SimplyMaggies

As much as I like Nicholas Cage, I sometimes wonder why he insists on choosing movies like “Bangkok Dangerous”. He is an extremely talented actor who could devote himself to making films of substance and quality (action and suspense included) however in his large collection of films, one can find flops such as this one right alongside such amazing work as “Birdie” and “Leaving Las Vegas”.

Here, Cage portrays a contract killer who plans on retiring the profession after one last assignment. An assignment that takes him to Thailand where a chance encounter with a young man he chooses to hire as his help (planning on taking him out as well when the job is done), changes everything. Things seem to go from bad to worse in a matter of minutes and this supposedly best in his line of work man quickly begins making mistakes that may cast him his life.

Thus goes the storyline and it has a potential of being a very interesting film told from a perspective of a contract killer however, it lacks in so many aspects that one could not even call it mediocre. The many ‘shoot-them-up, blow-them-up” scenes become tiring in the first twenty minutes of the movie when one realizes they lead to nowhere. And the scenery of the Asian country does not provide the colorful and bustling aspect the filmmakers were trying to achieve. Rather, it stands out like a sore… And the way the movie was filmed may well have added to its failure. The pasty colors do not give anyone justice, especially Cage who simply looks old and tired. Or perhaps that was the plan…

All in all, this is one movie I’d say ‘skip it’ unless you don’t mind nearly two hours of dragging action and a plot that is both boring and predictable…

Jerry Shaw (Shia LeBeouf) is an ordinary young man mourning the loss of his brother when suddenly his account is full of money, his apartment is filled with weapons and he gets a mysterious phone call commanding him to perform a series of tasks. Any refusal to comply will mean death. Jerry has help in the person of Rachel (Michelle Monaghan), who is similarly threatened with images of her son. Together they are forced to follow wild instructions delivered on a cell phone by an unknown female voice…

This is one of the movies that leave me a bit confused after watching. Yes, it is a suspense action movie full of all the tricks of the genre, including a numbers of chases using all kinds of available transportation, in which all the involved vehicles explode and crash but somehow the main characters seem to always walk away without (well, nearly without) a scratch.

Then, there are many scenes in which the otherwise normal and ordinary characters are forced to perform tasks typical trained military personnel may have trouble succeeding in. And the commands come from a mysterious female voice that has an ability to control absolutely every piece of technology from a simple cell phone to every security camera in the country, every elevated train, stop light, etc and it can observe the traffic as well as give precise driving instructions. Now, isn’t that something?

The whole movie is basically an insult on the audience’s intelligence or at least their ability to recognize what is and is not real. And the biggest pity is that Shia LeBeouf is a talented young actor but you will not get a chance to notice it in “Eagle Eye”. For one, it is because the scenes keep changing so quickly you don’t even have enough time to appreciate the acting itself.

“Eagle Eye” may well have had potential for an interesting film but it was unrecognized by its makers and the result is a fast-paced action movie without much substance and plausibility.

This is definitely one of the movies I have been waiting a long time to see. Two of my all-time favorite actors, namely Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, star in this suspense film that is reminiscent of film noir.

Both Pacino and De Niro play highly decorated veteran detectives with the NYPD, who should be getting ready to retire but instead are called to investigate a series of murders involving lowlifes who managed to escape justice. Turk (De Niro) and Rooster (Pacino) have been partners for nearly 30 years and they have both seen much. Turk’s dedication or obsession (whichever way you look at it) makes him a prime suspect in the serial killer case. Rooster runs interference for his partner with the younger detectives (John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg), who join them on the case.    

That’s at the first glance however, this film has many layers and many twists and turns that will keep you at the edge of your seat. Nothing is as it seems at first and you must pay attention to get to the bottom of it. And the performances of both great actors are simply so good there isn’t much more to say. A definite must-see not only for fans of De Niro and Pacino but anyone who enjoys a very good movie (something not so easily found these days).