Tag Archives: Three-Stars

Midnight Meat Train (DVD)

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midnight_meat_trainI’m not really a big fan of horror movies. I can appreciate being scared, or even straight up terrified. The reason I’m not really into them in general is because they are often way too predictable for me.  The ones that do appeal to me offer something new in terms of presentation, storyline, or both. Clive Barker’s films have always held great potential for me. He comes up with unique characters and plot lines that are unlike anything in horror films.  Some of his movies are brilliant, while others have a lot of promise that never winds up fully realized. Midnight Meat Train is a relatively low key release based on a short story by Barker.  After first watching the trailer it was clear that there were tons of great ideas in this film, but whether they would develop into a great movie was another question.

Midnight Meat Train is the story of a young photographer named Leon (Bradley Cooper) who wants to capture the heart of the city on film. He winds up photographing people on the subway, and inadvertently stumbles onto a serial killing butcher (Vinnie Jones) who slaughters and carves up his victims on the late night trains.  Leon becomes more and more obsessed with the butcher and continues to follow him until his life becomes suddenly connected to the butcher.

The premise of the movie starts out fairly interesting and grows more and more intense as the movie progresses. Although I didn’t get his casting at first, Vinnie Jones gives an excellent performance. He is naturally a pretty physically imposing figure, however, his role in this film makes him seem even more sinister than before.

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Vantage Point (DVD)

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As the title of this film clearly points out, Vantage Point attempts to use various “Points of View” to unravel the mystery of an assassination attempt on the President of the United States at a summit in Spain. Although it starts out quite impressively, the film relies so heavily on its fast pace and heart stopping action that its storyline loses much of its credibility as it progresses.

This however was not necessarily a bad thing for action/suspense type film. I will easily admit that I enjoyed this film at face value. It moved at such a terrific pace that although the film recycled itself five or six times, It didn’t feel monotonous at all. The explosions, car chases, and ever changing points of view kept me on my toes throughout, and I definitely found myself trying to piece together the puzzle as the film moved forward.

The cast of Vantage Point were all uniformly good with the services of Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, and Sigourney Weaver. Although I can’t recall any outstanding performances from Quaid, he definitely played the role of secret service agent Thomas Barnes very well. He’s one of those actors who seem to lack the qualities of a megastar, yet always manages to put on a solid performance.

Forest Whitaker on the other hand is always worth watching and his role as tourist Howard Lewis is no different. I wasn’t too sure if his role was absolutely necessary, but with movie presence he commands, he easily made his character stand out of the crowd. As for Weaver, I felt that she could have done much more. She was definitely under utilized and it truly seems to be at the twilight of her career.

Overall, Vantage Point was entertaining and will definitely keep busy for the ninety of so minutes it runs. Just don’t expect anything spectacular. Besides its pace, stunts, and explosions, the film is otherwise pretty hollow. Vantage Point becomes much more of a mindless action thriller rather than a narrative by the ending credits. If your looking for a short fast paced action thriller, this might work for you. If you need a excellent story and believable script, you’re probably better off with “The Secret Life of Bees”.

Traitor (DVD)

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Traitor was able to set itself apart from others in its genre through the use of intelligent dialogue and character development. Uncommon for a Hollywood feature, I thought it provided its audience with a decent glimpse of the inner extremities and psyche of individuals who live in a world of religious fanaticism.

What was even more interesting was the conflicts most of the characters had between their religious and personal beliefs. It seemed that most knew that terrorism was wrong, but went along with it anyway out of fear of religious or physical retribution. When you realize that most individuals are very easily manipulated by those with the ability to influence them through misinterpreted religious doctrine, it becomes a very scary thing.

The one person I must applaud before closing is under appreciated actor Don Cheadle. He is outstanding in his role as Samir Horn. His ability to take on the roles of both terrorist and secret agent with such fluidity is amazing, and although you know what side he really is on, you can never really tell where his true loyalty lies even after the credits roll.

Overall, this feature is great for anyone who enjoys a good dialogue and finds politically driven stories fascinating. If your seeking a thriller that is full of action and explosions, I’d probably skip this one. This is the wrong film for you.

Synopsis:

When FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer Samir Horn (Don Cheadle). A mysterious figure with a complex web of international connections, Horn has a knack for emerging on the scene just as a major operation goes down and disappearing before the authorities can question him.

The inter-agency task force looking into the case meets with Carter (Jeff Daniels), an amoral, veteran CIA contractor who seems to have his own agenda, and FBI agent Max Archer (Neal McDonough). The task force links Horn to illicit activities in Yemen, Nice and London, but a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his quarry is a disaffected former military operative — or something far more complicated.

Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world constructed of secrets and lies.