Director Paul McGuigan’s best film to date is still the English gangster film Gangster No. 1 from 2000. However, the major problem with Gangster No. 1 is the same problem that plagues McGuigan’s latest effort Lucky Number Slevin. Both films suffer from a very weak final third act but while Gangster No. 1 was salvageable, the direction that Lucky Number Slevin takes completely ruins what initially promises to be a good film.
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Film review | Tagged: Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis, Cary Grant, Donnie Darko, Frank Miller, Gangster No. 1, Hitchcockian, James Bond, Jason Smilovic, Josh Hartnett, Lucky Number Slevin, Lucy Lui, Morgan Freeman, Paul McGuigan, Robert Rodriguez, Sin City, Stanley Tucci, The Wrong Man, Wicker Park | 
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Posted by Thomas Caldwell
Plausibility is the greatest enemy of the action film. Action films either desperately try to create a sense of logic behind each action sequence (usually resulting in further generating ridiculously stupid story-lines) or simply ignore the need for a narrative and get on with delivering the expected visual action displays. Charlie’s Angels does something different. It exploits its inherent implausibility and lack of narrative coherence to full comic potential, leaving the viewer on one hell of a ride of exhilarating action and laugh-out-loud humour.
2 Comments | Film review | Tagged: Andy Wachowski, Betty Thomas, Bill Murray, Cameron Diaz, Charlie's Angels, Don Simpson, Drew Barrymore, Hollywood, Jerry Bruckheimer, Larry Wachowski, Lucy Lui, McG, The Brady Bunch Movie, The Matrix | Permalink
Posted by Thomas Caldwell
Writer, broadcaster, film critic, public speaker and film programmer.
Films I loved in August 2019
Essential Guide to Understanding, Analysing and Writing on Film
By Thomas Caldwell
Available from Insight Publications
