My guess is that some of these reviewers are not very informed movie people. I dont think they have heard the news regarding Bruce Willis health.(Quite a while ago) The announcement of his stepping away from acting due to health reasons (Aphasia) . Which directly affecting his ability to perform to his highest level. A lot of actors have contracts even before a movie is made. He stuck it through and fulfilled that. Thats honorable...give him a break a already & be informed before you judge.
67 Reviews
It's not bad but...
mjsreg6 June 2022
Unfortunately, Bruce Willis' health problems are very prominent in his performance in this movie, which is a significant distraction and breaks the flow of the story. He obviously struggles to portray his character and deliver lines. Such a shame.
Otherwise, the movie is an OK action movie. The performances are solid with believable characters portrayed well by the cast.
The story is fairly standard for an action movie and there is nothing particularly memorable about it.
If you are a Bruce Willis fan you may find this difficult to watch, so best give it a miss.
Otherwise, the movie is an OK action movie. The performances are solid with believable characters portrayed well by the cast.
The story is fairly standard for an action movie and there is nothing particularly memorable about it.
If you are a Bruce Willis fan you may find this difficult to watch, so best give it a miss.
Should have been billed as a comedy
jordan224017 December 2022
I suspect this was actually written by a 12-year-old and some of his buddies. It was comically bad from the start. I never saw so many people get wasted while standing around jabbering with someone with a gun while they themselves had guns hanging at their sides as if they had no idea what was about to happen. And then there were the gunfights in the middle of the night in residential areas that apparently had been evacuated.
You never really know what the motivation is for any of it, and poor Bruce Willis is so stiff it's sad to see. I guess they got him for the name recognition, but they could have used literally any older actor for his part - or merely grabbed someone off the street and fed him lines the way they likely fed them to Bruce.
Malkovich has become one of those actors whose movies you want to avoid, as I haven't seen him in anything good for some time, and he pretty much plays the same part in all of his later films. Olga K. Is also an actress who, while nice to look at, typically only plays in dogs.
But I did give this a four because I think it has some entertainment value as a comedy, as I was laughing out loud through parts, and it definitely isn't short on action. It's nothing more than a time waster, but I've wasted time watching worse.
You never really know what the motivation is for any of it, and poor Bruce Willis is so stiff it's sad to see. I guess they got him for the name recognition, but they could have used literally any older actor for his part - or merely grabbed someone off the street and fed him lines the way they likely fed them to Bruce.
Malkovich has become one of those actors whose movies you want to avoid, as I haven't seen him in anything good for some time, and he pretty much plays the same part in all of his later films. Olga K. Is also an actress who, while nice to look at, typically only plays in dogs.
But I did give this a four because I think it has some entertainment value as a comedy, as I was laughing out loud through parts, and it definitely isn't short on action. It's nothing more than a time waster, but I've wasted time watching worse.
Non-Stop Stupid and Awful
leftbanker-13 June 2022
Don't bother watching this because if you've seen the last ten movies in which Bruce Willis makes a cameo, this one is just more of the same. Gratuitous violence, tiresome, faux tough-guy dialogue, and mind-numbingly stupid gun-play don't make for much when it comes to entertainment, as if just throwing these elements into a pot will somehow produce anything fit for adult consumption.
Does this film have a story? It's hard to say when they hurl an endless torrent of blood and bullets at the audience in an attempt to distract you from the fact that if there is a story, it's too unoriginal to even mention. I've never played a video game, but I would imagine that Grand Theft Auto has more of a plot than White Elephant.
You can't even blame the actors in the movie. It's like pulling a bunch of garbage from the dumpster and expecting someone to cook a meal with it.
A few things writers of action movies should already understand:
Does this film have a story? It's hard to say when they hurl an endless torrent of blood and bullets at the audience in an attempt to distract you from the fact that if there is a story, it's too unoriginal to even mention. I've never played a video game, but I would imagine that Grand Theft Auto has more of a plot than White Elephant.
You can't even blame the actors in the movie. It's like pulling a bunch of garbage from the dumpster and expecting someone to cook a meal with it.
A few things writers of action movies should already understand:
- Drywall will not stop a round from an assault rifle, neither will a car door. Some high-powered rounds can go through an entire house and still kill you.
- If you want to kill someone on the sly, don't use a gun as it's too messy, especially if you are then going to take the body somewhere else to disposed of it. Just take the live guy to the disposal area, then get rid of him. If the cops stop you on the way there, it's a lot easier to explain a guy in the back seat than a corpse in the trunk.
- Try reading books so that everything you write isn't exactly like the last twenty movies you streamed. I doubt Hollywood writers can be bothered to read books, this seems obvious from their output of puerile doggerel like this film.
- If you can't choreograph a decent gun battle, stop thinking that five more in the film will improve things.
Don't waste your time
fmdnqcbxq13 June 2022
Bruce Willis maybe had 6-7 scenes, sounded like his voice was altered a bit. I know it's a movie, but the gun handling was horrible. When they shoot their guns, they immediately spray & swing their arm side to side. Acting subpar.
Awful
andybagguley21 June 2022
Thought with the actors in this it couldn't be that bad. I was wrong. Turned it off after 40 mins. No redeeming features at all. Even the great actors put in below average performances. No twists. Poor story (if it can be called a story!). Avoid at all costs.
I want my time back
malseeds4 June 2022
This was a raging pile of dung from the very start. The movie itself isn't so much telling a story as just having several events happen in succession, and there's no character development whatsoever.
Even at the end of the film I couldn't root for any side or connect to any character at all because among all the bullets, shootouts, and deaths you never really "meet" anyone. The characters exist to shoot guns and nothing more, and when the subject of morality introduced it's a split second conversation before more shooting.
In fact most of the conversation in this film is characters rehashing the events you just saw, which is almost insultingly silly because it's as though the writer assumes you've seen none of what happened and need it explained twice or even three times in forced cutouts.
Can't even give it points for the shootout scenes either because the characters are presented as tactical and experienced yet don't cover exits, shoot at nothing to kill their element of surprise and tip off the target, and then act shocked when the one they're after escapes for the fifth time.
Even at the end of the film I couldn't root for any side or connect to any character at all because among all the bullets, shootouts, and deaths you never really "meet" anyone. The characters exist to shoot guns and nothing more, and when the subject of morality introduced it's a split second conversation before more shooting.
In fact most of the conversation in this film is characters rehashing the events you just saw, which is almost insultingly silly because it's as though the writer assumes you've seen none of what happened and need it explained twice or even three times in forced cutouts.
Can't even give it points for the shootout scenes either because the characters are presented as tactical and experienced yet don't cover exits, shoot at nothing to kill their element of surprise and tip off the target, and then act shocked when the one they're after escapes for the fifth time.
Solid B-movie, with great actors and attention for detail. They really tried to make something special. They failed at that though, but it is still worth a watch for the fans
imseeg7 June 2022
This is not just another B-movie. And it aint another Bruce Willis flop either. Seriously. I have been watching ALL of Bruce Willis' movies lately and this one is actually not too bad. Not great either...but enjoyable enough for the Bruce Willis fans.
Director Jesse V Johnson has proven to be able to make lots of solid, tough and enjoyable B-movies throughout the last years and this is another decent one.
Excellent acting performance by Michael Rooker, who performs a leading role (baddie AND good guy in one), sharing a leading credit with Olga Kurlyenko, who is a highly skilled soldier.
The story: Bruce Willis is a mobster boss who orders a cop (Olga Kurylenko) to be killed. All hell breaks loose after that, WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF SHOOTOUTS.
This movie stands a bit out (in a good way) from other B-movies, because of the attention for detail, with good photography, a decent soundtrack and a story about family bonds.
Any bad? It it a bit slow now and then. And there are some credibility issues in the story and direction. But I am nitpicking, because in the end this is simply a mindless action B-movie, with great actors starring in it. It'll do...
At an important end note: This is one of Bruce Willis' LAST movies he will EVER make, because Bruce is retiring from acting, due to severe bad health, because he is suffering from a neurological disease which affects his speech and facial expressions. Really tragic!
Let us not forget WHY we are watching Bruce Willis movies to begin with. We watch Bruce Willis movies because of DIE HARD (1988). THE ONE AND ONLY BIGGEST ACTION AMERICAN ACTION CLASSIC OF THE CENTURY.
This classic is still standing strong after more than 30 years. Millions of people still REwatch it during every Christmas holiday. Recently a petition was launched to rename Nakatomi Plaza into DIE HARD plaza.
A life time achievement award for Bruce Willis is in the making as well, so I have heard...
DIE HARD (1988) NEVER DIES but is still ALIVE AND KICKING in 2022.
Let's celebrate that...
Director Jesse V Johnson has proven to be able to make lots of solid, tough and enjoyable B-movies throughout the last years and this is another decent one.
Excellent acting performance by Michael Rooker, who performs a leading role (baddie AND good guy in one), sharing a leading credit with Olga Kurlyenko, who is a highly skilled soldier.
The story: Bruce Willis is a mobster boss who orders a cop (Olga Kurylenko) to be killed. All hell breaks loose after that, WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF SHOOTOUTS.
This movie stands a bit out (in a good way) from other B-movies, because of the attention for detail, with good photography, a decent soundtrack and a story about family bonds.
Any bad? It it a bit slow now and then. And there are some credibility issues in the story and direction. But I am nitpicking, because in the end this is simply a mindless action B-movie, with great actors starring in it. It'll do...
At an important end note: This is one of Bruce Willis' LAST movies he will EVER make, because Bruce is retiring from acting, due to severe bad health, because he is suffering from a neurological disease which affects his speech and facial expressions. Really tragic!
Let us not forget WHY we are watching Bruce Willis movies to begin with. We watch Bruce Willis movies because of DIE HARD (1988). THE ONE AND ONLY BIGGEST ACTION AMERICAN ACTION CLASSIC OF THE CENTURY.
This classic is still standing strong after more than 30 years. Millions of people still REwatch it during every Christmas holiday. Recently a petition was launched to rename Nakatomi Plaza into DIE HARD plaza.
A life time achievement award for Bruce Willis is in the making as well, so I have heard...
DIE HARD (1988) NEVER DIES but is still ALIVE AND KICKING in 2022.
Let's celebrate that...
Dumbest villains ever
taseron-15 June 2022
The villains in this movie are the dumbest ones ever. They act so stupid that it's impossible for them to survive till that age in their own movie realm. I don't know how and why people give green light to such movies. It's one of those 'traps' with 'Bruce Willis' and 'John Malkovich' written with caps to lure innocent film freaks.
Bad casting and not the voice off Bruce Willis
tfwqmicz19 June 2022
Bad casting! Why this great actor should be protected against his own choices. He is not mobs boss even if he was healthy. So bad casting!
At some point in the restaurant it wasn t his own voice but the voice of one of the worst B actors.
So thats a BIG F you to the watchers of the movie.
Even the script is crazy. When they storm your house with guns an Olga shouts ; who are you what do you want?!
Whith a couple of change this movie voild have been A material.
At some point in the restaurant it wasn t his own voice but the voice of one of the worst B actors.
So thats a BIG F you to the watchers of the movie.
Even the script is crazy. When they storm your house with guns an Olga shouts ; who are you what do you want?!
Whith a couple of change this movie voild have been A material.
I don't know, again, what's going on with Bruce Willis' new movie ratings
yura15cbx19 October 2022
I don't know, again, what's going on with Bruce Willis' new movie ratings, maybe it's a planned company, but of course this movie is not a 4, not even close, at least a 6, I give it an 8, great movie. Good action movie. A lot of excellent actors, a wonderful game, a bunch of corpses, excellent special effects, an excellent balance of forces in the confrontation between good and evil, and the right, very right ending. Humor, the work of the film's cameraman, the performance of Bruce Willis himself, after all, if the rating of the claims against him. Ah, wait! In most films rated up to 8 and above, the expression of strong emotions is now necessarily expressed through vomit. And in this film there are a lot of extremely strong emotions, but no one vomits, maybe this is why the film is no longer perceived.
A B-movie which was somehow not as bad as my low expectations
BenW199919 June 2022
This film isn't a masterpiece at all, it's not terrible, but not good either. I enjoyed John Malkovich's two scenes which both included with his Ancient Greek history lessons, but didn't really see why he was even in the film whatsoever, his scenes were pretty pointless.
The actual story is a bit of a mess, but also somewhat simplistic, and the dialogue was pretty poor throughout, its like an amature wrote half of what the cast were saying.
Few too many plot contravenes throughout. The action, although comical at times, was actually good. Good action with a decent amount of gore, and a flying head near the end.
Sadly though,Bruce Willis is just a shell of his former self, how the mighty have fallen, and it's quite sad. You could tell he just filmed his scenes in about 60 minutes, and didn't really do a good job delivering his lines, just pretty much said them.
Went into this film with really low expectations but it turned out to be a silly yet slightly amusing action film. Wouldn't exactly go out of my way to watch it or recommend it to anyone, but I wasn't exactly bored for 90 minutes.
The actual story is a bit of a mess, but also somewhat simplistic, and the dialogue was pretty poor throughout, its like an amature wrote half of what the cast were saying.
Few too many plot contravenes throughout. The action, although comical at times, was actually good. Good action with a decent amount of gore, and a flying head near the end.
Sadly though,Bruce Willis is just a shell of his former self, how the mighty have fallen, and it's quite sad. You could tell he just filmed his scenes in about 60 minutes, and didn't really do a good job delivering his lines, just pretty much said them.
Went into this film with really low expectations but it turned out to be a silly yet slightly amusing action film. Wouldn't exactly go out of my way to watch it or recommend it to anyone, but I wasn't exactly bored for 90 minutes.
Olga Kurylenko and John Malkovich's prank
sonumassala4 June 2022
At first, I saw Bruce and I thought looks like another one of his movies these days he is making, then I saw John Malkovich then I got my hopes up and thought maybe Bruce is finally in a good movie after seeing Olga I got all pumped up. Then the first action scene came along, it was so lazy and the dialogues are so lame, within.20 minutes into the movie I knew I am pranked into watching this movie. I still watched it out of respect for John and Olga, but it was a drag. Are they not getting good movies or are they doing it as a favor for a friend or something like that?
Movie not recommended, save you time.
Movie not recommended, save you time.
Move along, nothing to see here.
thenihilistfish7 October 2022
I found it hard to watch, too many tired old cliches. I see a few other reviews saying " it's not that bad" but I disagree, top to bottom it's just bad, from the soundtrack to the dialogue- calling it B grade would be generous. In all fairness to Michael Rooker I think his performance carries the film and his performance is enough to keep you from hitting the stop button. I found the dialogue lacked anything original, it could have been copied and pasted from any number of similar films, and the same goes for the some of the plot. When I hear lines like " remember when we were together in Afghanistan.....blah blah blah" I feel like I'm having bad deja vu. I had hoped this would be an interesting film, but it felt like a box of cliches thrown together and plastered with some high profile names to get you hooked, but at the end of the days it's 90 minutes you can never get back.
A-list actors in a garbage movie
mluinstra7 June 2022
Apparently these A-list actors lost a bet thus forcing them to be in this crap movie.
Don't waste your time. The only thing this movie has got going for it is a good list of good actors. Not sure how they got suckered into this or if they just took the pay day.
Either way, it socks.
Don't waste your time. The only thing this movie has got going for it is a good list of good actors. Not sure how they got suckered into this or if they just took the pay day.
Either way, it socks.
so bad
stewartcarl18 June 2022
Quite unbelievably bad
nigepitz25 January 2023
Well life is full of surprises. I never thought I would live long enough to see a film worse than Jordan Peeler's 'Us'. But here it is. A plot stuffed with every action cliche ever invented, risible dialogue and preposterous action sequences that are so ridiculous they defy belief. How does tripe like this get made when there are 1000s of great scripts that never see the light of day? It's awful in every way. How did such high profile actors read this garbage and agree to appear in it? America is now making movies in its own image -stupid, ignorant gun-obsessed nonsense with no hint of originality, wit or intelligence.
Just waste of time
battlebuckships6 June 2022
I'm not sure if one can write anything decent about this film. Goes nowhere and just drags on into nothing. Very poor story, no plot and nothing interesting. Someone owed someone something to get this waste of time made....... How in the world would A list actors agree to participate in such a mess..?
White Elephant (2022) is a Heartfelt Send Off For Bruce Willis
tkdlifemagazine5 June 2022
White Elephant (2022) is a Heartfelt Send Off For Bruce Willis. After announcing earlier this year that Bruce Willis would be stepping away from acting, due to his Aphasia diagnosis, it is hard not the watch White Elephant with that in mind. However, White Elephant is much more than a swan song to this beloved action star, it is a very good action romp.
The film is the long delayed brain child of former stunt man, writer, and Director Jesse V. Johnson. The plot is simple-"When two cops witness an assassination attempt, a ruthless crime boss orders Gabriel Tancredi, an ex-Marine turned mob enforcer, to eliminate any and all threats." However, like many Johnson films the plot is just the pretext for showcasing the rich characters and launching point for great action and violence.
Johnson has a penchant for broken characters with characteristics that make it hards not to look past their awful deeds, and be romanced by them in their quasi-redemption. This is true whether he is is the writer and Director of his own material like Savage Dog, Accident Man, or the brilliant Debt Collector films; or whether he is Directing someone else's story, like Nina Bergman in the masterful, Hell Hath No Fury. Michael Rooker has the distinction of filling these shoes in White Elephant as the nearly retired, mob enforcer faced with a dramatic choice to do what he was hired to do, or do what he believes is right. This is his best performance, by far. He is very memorable in this role.
Olga Kuryenko is equally broken as the subject of the mob's pursuit, and she does a good job holding her own as the tough cop fighting to survive. While not a true buddy film, she is a good compliment to Rooker.
The supporting characters are well supported by a strong cast, many that afficionados of Johnson's films might recognize. Vadhir Derbez is very watchable as the young upstart looking to make a name for himself in the mob world. I couldn't help being reminded of Ross McCall's performance as another Gabriel Tancredi in Johnson's The Beautiful Ones, a very underrated film. John Malkovich has a small role as a mob lawyer, but not one second he is on the screen is wasted-this is Malkovich in top form.
As for Willis-you can not un-know what you know about his medical condition while making this film. I read a lot of speculation and commentary about his performance in light of it. As for me I will refer to a prior review of a "B" rated, straight to video performance by Willis; "When Bruce Willis is in the movie you almost always know what you are going to get and even when the film is bad there is still Bruce Willis." Nothing has changed my opinion in this good film about Willis's performance.
The cinematography, action, and violence is at the level you can expect from a Jesse V. Johnson film. No modern filmmaker can do more with a modest film budget (reported at $15 million) than Johnson. His films are fun to watch and White Elephant is no exception. Violence, gun play, and bloodshed abound, and is well placed.
While I have been fortunate enough to interview Johnson twice I am still amazed at how deep his appreciation and homage to good film runs. This film has homage to other great films, old and newer, classics, and even to Johnson's prior films. Derbez's character opines, late in the film, that it "is like a f@cking Western." Yes, I would agree, White Elephant (2022) is a modern western, or, at least, a tribute to Westerns.
I love Johnson films. I recommend White Elephant.
White Elephant premiered on AMC+ and is streaming on multiple PPV services.
The film is the long delayed brain child of former stunt man, writer, and Director Jesse V. Johnson. The plot is simple-"When two cops witness an assassination attempt, a ruthless crime boss orders Gabriel Tancredi, an ex-Marine turned mob enforcer, to eliminate any and all threats." However, like many Johnson films the plot is just the pretext for showcasing the rich characters and launching point for great action and violence.
Johnson has a penchant for broken characters with characteristics that make it hards not to look past their awful deeds, and be romanced by them in their quasi-redemption. This is true whether he is is the writer and Director of his own material like Savage Dog, Accident Man, or the brilliant Debt Collector films; or whether he is Directing someone else's story, like Nina Bergman in the masterful, Hell Hath No Fury. Michael Rooker has the distinction of filling these shoes in White Elephant as the nearly retired, mob enforcer faced with a dramatic choice to do what he was hired to do, or do what he believes is right. This is his best performance, by far. He is very memorable in this role.
Olga Kuryenko is equally broken as the subject of the mob's pursuit, and she does a good job holding her own as the tough cop fighting to survive. While not a true buddy film, she is a good compliment to Rooker.
The supporting characters are well supported by a strong cast, many that afficionados of Johnson's films might recognize. Vadhir Derbez is very watchable as the young upstart looking to make a name for himself in the mob world. I couldn't help being reminded of Ross McCall's performance as another Gabriel Tancredi in Johnson's The Beautiful Ones, a very underrated film. John Malkovich has a small role as a mob lawyer, but not one second he is on the screen is wasted-this is Malkovich in top form.
As for Willis-you can not un-know what you know about his medical condition while making this film. I read a lot of speculation and commentary about his performance in light of it. As for me I will refer to a prior review of a "B" rated, straight to video performance by Willis; "When Bruce Willis is in the movie you almost always know what you are going to get and even when the film is bad there is still Bruce Willis." Nothing has changed my opinion in this good film about Willis's performance.
The cinematography, action, and violence is at the level you can expect from a Jesse V. Johnson film. No modern filmmaker can do more with a modest film budget (reported at $15 million) than Johnson. His films are fun to watch and White Elephant is no exception. Violence, gun play, and bloodshed abound, and is well placed.
While I have been fortunate enough to interview Johnson twice I am still amazed at how deep his appreciation and homage to good film runs. This film has homage to other great films, old and newer, classics, and even to Johnson's prior films. Derbez's character opines, late in the film, that it "is like a f@cking Western." Yes, I would agree, White Elephant (2022) is a modern western, or, at least, a tribute to Westerns.
I love Johnson films. I recommend White Elephant.
White Elephant premiered on AMC+ and is streaming on multiple PPV services.
new quality of movie - a bruce willis
marcin-egregius4 June 2022
The only thing that would make sense its that some bitcoin/nft/other scam artists are trying to make an investment in themselves. There is no other explanation for high budget actors in such a dramatic quality movies...
and now the reviews of 9 and 10 are dropping in to fake rise the rating? How low can you get?
Too many idiots with money, way too many.
and now the reviews of 9 and 10 are dropping in to fake rise the rating? How low can you get?
Too many idiots with money, way too many.
Are you kidding me?!?!?
dnetbandit6 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Who wrote this script? And how did it get approved.. The hitmen in this movie are possibly the worst shot I have ever seen.. I mean no skill whatsoever..
Michael Rooker is one of my favorite actors, so how is it that he signed on for this.. come on.. the lady lead on the run is hiding out and riding in one of the most recognizable vehicles in american history.. and she is hiding out???? Come on..
Possibly the worst movie that WIllis has signed on for..
Doug.
Michael Rooker is one of my favorite actors, so how is it that he signed on for this.. come on.. the lady lead on the run is hiding out and riding in one of the most recognizable vehicles in american history.. and she is hiding out???? Come on..
Possibly the worst movie that WIllis has signed on for..
Doug.
A Slam-Bang Crime Thriller With Lots of Fireworks!!!
zardoz-132 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Writer & director Jesse V. Johnson's fast-paced, above-average, straight-to-video, B-movie "White Elephant" makes the grade as an entertaining, often violent, crime thriller. Michael Rooker, Olga Kurylenko, Bruce Willis, and John Malkovich head up a robust cast in this lean and mean, 92-minute, actioneer. Basically, three rival criminal empires clash, but none of them survive in this baptism by fire. This ideology reverberates with the familiar 'crime doesn't pay' theme. Mob boss Arnold Solomon (Bruce Willis of "Die Hard") relies implicitly on his chief enforcer, a pistol-packing, former Marine, Gabriel Tancredi (Michael Rooker of "The Replacement Killers"), to keep everything running smoothly. Unfortunately, things unravel early in this yarn when two plainclothes detectives tail Gabriel's new sidekick, Carlo Garcia (Vadhir Derbez of "The Seventh Day"), to a motel where another notorious Latino crime boss has holed up. Carlo is an extrovert, former military sniper versed in martial arts who wears outlandish footwear. When his deal with Luis Velasquez (Ski Carr of "Faster") goes south, the ex-sniper guns down this loudmouthed villain and his two plug ugly goons and then blows them to kingdom come with an explosives charge. Meantime, our two plainclothes detectives, Michael Rose (Walter Koschek of "Pitch Perfect 3") and Vanessa Flynn (Olga Kurylenko of "Quantum of Solace"), witness the explosion, but Carlo gets away before they can arrest him. Later, Gabriel accompanies Carlo to take care of Detective Rose.
Surprising an unsuspecting Rose at his home where he lives alone, Gabriel and Garcia gun him down and then efficiently butcher his body into small pieces. Cramming those body parts into two suitcases equipped with wheels, they bury these two pieces of luggage in an anonymous grave where nobody will ever find the ill-fated detective's remains. Afterward, Garcia and his crew botch their attack on Flynn. Awakening late one evening to a dog barking, Flynn drops three of Garcia's hand-picked assassins in their tracks. One of those killers reveals his identity moments before Flynn can finish him off. As it turns out, the assailant is none other than Detective Lanier (Antwan Mills of "The Mule"), one of the local cops who replaced Flynn on the Garcia case! Horrified by this revelation of police corruption within her own ranks, Flynn flees, leaving Garcia to obliterate Lanier's head so the authorities cannot identify him. Despite a departmental order to surrender voluntarily to her own people, Flynn prefers to go into hiding.
Basically, "White Elephant" gets off to a bang-up start. Predictably, Soloman is not amused with Garcia's snafu, and he criticizes Tancredi's choice of a replacement to safeguard his underworld skullduggery. Later, the Russian mob tries to terminate Soloman with extreme prejudice in broad daylight, but they succeed in only killing Soloman's wife, Tomi (Lauren Buglioli of "Vendetta"), while Arnold escapes death and allows his rage to unhinge him. At this point, Soloman's attorney, Glen Follett (John Malkovich of "In The Line of Fire") warns Tancredi that in his thirst for revenge, Solomon is about to precipitate a war that will wipe out his legitimate business empire. Follett advises Tancredi to seek greener pastures. Nevertheless, Tancredi remains loyal to Soloman, even after his vindictive superior orders him to liquidate the Russians.
Eventually, Tancredi realizes Follett is right about Soloman's destructive urges, and he decides stop working for lifelong friend because the crime boss has gone off his rocker. At this point, Soloman sends Carlo after Flynn who is hiding in a motel, and he summons Tancredi to help finish off the detective. Instead, Tancredi decides to change sides and team up with Flynn. Together, this unlikely duo repulse a virtual army of trigger-happy gunmen, some of whom are corrupt police detectives. Soloman orders his hired guns to surround Tancredi's residence and wipe out Flynn and his former chief enforcer. Tancredi's memories of his late wife prompted a change of heart on his part. When "White Elephant" unfolds we watch as the ex-Jarhead visits the mausoleum where his deceased wife's ashes rest. She never knew about his nefarious criminal conduct because he shielded her from his dark side. Nevertheless, she felt Tancredi was born for better things than killing Russian crime czars. Tancredi's change of heart, an obvious character arc that he embarks on before the finale when we see him realize his dream of relocating to Africa to protect endangered elephants ends this white-hot actioneer on a positive note.
Although it seems convoluted, "White Elephant" unfolds swiftly with gunplay galore. Garcia misjudges Flynn's survival skills badly, while his old boss Tancredi looks at this female cop from a different perspective and decides to align himself with her against Soloman and his henchmen. Talk about a change of heart! The assault on Tancredi's residence in the middle of nowhere is reminiscent of the attack the Colombians launched on Scarface's palatial house in Brian De Palma's 80's remake of "Scarface!" However, as Tancredi explains when he ushers Flynn onto his property, the contract killer has built a house which can withstand a full-blown assault. Although the logistics of the conflict are complicated, action expert Jesse V. Johnson orchestrates the pyrotechnics with nerve and verve. Mind you, Bruce Willis has little to do with the fireworks. He spends most of his time as an obnoxious crime boss sitting around ranting and raving about his predicament. Willis musters neither much charisma nor charm as a one-dimensional crime boss. Meantime, Michael Rooker and Olga Kurylenko steal the show, while John Malkovich lurks on the periphery as Solomon's crooked shyster attorney who spouts Greek history and its relevance to Soloman's woebegone ways.
Surprising an unsuspecting Rose at his home where he lives alone, Gabriel and Garcia gun him down and then efficiently butcher his body into small pieces. Cramming those body parts into two suitcases equipped with wheels, they bury these two pieces of luggage in an anonymous grave where nobody will ever find the ill-fated detective's remains. Afterward, Garcia and his crew botch their attack on Flynn. Awakening late one evening to a dog barking, Flynn drops three of Garcia's hand-picked assassins in their tracks. One of those killers reveals his identity moments before Flynn can finish him off. As it turns out, the assailant is none other than Detective Lanier (Antwan Mills of "The Mule"), one of the local cops who replaced Flynn on the Garcia case! Horrified by this revelation of police corruption within her own ranks, Flynn flees, leaving Garcia to obliterate Lanier's head so the authorities cannot identify him. Despite a departmental order to surrender voluntarily to her own people, Flynn prefers to go into hiding.
Basically, "White Elephant" gets off to a bang-up start. Predictably, Soloman is not amused with Garcia's snafu, and he criticizes Tancredi's choice of a replacement to safeguard his underworld skullduggery. Later, the Russian mob tries to terminate Soloman with extreme prejudice in broad daylight, but they succeed in only killing Soloman's wife, Tomi (Lauren Buglioli of "Vendetta"), while Arnold escapes death and allows his rage to unhinge him. At this point, Soloman's attorney, Glen Follett (John Malkovich of "In The Line of Fire") warns Tancredi that in his thirst for revenge, Solomon is about to precipitate a war that will wipe out his legitimate business empire. Follett advises Tancredi to seek greener pastures. Nevertheless, Tancredi remains loyal to Soloman, even after his vindictive superior orders him to liquidate the Russians.
Eventually, Tancredi realizes Follett is right about Soloman's destructive urges, and he decides stop working for lifelong friend because the crime boss has gone off his rocker. At this point, Soloman sends Carlo after Flynn who is hiding in a motel, and he summons Tancredi to help finish off the detective. Instead, Tancredi decides to change sides and team up with Flynn. Together, this unlikely duo repulse a virtual army of trigger-happy gunmen, some of whom are corrupt police detectives. Soloman orders his hired guns to surround Tancredi's residence and wipe out Flynn and his former chief enforcer. Tancredi's memories of his late wife prompted a change of heart on his part. When "White Elephant" unfolds we watch as the ex-Jarhead visits the mausoleum where his deceased wife's ashes rest. She never knew about his nefarious criminal conduct because he shielded her from his dark side. Nevertheless, she felt Tancredi was born for better things than killing Russian crime czars. Tancredi's change of heart, an obvious character arc that he embarks on before the finale when we see him realize his dream of relocating to Africa to protect endangered elephants ends this white-hot actioneer on a positive note.
Although it seems convoluted, "White Elephant" unfolds swiftly with gunplay galore. Garcia misjudges Flynn's survival skills badly, while his old boss Tancredi looks at this female cop from a different perspective and decides to align himself with her against Soloman and his henchmen. Talk about a change of heart! The assault on Tancredi's residence in the middle of nowhere is reminiscent of the attack the Colombians launched on Scarface's palatial house in Brian De Palma's 80's remake of "Scarface!" However, as Tancredi explains when he ushers Flynn onto his property, the contract killer has built a house which can withstand a full-blown assault. Although the logistics of the conflict are complicated, action expert Jesse V. Johnson orchestrates the pyrotechnics with nerve and verve. Mind you, Bruce Willis has little to do with the fireworks. He spends most of his time as an obnoxious crime boss sitting around ranting and raving about his predicament. Willis musters neither much charisma nor charm as a one-dimensional crime boss. Meantime, Michael Rooker and Olga Kurylenko steal the show, while John Malkovich lurks on the periphery as Solomon's crooked shyster attorney who spouts Greek history and its relevance to Soloman's woebegone ways.
Bruce Willis! John Malcovich! Michael Rooker!!
thejdrage7 June 2022
Okay, Michael Rooker is a character actor who you know and love but for love nor money do you know his name?
This is an odd film - if not for Willis and Malcovich, it would be a B movie, but it's a good one - IMHO.
LOTS of bad guys! Tons of shoot 'em ups. No car chases.
The elephant in the room is Bruce Willis. Yes, this isn't his best, but he's still Bruce freaking Willis! I'm betting John Malcovich came along for the ride to be with his buddy Bruce. That's what friends do.
This is not Emmy or Globe material, but it's a fun movie to help pass a rainy afternoon or dull evening. Enjoy it for what it is.
This is an odd film - if not for Willis and Malcovich, it would be a B movie, but it's a good one - IMHO.
LOTS of bad guys! Tons of shoot 'em ups. No car chases.
The elephant in the room is Bruce Willis. Yes, this isn't his best, but he's still Bruce freaking Willis! I'm betting John Malcovich came along for the ride to be with his buddy Bruce. That's what friends do.
This is not Emmy or Globe material, but it's a fun movie to help pass a rainy afternoon or dull evening. Enjoy it for what it is.
Exactly what you'd expect
supermellowcali5 June 2022
Just check it out anyway, I thought. Nope. Same old thing: psychotic bosses and henchmen, bullets, blood etc with a lot more mistakes than imagination. If you've ever seen an action movie, you've seen this already. Since the producers must know this, I guess it's just a formula for profit regardless of the quality of the product.
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