Review: I can honestly say that I didn't have high hopes for this movie but it didn't turn out to be totally bad. The 4 dumb criminals, Zach (Michael Pitt), Noah (Dan Stevens), Warren (Christopher Abbott) and Bryce (Rob Brown), really didn't have a clue about kidnapping but they were stuck in an impossible situation after borrowing $200,000 from mob boss, Eddie (John Travolta). After a bad investment, they end up owing Eddie $400,000, so to pay there debt, they have to kidnap Marques (Edi Gathegi), who is the brother of a gangster who has kidnapped Eddie's niece. I know it sounds confusing but it's pretty straight forward. Whilst holding Marques in a derelict building, Gerry (Jackie Earle Haley) is on the hunt for Eddie's niece so the 4 best friends are stuck with Marques, waiting for instructions from Eddie. When the storyline unfolds, you soon realise that all is not what it seems, in a Usual Suspects type of way but I do have to watch the movie again to truly understand the major twist. The acting isn't bad from the whole cast, especially Edi Gathegi and Michael Pitt but the professionalism from John Travolta, makes the rest of the cast look quite amateur. The character that I really liked throughout the film was Jackie Earle Haley, who also directed the movie, so he really gave his all to this project. It's not in the same league as Usual Suspects but it's a watchable movie which isn't bad for the directors debut. Watchable!
Round-Up: I first saw Jackie Earle Haley, 54, in Little Children, we're he played a paedophile and was extremely creepy, and since then he has starred in some big movies like All The King's Men, Semi-Pro, Fragments, Watchmen, where he played Rorschach extremely well, Shutter Island, Lincoln, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Dark Shadows, Parkland, Robocop and the upcoming London Has Fallen. He really has an impressive portfolio, which is understandable because he's an unique actor who brings intensity to all of his roles. As for this movie, I think the ending was extremely rushed and a lot of the scenes with the 4 kidnappers were average. He was lucky to get such a diverse cast, who all brought something different to the project but I would have liked to have seen more from Travolta and Haley, who were the best thing in the movie.
I recommend this movie to people who are into their crime/drama/thrillers starring John Travolta, Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens, Rob Brown, Jackie Earle Haley and Christopher Abbott. 4/10
Round-Up: I first saw Jackie Earle Haley, 54, in Little Children, we're he played a paedophile and was extremely creepy, and since then he has starred in some big movies like All The King's Men, Semi-Pro, Fragments, Watchmen, where he played Rorschach extremely well, Shutter Island, Lincoln, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Dark Shadows, Parkland, Robocop and the upcoming London Has Fallen. He really has an impressive portfolio, which is understandable because he's an unique actor who brings intensity to all of his roles. As for this movie, I think the ending was extremely rushed and a lot of the scenes with the 4 kidnappers were average. He was lucky to get such a diverse cast, who all brought something different to the project but I would have liked to have seen more from Travolta and Haley, who were the best thing in the movie.
I recommend this movie to people who are into their crime/drama/thrillers starring John Travolta, Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens, Rob Brown, Jackie Earle Haley and Christopher Abbott. 4/10