Famke Janssen – 255 Review

The Postcard Killings (2020, dir. Danis Tanović)

A detective crosses Europe on the trail of serial killers responsible for his daughter’s death. Tickbox post-Lecter thriller (from a James Patterson novel) held together by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and – initially – some strong moments. It collapses, though, under the weight of ho-hum twists and a throwaway ending.

Here’s the trailer.

Dangerous [AKA Wake] (2021, dir. David Hackl)

An ex-con sociopath attending his brother’s wake defends a remote island from attackers. Messy action thriller with black comedy elements. It doesn’t hang together, but there’s neat moments throughout, plus a strong if mismatched cast each in their own movie.

Here’s the trailer.

The Vault [AKA Way Down] (2021, dir. Jaume Balaguero)

A young engineer is recruited to help steal a priceless artefact from an impregnable bank. Slick, good-looking and well-directed but very straightforward heist flick. A decent cast of character actors help, but there’s the sense of an opportunity missed here.

Here’s the trailer.

House on Haunted Hill (1999, dir. William Malone)

A theme park owner hosts a birthday party in a supposedly-haunted ex-asylum. Remake of the Vincent Price flick. More a premise than a movie, though there’s some fun to be had before it kinda falls apart, not least in Geoffrey Rush and Famke Janssen out-camping each other, and in some neat FX touches. A DTV sequel followed.

Here’s the trailer

Deep Rising (1998, dir. Stephen Sommers)

A salvage boat crew, thieves, and sundry passengers try to escape a liner under attack from sea creatures. Splendid pulpy B-movie with its tongue in its cheek, played with verve by an impeccable cast of character actors.