Saturday, July 27, 2013

DVD Movie Review - Dead Man Down


Like a blind date, Dead Man Down, mysteriously confuses you in the beginning.  Along the way it drops hints about what kind of person it may or may not be.  And just when you think you have it pegged—whether as a psycho who'll chop you up into little bits or a person who wants to procreate all night—BAM, it reverses gears and backs right over your ass.

"I don't know about you, but that's the last time I go to Lego League.  Those kids are brutal."

If you're like most casual viewers, than you don't really know anything about this movie.  On top of that, you might have seen who's behind it (WWE Studios who birthed such Oscar nominated films like The Marine 2 or Knucklehead) and thought to yourself, this movie has garbage written all over it.  Most people will let this film walk on by and erase it from their memory like an obese woman stuffed in a stretched-to-the-limit tube top.  But I'm here to tell you how wrong you are my friends.  Is it possible?  Could a movie that almost no one went to see and most people never even heard of be good?  You damn right it can.  And once you watch it, you'll want to kick yourself for not rented this as soon as it came out.

STORY:
Victor (Colin Farrell) a rising thug in a criminal organization has a sexy French neighbor (Noomi Rapace) who waves at him.  When their paths finally cross, French accents, out-of-control twists, and a perfectly written plot ensues.

"Tell me straight: I was a better War Machine, right?"

THOUGHTS:
If the story outline above seems a little vague—good, because you'll want to go into this movie without any hint of what it's about.  It'll make it that much more surprising, entertaining, and suspenseful.

When the movie begins you'll be absolutely confused as a series of chaotic scenes unravel without (what seems to be) any connection whatsoever.  It'll either make you want to stop the movie and throw it out the window, or intrigue you just a smidgen.  Stay with it and follow through, because once you think you know what kind of movie this is going to be, the plot thickens.  And then it thickens some more.  And then it escalates.  And then it escalates some more, until it bursts all its gooey plot-ness on your face, leaving you fulfilled and maybe a little sticky.  But it's a good sticky.

"Is it me, or does it seem like everyone's staring at us?"
"We're shooting a movie, bro."
"Oh, right."

Dead Man Down also chooses to believe its audience has some intelligence.  It never holds your hand or continually repeats important plot points.  The story unfolds in well executed scenes and great dialogue, and if you didn't take the time to pay attention, the film steams forward without so much as a tiny look back.  After a few minutes the movie will drop the first hint of backstory.  And most people would relax knowing that they have the story's direction.  But then more backstory trickles out, taking you down a completely different path.  And after it's all over, you'll want to go back and watch it again.  And a second viewing will really show you the plot intricacies, and the amazing layout of the story.  Not one ridiculously confusing scene in the beginning is out of place.  It just seems that way until you know the full story.

"Psst...there's something I've been wanting to tell you.  I let one go, but it's trapped in the sofa
cushion and you probably won't smell it until I get up."

Now what kind of story is it you ask?  Dead Man Down is a story about people wanting to go back and change an unchangeable past.  You have to be the type of person that doesn't mind a gritty blood-splattering gun fest, but also yearns for a deeper story than a bunch of idiots running around killing everyone.  Bodies fall, bullets fly, and one half-naked backside seeps into the story.  This isn't a skin-fest, but it certainly won't be found in the kid's video section.  It's definitely not a teenage romance and you will not be chatting up the film while getting a pedicure.  It's just a good old-fashioned action-thriller with hints of mystery, passion, and family.
Alright, alright...stop me if you heard this one: three idiots are standing in front of a mailbox...

ACTING & DIALOGUE:
If there's anyone out there that hasn't seen the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy starring Noomi Rapace, then what the hell are you doing reading this?  Stop and go watch that greatness.  In other words, Noomi Rapace is a fantastic actress, who utilizes slight mannerisms and facial expressions to say more than any dialogue can.  She's so good in this, that her acting actually brings Colin Farrell's performance up a notch.  With superb dialogue to support the well-cast actors, the film's quieter moments become just as good as the action-packed ones—including the short opening monologue.

"That's the last time I hear Cheadle out of your mouth.  If you say something that even rhymes 
with Cheadle, so help me..."

>>>TWO TRIVIAL PROBLEMS – WARNING!!! SPOILER ALERT:
Neither of the following scenes do enough damage to weaken the plot in any way, but no movie is without its faults.  So with that being said:

There's a scene involving Victor bringing someone dinner in an empty warehouse.  The dialogue was trying to bring extra suspense to the story.  But even with two viewings, the scene will still leave you scratching your head after the exchange, instead of ramping up the tension.  You understand why it was included, but here's a case where the scene could have been dropped completely without hurting the story or the pace.

The second problem is the ending scene: the one where Colin Farrell becomes the Irish Rambo and completely takes out an entire two gangs with ease.  It pulls the gritty, grounded reality right out from beneath the film.  Toning down the body count to a number countable on your hand might have helped.  END OF SPOILERS<<<

"I think it's time we seek one of those meetings."

CONCLUSION:
Dead Man Down will surprise the crap out of you if you let it.  It'll spread its warm sticky love all over your body, but you won't be rushing off to the shower.  Instead you'll lie in that greatness for a time until you consider watching it all over again.  If you've been yearning for a solid action/thriller/mystery film, then don't kick yourself for missing this one.  Just nonchalantly stop clicking the mouse to make the porn site load faster, pull up your pants, wash your hands (this is most important), and head to your nearest rental joint and pick this up.  In the end, it's guaranteed you'll say: "Huh…that was a pretty damn good movie.  Who would of thought?"

4 out of 5 stars (minus a ½ star for WWE Studios & a ½ star for the small problematic scenes)

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