I'm not a huge fan of Antoine Fuqua, but he has his moments. This is one of those movies of his that's just fun, and very well-made, but just sort of everything I've come to expect. From the way he shoots, to his character development, it all can feel sorta choppy to me. Do not get me wrong though, the movie is still very fun.
I don't want this review to be based purely from a narrative perspective, because at the end of the day, this is a remake of a remake we are dealing with here, so we know it's more about the $. So I will give it it's credit where it's due, it's action can be BREATHTAKING at times. In fact, I'm going to make an early prediction that it's gonna be nominated for a fair share of "technical" Oscars, maybe even win for sound design. I thought that the actors, too did very well with their parts, especially Ethan Hawke, who shined for me PERSONALLY. It's popcorn fun, with little depth, but that's what I thought it would be when I went into it, so at least I wasn't expecting anything more. (this would have been a lower rating if that were the case)
I don't want this review to be based purely from a narrative perspective, because at the end of the day, this is a remake of a remake we are dealing with here, so we know it's more about the $. So I will give it it's credit where it's due, it's action can be BREATHTAKING at times. In fact, I'm going to make an early prediction that it's gonna be nominated for a fair share of "technical" Oscars, maybe even win for sound design. I thought that the actors, too did very well with their parts, especially Ethan Hawke, who shined for me PERSONALLY. It's popcorn fun, with little depth, but that's what I thought it would be when I went into it, so at least I wasn't expecting anything more. (this would have been a lower rating if that were the case)