Tag Archives: Jason-Statham

Valkyrie (Theaters)

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When I first saw the previews for this movie, it immediately grabbed my attention. World War II films are fairly common, however Valkyrie was original in that it told the story of the fight against Hitler from a viewpoint within the Nazi ranks. The inclusion of Tom Cruise was also an added bonus, not exactly for his acting ability, but more for the fact that the quality level of projects he is associated with is usually top notch.  Factor in a Christmas Day release, usually saved for the best holiday blockbusters, and this film had all the makings of a hit.

Let me just preface by saying that this movie is not an action movie by any means. While I didn’t go into the theater expecting Jason Statham to be kicking people through windows, I did expect a bit more focus on action.  The lack of action is not a bad thing, however, the previews can be a bit misleading.

The story focuses on a group of officers in Hitler’s army who have taken it upon themselves to assassinate Hitler and reclaim Germany from the grip of the Nazis. It portrays the German army as being divided into two groups: those that willingly support Hitler and those that oppose Hitler but support him out of fear.  While the actual plot of Valkyrie is decent, it is this dynamic between supporters and conspirators that is really the highlight and main focus of the entire film.  Often times in movies, the Germans are portrayed as malicious Nazis all sharing a single consciousness hell bent on world domination and genocide.  In this film, we see that Germans are people too, and like many groups at the time were forced to support the Nazis regardless of their personal beliefs. 

Perhaps the biggest gripe many people will have with this film is the casting of Tom Cruise.  Although he maintains his essential “Tom Cruiseness” as he does in every movie, after a while it becomes less and less noticeable as you become more enveloped in the story that is unfolding. This is important to note, as he doesn’t exactly flex his acting muscles, ( or whatever acting muscles he has) his perforance is good enough that his character is both believable AND Tom Cruise without venturing into “Keanu Reeves” territory.

While actual historical events will keep the plot somewhat predictable, the story manages to maintain tension throughout, as the risk and consequences of being caught is ever present up until the movie’s ending.  The supporting cast is comprised of strong character actors who most people will not recognize any more than a simple “wasn’t he so and so in that other movie?”.  However in this film, the supporting cast performs excellently. 

Those who go into this movie expecting an action packed blockbuster will be sorely disappointed. Those who venture in with an open mind and a desire to gain insight into the most notorious government and dictator in human history will definitely learn alot from this film.  Overall the movie is well made with a decent plot, however the average movie goer may be a bit bored as some sections of the movie tend to drag a bit and the action is minimal.  History buffs will definitely enjoy this film as the amount of detail given to portray the priod accurately is noticeable immediately.  While not the best film to come out this holiday season, it is fairly interesting and entertaining throughout, with only a few exceptions.

Chaos (DVD)

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chaosAt first glance I had thought that Chaos was another one of those B-rated action movies. Upon further review however, I noticed that the cast included both Jason Statham and Wesley Snipes. With these two high end actors on the payroll, I started to wonder how I missed reading up on this film earlier. After further investigation however, I uncovered that Chaos was never released in theaters and went straight to DVD. I was pretty shocked. I really can’t recall any other film with two big name actors that went straight to the shelves. Can you?

As for my thoughts on this film? Chaos was fair but failed to use the star power it had to its full potential. The storyline was very promising with some good twists, but lacked the proper execution to awe its audience. Parts of the script were very predictable and I thought that the film director tried to do too much at once, which really made this movie feel rushed and unfinished.

The action was decent, with couple exciting car chases and tight situations, but Snipes and Statham were hardly involved in any hand to hand combat. As a fan of both actors, I had anticipated at least one solid scene which involved some form of martial arts, but both stars ended up resorting to primarily gun fire and trash talk which ultimately led to my disappointment.

Overall this film would make a decent rental for anyone interested in a average action flick. If you don’t mind viewing then forgetting, then this film is definitely for you!

Synopsis:

Two mismatched lawmen are on the trail of an unusually talented criminal in this crime thriller. Quentin Conners (Jason Statham) is a veteran police detective who is less than pleased when he’s assigned a new partner, Shane Dekker (Ryan Phillippe). While Conners has been with the force for years, Dekker is a rookie, and it doesn’t take Conners long to realize his partner has a lot to learn about the nuts and bolts of investigation. However, the two are forced to put aside their differences when they’re given an important new case to crack — a brilliant thief (Wesley Snipes) has masterminded a series of high-stakes bank heists, and the police are baffled as to how he seems to know what they’re up to just as soon as they do. Chaos also stars Justine Waddell as a police officer who has become involved with one of the detectives

War (DVD)

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warWhen you put two of Hollywood’s most charismatic action stars in a film together, your bound to end up with a great action movie. This film fit the bill perfectly, and I enjoyed it up until the very end.

Jet Li plays his role as the assassin Roque flawlessly. Since his performance in Lethal Weapon 4 as Wang Si Ku, I always thought he was the perfect bad guy. It is clear in his demeanor that he means business, and his powerful presence is felt the instant you see him appear on the screen. Jason Statham stars as FBI agent Crawford who is consumed by vengeance after the murder of his partner. I thought that the complexity of his character was decently developed and he handled it without a hitch.

The storyline was also well written. It was pretty complex for an action film and it kept me guessing until the final moments. The producers definitely had the right idea and ended the movie with a interesting twist, but I thought it was executed poorly. War ended so abruptly that it left me disappointed. I felt that there was just too many questions left unanswered.

War definitely was a solid action movie. Although I would have liked to see Li and Statham use more of their martial arts in the film instead of guns and knives, I still was impressed with their performances. The storyline was good, but the ending could have been so much better. The fact that the film was performed with live stunts rather than so much CGI was also a huge plus.

Synopsis:

After his partner Tom Wynne and family are killed apparently by the infamous and elusive assassin Rogue, FBI agent Jack Crawford becomes obsessed with revenge as his world unravels into a vortex of guilt and betrayal. Rogue eventually resurfaces to settle a score of his own, setting off a bloody crime war between Asian mob rivals Chang of the Triad’s and Yakuza boss Shiro. When Jack and Rogue finally come face to face, the ultimate truth of their pasts will be revealed.