A reclusive ex-cop is hired as a PI to help an alcoholic TV star accused of murder. Slightly baggy adaptation of Howard Michael Gould’s fun Hollywood comedy-thriller: casting is spot-on (though Mel Gibson could have done more to lean into his reputation), but flat direction means the zip isn’t there to make this fly.
Here’s the trailer.
A loner hitman is given an unusual assignment in a small town. A strong cast is given little to do in this ponderous thriller, saddled with a glum voiceover and a very guessable mystery element. Ah well.
Here’s the trailer.
A girl with pyrokinetic powers is on the run from the authorities. Perfunctory second adaptation of the Stephen King novel, unsure quite what to do with the source material. At its best, it apes the previous version, no classic itself. A throbbing John Carpenter score helps some.
Here’s the trailer.
A hitman with Alzheimer’s disease struggles to make things right. Odd mix of character drama and potboiler thriller: it doesn’t really cohere, but there’s pleasures along the way. A solid cast, efficient direction and cinematography, and very effective use of Nu Boyana production facilities all help though.
Here’s the trailer.
1719: a young Commanche woman determined to become a hunter combats an alien presence. Smart, thrilling riff on the Disney/Pixar princess archetype: this is Brave or Moana meets Apocalypto, basically. A lean, effective thrill ride blending action, gore, and character-focused storytelling well, with a few neat nods to the wider Predator franchise.
Here’s the trailer.
Multiple gangsters and assassins with varying motives are aboard the same shinkansen. Too-pleased-with-itself slapstick thriller, adapted from the novel Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka. Some early stuff works, but there’s little control over the premise, so it falls apart despite committed work from star Brad Pitt and others. A hack approach to Japan doesn’t help.
Here’s the trailer.
Five operatives – each female – team up to retrieve a codebreaking device. Uninspired globetrotting spy thriller with a good cast (including Dear Old Jason Flemyng on Brit villain duties) largely wasted. A tickbox script, flaccid direction, and flat action design give producer Chastain and colleagues little to sell. Meh, unfortunately.
Here’s the trailer.
Mismatched brothers kidnap a paramedic and her cop patient as part of an LA heist getaway. A superior slice of Bayhem (remaking the 2005 Danish flick of the same name) that’s dumb as rocks, but gleeful and propulsive. An impressive commitment to vehicular destruction, and it looks great throughout. Jake Gyllenhaal clearly has a blast.
Here’s the trailer
A boy with autism is stalked by a digital demon. Well-sustained low-key horror pic, deliberately mashing up early (CE3K, E.T., Poltergeist) Amblin/Spielberg and the likes of The Babadook. Finds plenty of ways to make phones and TVs menacing without labouring allegories about screen time. Recommended.
Here’s the trailer.
An officer defends her missile defence control room from nuclear terrorists. Well-contained action flick more than happy to blend Die Hard ripoff and base under siege thrills. Does precisely what it intends with no surprises: a solid job all around.
Here’s the trailer.
255 Review 