I went into this expecting the typical Bruce Willis barely-a-B-film, and thought Gibson took over Willis' reigns due to his illness. Wow I was wrong. Even the RT critics went hard on this at 15% and here with the current 3.8. Did everyone who gave this ones watch the same film as me? What is everyone expecting from a film these days?
This was a very impressively enjoyable non-stop action-thriller with constant suspense, especially with all the unexpected twists. The 90 min runtime was spot-on - I actually wanted more, and the pacing was perfect. The cinematography was excellent (the reviewer who said it was too dark, you need a new better TV) and the score was fitting and great, especially for a B film.
Considering this is newb director Grant S. Johnson's third film ever, I think he did a better job than some films from seasoned directors I've seen lately. And the two seasoned producers turned to newb writers did a decent job with the script. I'm not a fan of back and forth timelines, especially more than two, but they made it easy enough to follow, and I feel it was needed for the suspense and twists. Sure there were a few plot and technical issues, but no one attached to this film is a seasoned filmmaker, so some slack is to be expected.
So considering that this was put together by pretty much newb filmmakers, it was very impressive, especially considering the low budget. Had this film had a huge Hollywood budget and some assistance from experienced filmmakers, it could've easily been an A-film blockbuster.
Casting and performances were outstanding and convincing, especially the main characters. Gibson's small role was decent, but I wish he was in the story a little more. Sure we all wanted a better/more of an ending, but maybe the budget was exhausted and/or the ending left for a sequel. Either way, I'm fine with whichever, although I hope there is a sequel. The story in itself was very well thought out and not your typical cliched espionage/spy story. In fact, I'll even bet the CIA is responsible for many of the low ratings (ya, I said it), because I'm sure this film is close to reality in their international black ops.
I'll be watching this one again for sure, so ignore the ridiculous low ratings. This is not a 10, but a far cry from anything below a 6. Just the cinematography alone doesn't deserve anything lower than a 5. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me, and fingers crossed for a sequel.
This was a very impressively enjoyable non-stop action-thriller with constant suspense, especially with all the unexpected twists. The 90 min runtime was spot-on - I actually wanted more, and the pacing was perfect. The cinematography was excellent (the reviewer who said it was too dark, you need a new better TV) and the score was fitting and great, especially for a B film.
Considering this is newb director Grant S. Johnson's third film ever, I think he did a better job than some films from seasoned directors I've seen lately. And the two seasoned producers turned to newb writers did a decent job with the script. I'm not a fan of back and forth timelines, especially more than two, but they made it easy enough to follow, and I feel it was needed for the suspense and twists. Sure there were a few plot and technical issues, but no one attached to this film is a seasoned filmmaker, so some slack is to be expected.
So considering that this was put together by pretty much newb filmmakers, it was very impressive, especially considering the low budget. Had this film had a huge Hollywood budget and some assistance from experienced filmmakers, it could've easily been an A-film blockbuster.
Casting and performances were outstanding and convincing, especially the main characters. Gibson's small role was decent, but I wish he was in the story a little more. Sure we all wanted a better/more of an ending, but maybe the budget was exhausted and/or the ending left for a sequel. Either way, I'm fine with whichever, although I hope there is a sequel. The story in itself was very well thought out and not your typical cliched espionage/spy story. In fact, I'll even bet the CIA is responsible for many of the low ratings (ya, I said it), because I'm sure this film is close to reality in their international black ops.
I'll be watching this one again for sure, so ignore the ridiculous low ratings. This is not a 10, but a far cry from anything below a 6. Just the cinematography alone doesn't deserve anything lower than a 5. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me, and fingers crossed for a sequel.