The Raid is not just any action movie “ it's a rare and curious thing, being an Indonesian movie directed by a Welshman (Gareth Evans). Its premise is simple “ a SWAT team are sent to a derelict apartment building in Jakarta where a notorious drugs baron, Tama has set up his HQ. Seemingly untouchable by the police, the block has become a haven for all manner of undesirables, … [Read more...]
Review: End of Watch (2012)
End of Watch is a new installment in the buddy patrol cop genre, set in gangland Los Angeles focusing on Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena). The movie swiftly establishes the level of violence with a high speed pursuit ending in a shootout and the reputation of the films two stars as the gunslinging good guys, all before the opening credits roll to … [Read more...]
Conan the Barbarian (1982) review by That Film Dude
Let me tell you of the days of high adventure! Made at the height of the '80s fantasy boom, Conan the Barbarian remains pretty much the best film the genre has to offer that isn't The Lord of the Rings. While Arnold Schwarzenegger had been in films prior to Conan, it was this film which put him on the map as a major star; his acting is rubbish, but he was still pretty much … [Read more...]
Alex Cross (2012) review by That Film Brat
Alex Cross is an action-thriller based on the best-selling book Cross by James Patterson. The books (now totalling at nineteen) revolve around the titular detective, Alex Cross. He is famous for using deduction and logic to catch criminals rather than fighting or violence. You know, like every single literary detective since Sherlock Holmes. The books were previously adapted in … [Read more...]
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, Taiwan) review by That Film Dude
Martial arts films had been big business in China for decades, but they never really caught on in a big way overseas until relatively recently. The Matrix drew a great deal of influence from the style of Hong Kong action cinema, and proved fairly conclusively that there was a market for these sorts of films in English speaking countries; and so a new wave of martial arts epics … [Read more...]
Skyfall (2012) review by That Film Guy
With the legal wranglings finished and the shonky Quantum of Solace left firmly in the past, the film-makers at EON made their intent clear during pre-production. On the 50th anniversary of the franchise, they wanted a James Bond film of such quality that it would do what no predecessor has managed and bag nominations in the big categories at the Oscars. So the stakes are high … [Read more...]
Quantum of Solace (2008) review by That Film Guy
The 22nd James Bond film in the franchise, Quantum of Solace sees Daniel Craig return as MI6's most dangerous spy and is named and very loosely based on a short story by Ian Fleming that appeared in the For Your Eyes Only collection. Paul Haggis once again receives credit as one of the many script contributors and it was directed by Marc Foster. At the box office it took a few … [Read more...]
Casino Royale (2006) review by That Film Guy
In 2006 after the shambles that was Die Another Day the James Bond franchise got a much needed reboot. Casting Daniel Craig as the MI6 spy, Casino Royale took the character back to his origin story and in a pre-titles sequence showed him getting his first two kills while on duty. Originally linked to Quentin Tarantino, the director's chair was eventually given to Martin … [Read more...]
Live and Let Die (1973) review by That Film Guy
With Sean Connery officially departed and the catastrophe of George Lazenby put to bed, a search began for a new James Bond. Rather than trying to find someone to replace Connery, EON decided to take the character and the franchise in a different direction and cast Roger Moore, famous for playing suave characters in television shows like The Saint and The Persuaders he brought … [Read more...]
Diamonds are Forever (1971) review by That Film Guy
After the critical mauling that George Lazenby and the series had suffered after On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the James Bond franchise looked back to the original Bond Sean Connery to bring a steady performance and right a potentially sinking ship. Diamonds are Forever took Bond back to the formula that had served it so well in the 1960s and gave the producers time to … [Read more...]