Wrath of Man
Wrath of Man is a good example of a movie exceeding expectations. Even if it’s just a slight change in elevation, it still counts in the long run.
Jason Statham
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
The best thing about Hobbs & Shaw, the first feature-length spin-off in the Fast & Furious series, is that anyone can watch it. It does a good job standing on its own legs and distancing itself from its popular franchise; allowing everyone to pick up on the same page. But perhaps in an attempt to give its spin-off series a safe start, Hobbs & Shaw is as typical as action movies come – Hollywood buys…
Mechanic: Resurrection
Jason Statham has proven himself as an action star, but I still believe his performances are only as good as the filmmaker he’s been paired with. In the case of Mechanic: Resurrection, Statham is jumping through the same hoops, but he’s doing so in a way that mirrors the entertaining ridiculousness director Dennis Gansel sets up.
Wild Card
By: Addison Wylie As much as I love Wild Card’s straight-to-the-point capsule synopsis, it’s a little misleading. In the e-mail I received describing Jason Statham’s latest film, it read: “A recovering gambling addict finds work providing protection to his friends. Statham-style action follows.” Statham-style action does follow, and it’s a sock to the solar plexus. However, it’s not as frequent as you would imagine from the gruff action star who has kicked so much ass…
Homefront
By: Addison Wylie Every so often, a tall glass of ridiculousness helps break up moviegoing monotony. Some filmmakers have tried their hardest to makes escapist entertainment, and have instead delivered films that were too heavy on lunkheaded machismo. Gary Fleder’s Homefront had come in under the radar – or, so it seemed to me. Since it stars Jason Statham as the lead, it fell into that vaguely generic category most people seem to group Statham…
Parker
By: Addison Wylie If you told me Parker was directed by someone who has directed more than one movie, I’d be fairly skeptical. If you told me that Parker was directed by an Oscar winner, I would seriously question the accuracy behind that statement about a film that plays its cards as vapidly as possible. But, regrettably, it’s a fact. The latest action caper featuring Jason Statham is not only directed by someone who has…
Safe
By: Addison Wylie Jason Statham’s latest action vehicle is just that – safe. It’s an underwhelming, by-the-numbers romp that plays action cliché after action cliché as if it was reading off a grocery list. However, writer/director Boaz Yakin can’t even come through on those common denominators. Safe wouldn’t even work as a guilty pleasure on DVD. It’s an awkward and annoying flub of a film for many reasons but mostly because it feels like we’re…