Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
7.9
Hard to believe this comes from the guy who made “Magic Mike.” I’m here to tell you, there’s a hidden genius in those films under the veneer of male strippers. But I digress…
A well done, tight runtime, razor focused whodunit that Michael Fassbender was made to lead. It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end and scratching your head throughout. Extremely well done and a welcomed breath of fresh air amongst what has been a ROUGH start to the year, movies-wise.
8.5
Woody Harrelson is in it, so I knew it’d be good, but DAMN… this one was AMAZING! Even better when you find out that it’s based on a true story (the in-credit scenes are incredible). A harrowing tale of the worst case scenario come true in one of the “holy shit, there’s people who do this for a living?!” professions. Strap in, and go along for the edge of your seat ride for the entire runtime.
8.1
In a word – haunting.
The ethical dilemmas at play, the best and worst of humanity on display… chilling. Even knowing the end result, I found myself on the edge of my seat the entire runtime. I can’t imagine being in this situation and having to make some of these calls, let alone being this embedded in the horrifying action. So many things we’ve become numb to are brought to the forefront and you are forced to confront a lot during this tight hour and a half. Extremely well done period piece on one of the most “wait, what?” stories in sports history. “Oh yeah, it wasn’t just Mark Spitz setting the medal record that year!”
7.6
A much better than expected thriller. Tight runtime, tight story… kept me engaged from beginning to end! Do they all start to rhyme with “Die Hard” after a while? Sure! The main thing is that the movie is entertaining, and this one delivers. Taron Egerton is a bit clunky as the lead at times, but Jason Bateman more than makes up for it, playing a bad guy no less! Well worth checking out.
6.9
So… this thing turns into a comedy in the second half. I did NOT see that coming!
There are many lessons here… don’t marry an exotic dancer? Don’t marry an heir to a Russian mob fortune who didn’t get permission to get married? Don’t untie your hostage early? Make sure the mom likes you?
Whatever the takeaway, the fun remains. This was an incredibly unexpectedly funny one that left me befuddled from beginning to end, in a good way. Well worth a watch, for the plot.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 