Review - Sabotage (2014)

At the Theater - "Sabotage" (2014) - Arnold Schwarzenegger headlines this tale of an elite DEA task force who find themselves being mysteriously eliminated one by one after a lucrative raid on a drug cartel's safe house.  The story is a very loose reimagining of Agatha Christie's novel, And Then There Were None, with the bulk of the narrative concerning the mounting suspicion and simmering paranoia amongst the group fueled by each member's gruesome death- is this the work of a vengeful cartel or has one or more of the team gone rogue?

John "Breacher" Wharton would indeed mark Schwarzenegger's edgiest role in a modern-set action film to date, with the Austrian-American about 90 percent up to the task- there are scenes throughout that surprised me, leading me to believe that Director and co-scripter David Ayer (End Of Watch, Training Day) had (at least partially) made good on his public promise of "re-inventing" Arnold.  Looking his most weathered and natural since... hell, I can't remember when, the 66-year-old action film icon maintains a commanding presence and still chews scenery with the best of them.  I loved his strange but awesome pompadour fade haircut.

DEA team members include; the hulking Joe Manganiello  (Magic Mike) as the corn-rowed biker, "Grinder", while a nearly unrecognizable Sam Worthington (Avatar), sporting a shaved head and a billy goat's beard, supplies the schizophrenic, crazy eyed, "Monster".  Josh Holloway (CBS's Intelligence) is "Neck" here, while Terrence Howard (Crash) plays "Sugar", Max Martini (Pacific Rim) is "Pyro" and Kevin Vance is "Tripod".  Most will undoubtedly remember Mirelle Enos's (AMC's The Killing) turn as the drug-fueled, live wired, "Lizzy"- the Houston, Texas native steals every scene she's in. 

There are scenes of camaraderie amongst the team on display (set mostly in strip-joints), yet there's precious little depth given to any of the team members outside of Arnold's Breacher.  Furthermore, none of these hardcore professionals are all that likeable- the fracturing unit comes across as more of a gang gone rabid.  It's Schwarzenegger's inherent charisma that holds the narrative together.

Brit Olivia Williams (Rushmore, The Sixth Sense) is still rather sexy as the Homicide Detective on the case, though she's wearing far too much makeup here and I wasn't too keen on the southern (Georgia) accent.  Harold Perrineau (The Edge) rounds out the notable cast as her detective partner.

Those who enjoy questioning the logic behind their cinematic endeavors will surely find that the motivations and reasoning behind certain events in the film don't quite gel upon reflection.  One thing that bothered the hell out of me- why would one particularly bloody crime scene (staged in a kitchen) be mopped up so nicely by the perpetrator only to stuff the victim in a nearby (leaky) fridge? When taken into consideration the amount of time and effort involved with the extensive cleaning (the floor is completely blood-soaked) compared to how much time the concealment buys the perp, it doesn't make a damned bit of sense.  There's a number of other, perhaps more worthwhile, questions and problems to pick at, though I felt the narrative never jumped completely off the rails of logic.

Expect a blood, guts and brain spattered experience littered with as many grisly kills as there are flippant F-bombs.  The film features a healthy handful of well-shot, close-quarter gun battles and one solid car chase to keep the action-craving crowd entertained- there's small dashes of humor throughout (for levity's sake), though I wish this aspect of the film had been punched up a bit.  I'm still not quite sure how I felt about a Nuevo Western epilogue that seemed lifted from another type of film.

I saw this movie on it's opening weekend on a Sunday afternoon, only to return home and hear about how poorly it was received at the U.S. box-office - this may very well spell the end of Schwarzenegger's stand-alone career (there's always the Expendables franchise), with the endless barrage of PG-rated animated kid's films, family friendly young adult fantasy epics and mega-budgeted, PG-13 superhero extravaganzas pretty much ruling the current roost.  Strange, and admittedly a bit sad, to see a personal childhood hero and cinematic icon so unceremoniously abandoned.  I have grown old...

Although it's decidedly uneven, Sabotage is nowhere near as ungodly messy as the Kevin Costner vehicle 3 Days To Kill or as absolutely ludicrous as the most recent Liam Neeson headliner, Non-Stop (both released in late February, 2014).  This isn't one of Arnold's best (True Lies, The Terminator, Predator), though I'd be fine with chalking it up near the top of his guilty pleasures (The Last Stand, T3: Rise Of The Machines, Eraser)- it's a problematic though passable B-Movie actioner that should please most of his die-hard fans.

7.5 out of 10

Director: David Ayer
Cast: Arnold Schwarzennegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway, Terrence Howard, Max Martini, Harold Perrineau Kevin Vance and Mireille Enos
Run-Time: 109 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some sexuality/nudity and drug use

The Midnight Max Review: My Favorite Albums of 2013

My Favorite Albums (and Soundtracks) of 2013-

1. Caitlin Rose - The Stand-In
2. The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars
3. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
4. John Fogerty - Wrote A Song For Everyone
5. Lindi Ortega - Tin Star
6. Lissie - Back To Forever
7. The Mavericks - In Time
8. MS MR - Secondhand Rapture
9. Various Artists - "Inside Llewyn Davis" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Recordings
10. Rob - "Maniac" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
11. M83 - "Oblivion" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
12. Sturgill Simpson - High Top Mountain

Review - Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

On DVD and BLU RAY - "Inside Llewyn Davis" - The Coen Brothers return in fine form with this somber, soulful but amiable tale concerning a week in the life of a young but weary folk singer who can't seem to buy a break while navigating New York's Greenwich Village folk scene in 1961. It's a strangely ambling yet captivating account of a talented but surly musician dogged by a struggling artist's discontent (and amazingly bad luck) as he haunts the smoke filled cafes and nightclubs in search of some semblance of positive recognition. Poignant and funny, let's call Inside Llewyn Davis a darker, less realized, though entirely worthwhile musically-themed companion piece to the Coen's O Brother, Where Art Thou? 

Oscar Isaac (Robin Hood 2010, Drive) stars as the down and out "Llewyn Davis", one half of a budding folk singing, guitar playin' duo forced to go solo due to the recent, tragic demise of his musical partner.  Cash-strapped and finding it difficult to land a prosperous gig, our hero spends his nights crashing out on the couches of friends and fellow musicians while pondering his options as he comes to grips with the realization that fame may forever prove elusive.  Fate soon finds Llewyn toting around an acquaintance's orange tabby cat, one which proves to be quite an accomplished escape artist as the film progresses- cat lovers may feel that the subplot steals the show.

Isaac is rather good here as the flawed but sympathetic protagonist- I've seen him as a villainous sort up until now but this role convinces me that there's far more to the the 34-year-old Guatamalan/Cuban actor.  He'll more than likely be up for more leading roles after this release.  I was blown away with his musical performances here, with his covers of traditional folk songs "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me", "Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)" and "The Death Of Queen Jane" as his solo highlights.

Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby 2013) co-stars as a spiteful former love interest who may (or may not) be pregnant with Llewyn's child.  The Brit has a wonderful singing voice, yet is only featured in one number- an excellent reimagining of "500 Miles". 

Other notable faces include; Justin Timberlake (Friends With Benefits) as a fellow folk artist, John Goodman (The Big Lebowski) as an obnoxious jazz musician, Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) as a cryptic beat poet, Adam Driver (Frances Ha) as a genial country singer with Max Casella (Killing Them Softly) and F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) as nightclub proprietors.

Expect the Coen Bros signature witty dialogue, dashes of mischievous quirk and a few delightfully offbeat moments.  Be on the lookout for a nod to one of the most popular folk singers of that particular setting and era.  The film's soundtrack, produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett, is the very best offered up in 2013, while the darkly beautiful silver and green tinted cinematography of the wintry New York landscape from Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie, A Very Long Engagement) prompted me to seek out a blanket to warm up with.

My chief complaint with this film is that it's frustratingly open-ended, with the Coen's idea of a conclusion sure to leave viewers scratching their heads and reflecting back on the narrative's timeline. 

All things considered, it's yet another ridiculous Academy Awards joke that this film wasn't nominated for best picture, especially when considering that Alexander Payne's hackneyed Nebraska was amongst the 9 films chosen to represent 2013's elite- in this Goon's opinion, Inside Llewyn Davis is superior to that film in every conceivable facet.

I enjoyed it immensely and although I believe it's amongst the Coen Bros best films*, I'd have to rank it near the bottom if I were to draw up a list of my personal favorites from them because of that nagging feeling that it's an incomplete work.  It's an experience that intermittently brushes against the boundaries of greatness only to shrug off before maintaining a solid grip- perhaps that was intended by the filmmakers to mirror the subject matter and it's inherent theme...

Perceptive audiences will recognize Inside Llewyn Davis as a tribute to the heartache of every struggling artist who would rather concede defeat than compromise their creative integrity.

Highly Recommended-

8.5 out of 10

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake, Ethan Phillips, Max Casella and Adam Driver
Run-Time: 104 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for language including some sexual references

* - For what it's worth, the filmography of Joel and Ethan Coen -

Blood Simple. -  9.5
The Big Lebowski -  9
O Brother, Where Art Thou? -  9 
Miller's Crossing -  9
Raising Arizona -  8.5
True Grit (2010) -  8.5
Fargo -  8.5
Barton Fink -  8.0
A Serious Man - 7.5
Burn After Reading -  7.0
No Country For Old Men -  6
 The Hudsucker Proxy - 5.5
The Man Who Wasn't There -  5.5
Intolerable Cruelty -  5.5
The Ladykillers (2004) -  3

Review - Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013)

On DVD and Blu Ray- "Blue Is The Warmest Color" - At 179 minutes long, this epic French language coming-of-age tale involving an impressionable teenaged girl (Adele Exarchopoulos) exploring her sexuality with an older, free-spirited artist (Leya Seydoux) and their subsequent decade-long relationship together could have easily been retitled "A Tale Of Two Lesbians"... all kidding aside, I think it's a superior drama and one of the very best films of 2013.  The film is uncommonly raw yet wonderfully detailed, providing an authentic, emotionally charged experience that's sure to please discriminating audiences.  Be advised that this is clearly subject matter of an adult nature, complete with a graphic seven minute sex scene that will surely raise some... eyebrows.

Without reservations, I'd like to go on record in stating that 20-year-old French actress Adele Exarchopoulos (who wasn't even nominated) gives the best performance as an actress in a leading role amongst all of the films released in 2013 that I viewed- her heartfelt and touching turn as "Adele" is one that I'll go to my grave in believing is VASTLY superior to Cate Blanchette's Oscar-winning turn in Blue Jasmine.  There's so much worthwhile content here involving her character in a natural state that I almost felt as if I was watching a candid documentary concerning the maturity of a living human being (as opposed to a character in a film).  The highly capable Exarchopoulos is an attractive brown-eyed girl who's sure to cross over and leave her mark with American audiences at some point in the next couple of years- she's one to keep tabs on. 

The more accomplished Lea Seydoux (Midnight In Paris, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol, Inglourious Basterds) is also outstanding as "Emma"- the blue-haired (quite literally) art student who catches our heroine's heart.  The talented French actress will have quite a year in 2014, with roles in Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel and Christophe Gans' film version of Beauty and the Beast.

My chief complaint with the film would be in regards to it's centerpiece sex scene- it's not necessarily it's length or content that I had a problem with, it's with how the scene is filmed.  The blunt, clunky nature of the "shot selections" seem pulled from a lesser film, whereas a previous erotic dream involving the two leads was staged and filmed most excellently.  At a certain point about halfway through the scene in question, I found myself holding back a chuckle or two- the sequence, although highly memorable, effectively pulled me out of the engrossing narrative flow for a brief spell.

What remains both prior to and following that "schizm" is an honest, resonating and compelling depiction of a tender young soul struggling to find her true self while learning the intricacies of love, intimacy and the deep level of commitment involved in a relationship along the way. The film runs the gamut of emotions, strangely managing to conclude on both a heartbreaking and positive note.  It's a three hour film, yet I hated to see it end...

Blue Is The Warmest Color is a truly rewarding experience highlighted by two great performances, a fully fleshed out narrative and exquisite cinematography that comes...

Highly Recommended.

9.0 out of 10

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Cast: Adele Exarchopoulos and Leya Seydoux
Run-Time: 179 minutes
MPAA: Rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content

Review - Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

On DVD and Blu Ray - "Dallas Buyers Club" - Matthew McConaughey's (The Lincoln Lawyer) Oscar-winning performance powers this biopic of a Texas electrician, circa 1985, whose hard-partying ways catches up with him- notified by Doctors that he's HIV positive and given 30 days to live, his free-wheelin', homophobic sort, "Ron Woodroof", ditches the seemingly ineffective governmental approved treatments, turns drug-smuggler and fires up his own clinic to dish out alternative medicines to the local populace also battling the disease.  Although there's undoubtedly plenty of liberties taken (for cinematic purposes) in this "Inspired By True Events" tale that many would be well within their rights to file grievances against, what I found as a self-contained film was a surprisingly well-directed and involving story of an extremely flawed but dynamic character who fought mightily to add days to a life which he previously took for granted.

McConaughey, losing 47 pounds for the role, gives the cinematic performance of his career and fully invests himself in a complex character the likes of which that I would have never thought the 44-year-old would have been capable of a mere five years ago.  It's been a banner year for the Uvalde, Texas native, with an excellent performance as a grimy fugitive in May, 2013's Mud.  That said, I do believe he put forth even better work as an obsessive, existentialist investigator in HBO's True Detective.  Some have termed the actor's career resurgence as "The McConaissance"- hell, I think it fits.

Many will also remember Jared Leto's (Requiem For A Dream) exuberant, yet sensitive turn as a fellow AIDS patient and would-be transsexual, "Rayon", who forms an uneasy business partnership with the bigoted Woodroof in order to more effectively market their products to potential lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender customers.  Leto also sacrificed to land the role, with the 42-year-old (what!) losing 30 pounds- his is a specific character who didn't exist in real life, whipped up by screenwriters as a sort of representative embodiment of the LGBT community assaulted with the AIDS outbreak.  Although an effective role, it's also more of a visual experience than one with true depth- the powers-that-be at the Academy Awards felt differently, with Leto also taking home a little golden statuette for Best Supporting Actor.  If I would have had a vote, I would have selected Michael Fassbender's turn as a hateful plantation owner in 12 Years A Slave as the best performance from an actor in a supporting role in 2013.

Jennifer Garner (Juno) is fine in support as a sympathetic physician, while Steve Zahn (Out Of Sight) pops up a few times (rather conveniently) as a friendly police officer. Denis O'Hare supplies a stock character in the form of an arrogant Doctor, while Michael O'Neill makes a couple of appearances as an antagonistic FDA agent.  A grizzled Griffin Dunne (An American Werewolf In London) is damned near unrecognizable as a renegade American doctor operating in Mexico.

Canadian director Jean Marc-Vallee keeps events rolling along in commendable fashion- this is by no means a poorly written film, yet it's better helmed, filmed and acted than scripted.  My call is to watch it for McConaughey in his prime- it's a solid, interesting drama that's elevated by a commanding performance.  Be forewarned, some of this is just plain hard to watch, and appropriately so.

8.5 out of 10

Director: Jean Marc-Vallee
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn, Denis O'Hare, Michael O'Neill, Griffin Dunne and Dallas Roberts
Run-Time: 117 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for pervasive language, some strong sexual content, nudity and drug use

Review - 300: Rise Of An Empire (2014)

At the Theater - "300: Rise Of An Empire" (2014) - I went into this follow-up to 2006's 300 with low expectations and came away pleasantly surprised- while the first film remains a more rousing, finely-tuned affair that had the benefit of freshness regarding it's distinct visual aesthetic (it obviously helped immensely to have an existing graphic novel as a resource), 300: Rise Of An Empire is a rock-solid, blood-soaked sequel that delivers what fans of it's predecessor should be expecting.  It's a visual treat that also manages to excite in small bursts, providing a healthy amount of that kick-ass, machismo cool throughout. 

While 300 covered the Battle of Thermopylae (where Spartan King "Leonidas", his 300 Spartan warriors and around a thousand other Greeks faced off against an exponentially larger Persian army), this particular sequel's narrative covers the Battle Of Artemisium- at approximately the same time those brave 300 were locked into battle, an Athenian General had his hands full in defending Greece's shores from an invading Persian navy. Some audience members may find themselves confused with a story which interweaves itself within the events which transpired before, during and after those covered in the first film.  In short, make sure you have the events from the first film fresh in your mind before checking this out.

I missed Gerard Butler's charismatic presence as Leonidas (those familiar with the first film should understand why he wouldn't be featured here), but Aussie actor Sullivan Stapleton (Cinemax's Strike Back) is a commendable replacement as the film's central protagonist, the Greek general "Themistokles".  Stapleton has the chops and presence, but isn't given nearly enough of those memorable one-liners to belt out.  Get used to seeing him in more leading roles, with most of them more than likely action-oriented.

Eva Green's (Casino Royale 2006) sly, sexy turn as the vengeful commander of the Persian navy, "Artemesia", ranks right up there with the best screen villainesses of all time. The former Bond girl was the only worthwhile aspect of Tim Burton's Dark Shadows "reimagining", and seizes a golden opportunity to further mine that femme fatale vein.  Audiences can next expect Green to vamp it up in a similar role in August, 2014's Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.  I'm sure she won't disappoint.

Returning cast members from 300 include Lena Headey (Dredd) as Spartan Queen, "Gorgo", David Wenham (Public Enemies) as the one-eyed Spartan Warrior, "Dilios", Andrew Tiernan as the deformed hunchback, "Ephialtes", and Rodrigo Santoro (The Last Stand) as the hulking, golden-skinned Persian King, "Xerxes".   New faces and characters include Callan Mulvey (Zero Dark Thirty) as Athenian spy, "Scyllias", Jack O'Connell (Harry Brown) as his eager-to-fight son, "Calisto", and Hans Matheson as Athenian soldier, "Aesyklos".

Director Noam Murro (Smart People) replaces 300's Zack Snyder at the helm and seems content with not tinkering too much with what wasn't broken.  The action sequences are commendably choreographed and staged, though the boundaries of believability are pushed to the limits. I could have done without a late sequence in which our hero charges into the thick of a naval battle atop a seemingly supernatural steed- it was too digitized for it's own good.  As I alluded to above, the first film (and it's director) had the visual framework already in place via Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name- it's an extremely faithful adaptation, even going so far as transferring many of the novel's striking panels.  Miller's follow-up graphic novel, Xerxes, has yet to be published/released.

I believe people may be tiring of the speed ramping effect (slow motion footage with bursts of fast-forwarding interspersed) utilized throughout.  I can't knock it here as the first film that I can remember actually seeing it employed in liberally was this franchise's first installment- we've had a lackluster Immortals (2011), a fantastic television series in the form of Starz's Spartacus and now, a full eight years later, a sequel which applies the same visual dynamics- perhaps it may be a bit late in the game for some to still appreciate, but I'm still ok with it.

Clocking in at about 102 minutes, the narrative is indeed short on character development and could have used about 10-15 minutes of fleshing out in this department.  In comparison, 300 was about 117 minutes long.

I'm so very thankful this franchise hasn't gone the PG-13 route (I'm calling you out, Robocop 2014!)- fans of the first film can expect the same graphic bloodletting, complete with a myriad of digitized dismembered appendages and gallons of arterial spray coming at ya' in a worthwhile 3D presentation.  There is one hellacious sex scene and ample shots of bare, heaving bosoms throughout.  I even appreciated the excellent original score from Junkie XL- it's much better than it has any right to be, kinda like this whole movie.

Bring on the Battle of Salamis !

Recommended-

8.0

Director: Noam Murro
Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Hans Matheson, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham, Jack O'Connell, Rodrigo Santoro and Andrew Tiernan,
Run-Time: 102 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for strong sustained sequences of stylized bloody violence throughout, a sex scene, nudity and some language

For what it's worth - 

300 (2006) - 8.5

Double Feature Special Edition Reviews - 3 Days To Kill (2014) and Non-Stop (2014)

At the Theater - "3 Days To Kill" - Kevin Costner (Open Range) portrays a world-weary CIA assassin who discovers he's terminally ill and decides to quit the trade in order to reconnect with his estranged wife (Connie Nielsen) and daughter (Hailee Steinfield)- in exchange for an experimental drug that could possibly prolong his life, he reluctantly signs up for that one last job.  This quickie Costner vehicle smells of action film Producer (and co-scripter) Luc Besson (Writer/Director of 1994's most excellent Leon: The Professional) trying to revamp/retool the once mega popular 59-year-old leading man's career as he did with Liam Neeson in 2008's Taken- too bad he failed to have one decent idea up his sleeve for this particularly addled and unnecessarily complicated narrative.

The film is a tonal nightmare from beginning to end, trying (and consistently failing) to be three different films (Action/Family Drama/Comedy) at once- Director McG (This Means War, the 2 Charlie's Angels films, Terminator Salvation) displays little flair or understanding of how to juggle the frayed components.  There are shootouts, a car chase and explosions spattered about, though I quickly grew frustrated with how anticlimactic each onscreen event was- the narrative spins it's wheels with lame subplots (a major one involving squatters seems pulled from another film), wastes opportunities with awkward conversations (concerning mustaches vs goatee's and recipes for primo reduction sauces, etc.,) and is never able to gain any traction whatsoever.  Come to think of it, the only segment I did appreciate was a fleeting montage of our Hero riding a purple bike around Paris, France.

Costner, maintaining a distractingly raspy voice throughout, looks embarrassed at times- he's still in great shape, moves well and shows flashes of that inherent charm, though if he's looking to kick off an apparent resurgence of quality leading roles, it will have to wait until Director Ivan Reitman's (Ghostbusters) Draft Day later this year.

Connie Nielsen (Gladiator) and Hailee Steinfield (True Grit 2010)) do nothing for their careers as well, while Amber Heard's (Pineapple Express) vampish CIA handler is criminally underused and mishandled.

Every great while I do happen to experience a film where every bit of worthwhile footage was actually used in the two minute trailer- that's the case with 3 Days To Kill, with the remaining 115 minutes an incoherent and wholly unsatisfying mess.

Skip it

3.0 out of 10

Director: McG
Cast: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfield, Connie Nielsen, Tomas Lemarquis, Richard Sammel
Run-Time: 117 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language

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At the Theater - "Non-Stop" - Liam Neeson's haggard, alcoholic U.S. Federal Air-Marshall becomes embroiled in an outlandishly plotted who-done-it mystery aboard a flight from New York to London- receiving anonymous texts threatening to have a passenger killed every 20 minutes, our hero must determine the source before he runs out of passengers... and, of course, there is that ticking bomb on board... 

Potential viewers must understand that every single major event (and even several smaller details) in this film is built upon a considerable leap of logic- they mount at such a brisk clip, with some of them so extremely ridiculous, that any palpable tension or narrative weight is quickly erased with each successive occurrence. 

Expect mounting suspects and red herrings galore, with a couple of hand-to-hand fight scenes (a deadly, claustrophobic encounter in a bathroom is actually pretty nifty), one shootout, a couple of 11th hour reveals and a climactic emergency landing- it all simmers down to a decidedly hollow experience due to one of the most illogical scripts that I've ever witnessed in a serious-minded action flick. I couldn't help but smile each time I overheard that familiar clicking noise made when a person sucks their tongue off of the roof of their mouth in utter disbelief.  Several whispered utterances of "Oh, come on!" from theatrical patrons had me nodding in agreement.

The only constant positive here is Neeson's scenery chewing presence and game performance- it's just nowhere near enough to hold it together. I'm a fan of the 61-year-old Irish-American Actor and find it disappointing that he isn't reading any of the scripts that hit his desk before signing on the dotted line.  Neeson must have one helluva report with Director Jaume Collet-Serra- the duo churned out 2011's similarly ridiculous Unknown and will be reteaming once again for 2015's actioner, Run All Night   I guess they're aiming for some kind of Hat-Trick of shitty movies.

For those interested, the very talented Julianne Moore, along with recent Best Supporting Actress Oscar Winner, Lupita Nyong'o, are wasted in pointless roles.

I've heard it said (and seen it written) countless times before that you "just have to turn your brain off" when going into some films that people wish to make excuses for- not only do you have to turn your brain off here, but you might as well remove it and leave it at home if you're inclined to catch this in theaters.

Skip it.

3.5 out of 10

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery, Nate Parker, Corey Stoll, Anson Mount and Lupita Nyong'o
Run-Time: 106 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some language, sensuality and drug references