Reviews

Well cast, skillfully directed, effective soundtrack, good script, cinematography, cutting, etc. Each development as the film progresses is a surprise. Robert Pattinson is phenomenal as the loving, desperate, single-minded brother; Bennie Safdie is amazing: volatile, unpredictable, dangerous; the smallest roles are perfectly cast - to mention just a few, Taliah Webster as Crystal, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Corey, Barkhad Abdi as Dash the Park Security Guard, Necro in a dynamite performance as Caliph, and Souleymane Sy Savane as the African Cab Driver. Of special note, in a bit of inspired casting, Eric the Bail Bondsman was played by a real bail bondsman, Eric Paykert, cold, detached, bored, and uninvolved. I can't list them all but suffice it to say that every character, even the most minor, was perfectly brought to life.

Aside from the acting, directing, casting, cinematography, cutting, special effects, and script there was nothing wrong with this film. I've read a half dozen James Patterson novels and they go fine with a domestic, factory made, mass produced (like his books) beer if you just want to kill time in a deck chair. It took a couple hits of Old Crow to get through this turkey, however. Prepare yourself, if you dare, for an embarrassingly clichéd and stereotypical performance by Cicely Tyson as Alex's mother, Giancarlo Esposito caricaturing himself, and a painful more than laughable attempt at Pulp Fiction style banter by Tyler Perry and Ed Burns (who doesn't even measure up to Edd Byrnes' level of mediocrity). We are also "treated" to another "man flying through the air from a bomb blast and emerging unscathed from the fireball" fantasy so prevalent in trashy American films (compare this bit to the Polish miniseries "Wataha" to see what a blast would really do). In sharp contrast to the rest of this schlock, however, is Mathew Fox's riveting and inspired performance as an assassin. Truly creepy and worth seeing even if you have to watch the rest of this Amateur Night at the Movies offering (hence 4 stars rather than one). For a similar plot, similar dénoument, and similar psycho assasin (Snake, in this case), but done with talent, artistry, and skill, check out Golgo 13: The Professional (1983).

I just finished reading all 16 (to date) reviews and have to agree with all of them (except hughjohngolf"s posting of 4 June 2013 - I have no idea what he's talking about). The telecast of "The Secret of Chimneys" has little to do, except coincidentally, with the novel, as has been pointed out by many of the reviewers, but that is to be expected when we're constantly subjected today to second-raters who feel the classics, whether of literature, cuisine, film, or other arts, need no be "updated", "improved", "re-interpreted", etc, generally by people who are incapable of equalling the original (look what they did to 3:10 to Yuma). The question is: "is it a viable alternative to the (poor) special-effects laden, mindless, artless, politically-correct-governed, committee-written trash on American television?" The answer is yes, The production qualities are high, the cast is talented, the direction and camera work are good, and if some of the characters seem exaggerated or cartoonish, see their portrayal as a kind of shorthand, or Balzacian types, rather than clichés or stereotypes.

I can't excuse ignorance and misuse of the English language and its idioms, however. This exchange between Miss Marple and Inspector Finch at 1:01:45 into the film: Walking around the pond after discovering Constance Treadwell's body Inspector Finch says "Which begs the question..." (Miss Marple finishes the sentence) "how can the same dish kill one of us while provoking mere unpleasantness in the rest?"