Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
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.
8.2
Hugh Grant is so damn charming… you don’t want to believe that he’s as evil as he is here. Which coincidentally, makes him the perfect villain in this film and cranks the tension up to an 11.
What could have easily fallen flat as a “philosophy 101” lecture masquerading as a more depth-filled work actually ended up being genuinely intriguing and sinister. The twists and turns feel naturally methodical and the pacing is perfection, keeping the tension at the brink of boiling over almost the entire runtime, which was perfectly balanced for this type of film. Not dragging, but also not rushed. Extremely well done!
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 