Released in May of 1997, Breakdown is an old-school suspense/thriller from director Jonathan Mostow and starring Kurt Russell. It won its opening weekend and finished its theatrical run with a respectable $50 million haul, but it has since vanished into the realm of the underrated and under-appreciated – not to… Continue reading
Non-Stop features such a brilliant set-up that you spend most of the film wondering if it can pay it off. The answer is no. But for three-quarters of the run-time it is a taut, tense thriller that demands and keeps your attention. Once the Big Reveal is made, things go… Continue reading
Consider the tagline “Don’t ever cross Alex Cross” a fair warning: creativity is at a premium here. A warmed-over relic from the 90’s incompetently directed by Rob Cohen, Alex Cross is a mess from top to bottom. It’s bad enough that the villain and story are preposterous, but we get… Continue reading
Safe House is the kind of well-made, exciting action film that delivers the goods fans are looking for. It never aspires to be anything more, as evidenced by the run-of-the-mill corrupt government story at its core. You’ve seen it all before, but it doesn’t matter. This flick is more about… Continue reading
Finally, a movie that depicts how women in a competitive environment actually feel about each other – at least I think. Black Swan is a spellbinding psychological thriller, a genre whose entrants have been sparse in recent history. Working with a fantastic cast and a first-rate script, director Darren Aronofsky… Continue reading
Who is Salt? The trailers have been posing this question for months, and it’s not likely you’re going to leave with a whole lot of defined answers. Salt is a gloriously preposterous espionage action/thriller, owing its very existence to the Bond and Bourne franchises. As directed by Philip Noyce, working… Continue reading
Inception is a colossal piece of work, not only as a storytelling marvel, but also as a technical achievement. It’s so rare these days that we, the moviegoers, get to experience something wholly original. Much like he did with 2000’s Memento, writer/director Christopher Nolan has taken it upon himself to… Continue reading
Shutter Island is a solid psychological drama anchored by a great lead performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, masterful and patient direction by Martin Scorsese, and a genuinely creepy atmosphere that permeates every scene. To say this is Hitchcock-esque is an understatement. I wish the whole thing had been shot in black… Continue reading
Edge of Darkness is a below-average thriller that is kicked up a notch by a stellar performance from Mel Gibson. Those expecting Taken 2, however, are going to be gravely disappointed. This is not the action movie you think you’ve seen in the trailers. Some vigilante justice is served, but… Continue reading
Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes arrives with particular disappointment, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t have any unbreakable attachment to the character of Sherlock Holmes. Those that do: beware. You’re bound to be even more appalled by this over-written, over-edited, and only moderately entertaining “re-imagining” (oh, how that is… Continue reading