I haven't seen the original but the basic premise sees Josh Brolins character locked up for 20 years. When he gets out he embarks on a quest for revenge.. or so the blurb goes.. Now this is an 18 certificate film and I'm always nervous when it comes to 'adult' films.. Although all the past 18 cert viewings have always been entertaining..
Well this one was certainly "entertaining" for want of a better word..
Elizabeth Olsen (who I last saw in 'Red Lights'... but can't remember her!?) was excellent and once again Sharlto Copley ('The A Team', 'District 9' and this years 'Elysium') is the go-to man for weirdos and generally unstable characters.. Throw in Samuel L Jackson and Spike Lee directing and you have another one of those movies with all the right ingredients.. Luckily this one wasn't 'The Counsellor' bad (another 18 movie... Yeah, I forgot about that one..) but it wasn't brilliant either.. There was violence and sex aplenty, and the twist at the end I did not see coming. There's a lot of negative reviews doing the rounds at the moment and I think this is mainly down to comparisons with the original. As I haven't seen that I had the advantage and took the film at face value. The question is "do I want to see the original?".. Being Korean it'll pull no punches so that'll have to wait till I have a stronger stomach..
In the end though, I enjoyed it for what it was. I won't see it again, it's a 'renter' not a 'buyer'.
Rating: ***1/2
Sent from my iPad
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