Dead Man Down (2013)

In New York City, a crime lord's right-hand man is seduced by a woman seeking retribution.

Director:

Niels Arden Oplev

Writer:

J.H. Wyman

Stars:

Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Farrell	...	Victor
Noomi Rapace	...	Beatrice
Terrence Howard	...	Alphonse
Dominic Cooper	...	Darcy
Isabelle Huppert	...	Valentine Louzon
Luis Da Silva Jr.	...	Terry
Stu Bennett	...	Kilroy
Franky G	...	Luco
Declan Mulvey	...	Goff
John Cenatiempo	...	Charles
Roy James Wilson	...	Blotto (as Roy James Wilson, Jr.)
Myles Humphus	...	Lance
Stephen Hill	...	Roland
Aaron Vexler	...	Paul
James Biberi	...	Ilir

Storyline

Victor, a rising gangland player, has infiltrated the crime empire run by ruthless kingpin Alphonse, with the single purpose of making Alphonse pay for destroying his once happy life. As he meticulously orchestrates his vengeance from his high-rise home, Victor watches and is watched by Beatrice, a mysterious young woman who lives in the apartment across from his. On the surface a fragile woman-child, Beatrice seethes with a rage of her own. When she uncovers Victor's dark secrets, she threatens to expose him unless he helps her carry out her own campaign of retribution. Each fixated on avenging the past, they devise a violent and cathartic plan that could change their worlds forever.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | crime lord | hit on the head with a rock | murder | death of daughter | 

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Taglines:

Revenge is coming.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language throughout and a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Twitter

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Albanian Spanish

Release Date:

8 March 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Man Down - Il sapore della vendetta

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,345,250 (USA) (8 March 2013)

Gross:

$10,880,926 (USA) (12 April 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Automatik Entertainment, Frequency Films, IM Global

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stu Bennett ("Kilroy") performs as a professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the name Wade Barrett. WWE Films is one of the producers of this film.

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Goofs

At the end of the film ,while Victor and Beatrice travel home on the NYC subway, you can see the sign "York-Dauphin", which is a Elevated stop on Philadelphia's SEPTA Market Frankford Line.

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Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

User Reviews

A fascinatingly grim look at revenge and, less commonly, the aftermath.

The revenge genre is often a tired one. The majority are either so sullen that they lose sight of what makes these fantasies entertaining or too silly to offer any glimpse of realism or consequence. "Dead Man Down" offers just the right amount of grittiness to be taken seriously, but also maintains its own identity with a heavy focus on character development and a more philosophical viewpoint on the nature of getting even. The vengeful gangster and his plight may be a repetitive backstory, but the cryptic structuring, attention to emotion, and competent acting strengthens the refreshingly fluctuating twists. While the conclusion digresses into a prosaic, albeit satisfying action sequence, it doesn't dilute the antiheros' uniquely warped relationship or their infectiously harsh personalities.

When crime lord Alphonse's (Terence Howard) men begin turning up murdered, along with enigmatic clues elaborating on the responsible party, the gangster looks to his henchmen Victor (Colin Farrell) and Darcy (Dominic Cooper) for answers. But Victor has his own plans, including a labored revenge scheme against those that wronged him in the past. As he steadily brings his complex machinations to fruition, he starts an unlikely relationship with his neighbor, Beatrice (Noomi Rapace), an emotionally damaged woman with desires just as ominous as his. Forced into a vicious cycle of vengeance, Victor must attempt to not only satisfy his demons but also salvage the soul of his newfound companion.

Adorned with an impossibly generic title, "Dead Man Down" is unexpectedly an absorbingly unique revenge fantasy. Devoid of the typical action, adventure, and beauteous damsels-in-distress, it is instead a morbidly dark, fascinatingly grim look at revenge and, less commonly, the aftermath. The emotions experienced by the hateful, the murderous, and the defensive are scrutinized beyond the normal array of purely evil entities undergoing deserved comeuppance. Nothing is black and white in the film – instead, every character is tinged with complications and questionable qualities, making this group of antiheroes unpredictable, sympathetic, or repugnant in alternating turns.

It's rare to see a crime thriller spend so much time on character development. It's also quite welcome – the ulterior motives, extortive attitudes, and sabotage aren't awkwardly spontaneous but rather sensible operations for generously analyzed mentalities. These aren't cardboard cutouts; and excessive dialogue doesn't make up for lack of substance. Instead, director Niels Arden Oplev opts for prolonged, brooding facial communications that convey much more than stale words. It's a feat for Farrell to be so convincing as an implacable gangster (his best role since "In Bruges") and Rapace is sensational as an equally bitter survivor who literally wears the scars of mental anguish on her face. Howard is one of the few weak spots, once again taking a sinister role and making it apprehensive. And although the climax embodies the raging, explosive visualization of suspenseful retribution that audiences crave (a contrasting culmination for the sake of crowd-pleasing action), it's the contrived satisfaction "Dead Man Down" needs to soften the blow of such a severe, serious series of retaliations.

• The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com)