fight for their survival and that of their species.

This film is heavy and gets very dark. I am adding that here at the start of the review as I think it is very important to bare that in mind when starting this film, there is a scene right near the end that is quite an intense rape scene that is very hard to watch and that I found to be deeply distressing.

As a wider piece I actually found this film quite interesting to watch. The concept is interesting, and they leave out just enough context about how these people arrived on Mars and what Earth is now like to make the film have some mystery to it which helps immeasurably.

I thought the tension and feeling of subtle threat throughout was done very well, as there are moments where you yourself question which side the antagonist is on and indeed whether they are even an antagonist at all, but then you are clearly reminded.

Visually I thought the film was quite addressing and impressive. I thought the effects and wider look of the film shows how far technology has come, with the vistas we are treated to looking startlingly real and well actualised.

The main thing I would criticise this film for is wasting a very talented cast. This is essentially a two person film, however there are others cast in it: Sofia Boutella and Johnny Lee Miller. Both of these are very talented performers; however, they are killed off before the film even reaches the forty five minute mark with their inclusions ultimately feeling like a waste in the end.

Overall, despite some harrowing scenes and wasting it’s supporting cast this film still manages to be a strong science fiction thriller with an interesting concept and very well done effects.

Pros.

The tension

The effects

The premise

The ending

Cons.

It wastes Miller and Boutella

It is very hard to watch at times

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Gunpowder Milkshake: In Search Of A Soul

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A hitwoman finds herself the target of a number of underworld characters after she botches one of her hits and finds herself in the company of her victim’s child.

I am mixed on this. One the one hand I thought the concept and the action to be good. I enjoyed the world this film sets up; I thought The Firm and the Librarians were both interesting groups rife for further exploration. In addition I thought the action choreography was spot on, and many of the scenes feel very real: making the bone crunching all the more impactful.

However, the characters themselves for the most part were entirely devoid of any kind of personality or charm and were instead defined by their role in the narrative. The previous mentioned Librarians don’t really have any kind of personality beyond their job and a previous connection to one of the other characters. Moreover, Karen Gillan’s lead literally barely speaks at all and has no charm or personality either, she remains a mystery throughout though in this case that is a bad thing.

The feminist aspects which this film displays front and centre and that will no doubt annoy some, as many are looking to be offended these days, are clear and present throughout. Whilst many of the things this film is saying on that front are good, the issue comes from the fact that these characters are almost not written as people rather as tools to make certain points, this surely undermines the cause and provides a flaw in the film’s presentation.

I didn’t think the child acting was very good, but I won’t belabour that point as it is low hanging fruit.

Overall, it has potential, but some real character work is needed if this film does indeed return for a sequel.

Pros.

The world

The action

The message

Cons.

The characters are devoid of personality

It feels a little bit too familiar at times

The child acting

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The Ice Road: The Most Obvious Conspiracy In Human History

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

The premise of ice road truckers having to carry heavy items over sheets of sheer ice is tense and interesting enough on its own, it doesn’t need to be overly complicated.

Therein lies the problem of this film, Ice Road Truckers proves there is an audience that wants to see big rigs carrying goods over ice that could break any minute. However, this film did not get the memo, or maybe doesn’t care as clearly it does not think this premise is entertaining enough to get people to watch so they have to force in a conspiracy as well. Of course this conspiracy storyline is entirely needless and adds very little.

Liam Neeson and Laurence Fishburne try their best to give this film some soul and personality yet one gets killed off early into the film and the other is mostly side-lined. Yes, even though Neeson features heavily on the posters and the marketing for this film it is really not his.

From a writing perspective this whole film feels very played out and overly familiar. They try to write in twists and turns but it just goes exactly the way you would expect it to, the way it is telegraphed to go from the beginning you know who the actual villain will be because it is all just so obvious.

Overall, Liam Neeson needs a better agent or maybe just to retire from action films as it is starting to reach a point now where even his charm can’t save these films from themselves

Pros.

Neeson

Fishbourne

Cons.

It is incredibly predictable

The villain is obvious

It is overly complicated

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Piercing: A Love Story Where The Leads Try To Kill Each Other

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This is a darkly comedic horror masterpiece. This film is so awkward and tense I love it, it made me laugh quite a few times.

I think both Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska are simply excellent here. Abbott is really proving himself as someone to watch out for. I enjoyed how the story played with the characters never letting one get the upper hand on the other, or at least not for very long.

The basic premise is Abbott’s character is a family man who starts having urges to kill so rather than murder his family, he rents a room at a hotel with the idea of luring a prostitute, Wasikowska, up there to kill her. The beauty of this premise is that though simple it is executed so cleverly that it becomes easily engrossing.

I thought the ending was strong as it leaves the idea of murder ambiguous, we don’t know whether one of the two killed the other or whether they ended up falling in love. Moreover, I thought the use of violence throughout the film but particularly here at the end feels well done, it is as painful to witness as it would be to experience it is very graphic and visceral allowing it to pack a punch even when used sparingly.

Overall, one of the tensest films I’ve seen recently but also hilariously funny at times.

Pros.

Abbott

Wasikowska
The ending

The impactful violence

The humour

Cons.

A slow start

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The Sixth Sense: I See Bruce Willis When He Actually Used To Care About Acting

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I feel like I would have enjoyed this film a lot more had I not known the twist going into it; sadly in the age of the internet that is near impossible.

My main takeaway from the film was that it was nice to see Bruce Willis actually trying to give a good performance, rather than just turning up to get paid. I would probably say Willis and his performance is the best part of the film, and you do become emotionally invested in the character as the film progresses.

However, I can’t say the same for the other lead character, Cole played by Haley Joel Osment. Now I won’t rip into the character too much as he is played by a child actor and they are usually not great, but I think the issues with Cole permeate beyond his acting and instead originate from the script. The writing of Cole as a character almost seems like it is going out of its way to make you dislike him.

The twist, which is always the most important part of a Shyamalan film, is good. Despite knowing what it was already which took away some of my enjoyment and makes me question the film’s rewatchability, I found it to be well done and quite clever.

Overall, good but far from a classic.

Pros.

Bruce Willis

A few good scares

The twist enhances the film

Cons.
Cole

It is poorly paced

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Death In Texas: Perhaps The Dumbest Protagonist Ever

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I put this film on for one simple reason, Stephen Lang. I greatly misunderstood what the film was going to be about and what Lang’s role within it was going to be.

So firstly, this presents itself as an action film, maybe even a thriller, it is not. The majority of the screen time is the lead having conversations with his dying mother and him drinking in a bar; exciting I know. When we do get some action it is usually just the protagonist walking into a room shooting someone and leaving, it is not very exciting.

Lang, who is only really a minor character, is surprising playing more of a sweet, damaged character than the fighter/badass I was expecting. The film is definitely better for having him in it, yet the film doesn’t really do much with his character.

The ending makes less and less sense the more you think about it, but it is really just par for the course.

Pros.

Lang

A few tense scenes

Cons.

The ending

The amount of needless scenes

The lack of good solid action

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