About halfway through this movie, I realized why I was only mildly interested in it, even though by all accounts it probably SHOULD have been much more gripping: the wrong guy was cast as the lead.
Michael Fassbender is giving such "middle-aged dad on vacation" vibes that it's really, really difficult to imagine him as a sociopathic assassin. I DO understand that he's supposed to be largely unremarkable in appearance so as to blend in and be able to do his job unnoticed, but in order for us to really feel a sense of dread, intrigue, fear... something, *anything* about his character... he needs a more quirky, disturbing personality lying beneath the surface of his seemingly banal look. His dad vibes are, unfortunately, just too strong to carry this off.
The character also narrates throughout the film, and it's done in such a monotone fashion that at times I felt like I was listening to a boring sales seminar. Again, I get what the filmmakers were going for with this character -- but a Christian Bale or even a Zac Efron would have been more appropriate in a role like this. Or even Bryan Cranston or someone of his ilk, who obviously knows how to pull off the dad persona without actually giving off too much of the "vibe" that makes you think, "This guy spends his nights watching 30-year-old reruns with his socked feet propped up on the glass & oak coffee table." Not that they could have gotten any of the aforementioned actors to work with the rest of this cast (some of these folks seem fresh off the set of a Lifetime movie, with the exception of Tilda Swinton, who is so good she really has no business being in this film).
And then there are the actual THINGS the character narrates to himself through the movie, which are about as boring as it gets. "Stick to the plan," "Trust no one." That's really the best material the writers could come up with for his character to say? Almost anyone would sound like a boring dad if they kept repeating those "core philosophies" in their head while carrying out various crimes, lol.
And finally... the plot isn't crafted in a way that makes you feel really invested. The stakes are not THAT high (I don't want to give spoilers... but in my opinion, there should have been something more akin, at least, to John Wick's vendetta for his dog). There isn't enough "oomph" to get the viewer really on board as events are set in motion. And even when, in the final scene, the main character narrates very explicitly the "why" of his quest, it still feels pretty flimsy.
With ALL of that said... the movie wasn't terrible. Probably the most interesting thing was watching the main character do so much traveling. It definitely made me want to get on a plane and go somewhere, lol. There was also one interesting fight scene, but I have to say that even then, Fassbender's fighting was pretty wooden! And probably the ONE thing that stood out the most for me was the scene with Tilda Swinton, where not only was her acting impeccable, but she managed to flawlessly deliver a joke that made me laugh out loud.
And honestly, the movie isn't nap-inducing (at least it wasn't for me). It'll probably keep most people fairly engaged. But in my opinion, it's not something you'll ever want to rewatch. And I just can't help feeling like a HUGE amount of potential was wasted by casting the wrong guy to carry it.
(Post-script: I read a theory that this is supposed to be a dark comedy/parody of sorts. I can SORT OF see the potential for that, but it needs a **lot** of work if that's the case. Even a movie like The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie does better at that than this one. Or perhaps the filmmaker could watch some Peter Sellers for inspiration. Hint: for it to be a well-executed comedy, at least a fair majority of the audience needs to know it's funny.)
Michael Fassbender is giving such "middle-aged dad on vacation" vibes that it's really, really difficult to imagine him as a sociopathic assassin. I DO understand that he's supposed to be largely unremarkable in appearance so as to blend in and be able to do his job unnoticed, but in order for us to really feel a sense of dread, intrigue, fear... something, *anything* about his character... he needs a more quirky, disturbing personality lying beneath the surface of his seemingly banal look. His dad vibes are, unfortunately, just too strong to carry this off.
The character also narrates throughout the film, and it's done in such a monotone fashion that at times I felt like I was listening to a boring sales seminar. Again, I get what the filmmakers were going for with this character -- but a Christian Bale or even a Zac Efron would have been more appropriate in a role like this. Or even Bryan Cranston or someone of his ilk, who obviously knows how to pull off the dad persona without actually giving off too much of the "vibe" that makes you think, "This guy spends his nights watching 30-year-old reruns with his socked feet propped up on the glass & oak coffee table." Not that they could have gotten any of the aforementioned actors to work with the rest of this cast (some of these folks seem fresh off the set of a Lifetime movie, with the exception of Tilda Swinton, who is so good she really has no business being in this film).
And then there are the actual THINGS the character narrates to himself through the movie, which are about as boring as it gets. "Stick to the plan," "Trust no one." That's really the best material the writers could come up with for his character to say? Almost anyone would sound like a boring dad if they kept repeating those "core philosophies" in their head while carrying out various crimes, lol.
And finally... the plot isn't crafted in a way that makes you feel really invested. The stakes are not THAT high (I don't want to give spoilers... but in my opinion, there should have been something more akin, at least, to John Wick's vendetta for his dog). There isn't enough "oomph" to get the viewer really on board as events are set in motion. And even when, in the final scene, the main character narrates very explicitly the "why" of his quest, it still feels pretty flimsy.
With ALL of that said... the movie wasn't terrible. Probably the most interesting thing was watching the main character do so much traveling. It definitely made me want to get on a plane and go somewhere, lol. There was also one interesting fight scene, but I have to say that even then, Fassbender's fighting was pretty wooden! And probably the ONE thing that stood out the most for me was the scene with Tilda Swinton, where not only was her acting impeccable, but she managed to flawlessly deliver a joke that made me laugh out loud.
And honestly, the movie isn't nap-inducing (at least it wasn't for me). It'll probably keep most people fairly engaged. But in my opinion, it's not something you'll ever want to rewatch. And I just can't help feeling like a HUGE amount of potential was wasted by casting the wrong guy to carry it.
(Post-script: I read a theory that this is supposed to be a dark comedy/parody of sorts. I can SORT OF see the potential for that, but it needs a **lot** of work if that's the case. Even a movie like The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie does better at that than this one. Or perhaps the filmmaker could watch some Peter Sellers for inspiration. Hint: for it to be a well-executed comedy, at least a fair majority of the audience needs to know it's funny.)