Reviews

Unashamedly inspired by Tarantino and Spaghetti westerns this is a total, unashamed, ultra violent, cracking good fun movie. Some great characters: the good guys are really good, the villains are hyper villainous and the action is really well executed.

I genuinely didn't expect this to be as much fun as it was.

How many ways can one kill a Nazi? Well this movie invents some I hadn't thought of before but it was all a blood soaked romp.

The acting is also really rather good. The two main protagonists are super sympathetic, although Elsa is much more rounded than Heinrich but it doesn't matter.

Watch it if you are in the mood for this kind of movie.

First of all, why has no one in Hollywood ever thought of casting Nick Cage as Dracula before. He absolutely steals the show. Why? Because he is clearly having such a total ball playing the Prince of Darkness and does it brilliantly.

As to the rest of the film, it is blast. The violence is ridiculously funny and indulgent. The humour is sharp and very, very funny in parts. The baddies are great and there is one goody, and she is wonderful.

Not only does this film not take itself seriously, but it doesn't take us for fools.

I has a genuine respect for the vampire genre but kicks it firmly into our generation.

Watch it. If you don't enjoy I'm sorry, but I would be curious to know why.

I am shocked that anyone spent this much money to produce such a diabolically awful show. They must think the viewing public are idiotic. "lets get a cluster of winning ingredients that have worked well in major movies, do them badly, then make a TV show out of it. Oh and in the process wind Richard Madden up as a James Bond contender. Really??

I am upset that Stanley Tucci is involved in this trip and have to assume he was paid a ton of cash to do this and good luck to him.

The action sequences are good. The plot is idiotic. The relationships are lame. There is no chemistry between the leads because it stinks of two actors trying to further their careers in Hollywood and I am probably wrong, because I clearly am not in touch anymore, but they picked the wrong vehicle.

And finally, if Madden is picked for Bond, that is the end of one of the greatest franchises of all time.

I would call this a great breath of fresh air if the movie's inherent atmosphere wasn't so suffocating.

I am puzzled by some of the really negative user reviews. Is it a Hollywood movie? Is it an actual horror movie? No to both. It is a very European movie. Not flashy, no special effects, just a gently paced, mounting sense of dread and discomfort. The cold set and lighting contribute to a sense of impending tragedy.

Overweight Simi is cleverly made to look and feel like an outsider among the painfully thin Aunt Claudia and her partner Steffan. Aunt Claudia is a famous nutritionist whom Simi hope will help lose weight. It soon appears that Claudia's techniques have become a little extreme as indeed has her mental health.

Gently paced but ultimately very tense and frightening with really strong and. Nuanced central performances.

Give it a shot.

A Richie/Statham movie will never be unwatchable in my opinion and don't get me wrong, this is a fun romp. The problem is that it is not nearly as much fun as it could be. I am a big Statham fan but he feels a little dialled in this time.

The show is totally stolen by Aubrey Plaza and Hugh Grant who turn in fantastic supporting performances. Hugh Grant is actually having fun and its a pleasure to watch. Cary Elwes is simply no Colin Firth in an obvious rip off of the latter's performance in Kingsmen.

In other words it is a very uneven affair. Some laughs, some great performances, the action sequences as good as ever, but ultimately when someone asked me what I thought of it, all I could come up with was "Meh!".

I have been a backer of low budget films in the past. Some came good, some ended in the bin. I have huge respect for the incredibly dedication it takes to raise the money to make any film and for that I have given it one star. Sadly this one proves that it takes more than a quirky sense of humour and the belief that one can do it. The second star is for the fact that John Williams has a sense of telling a story. Sadly the story he tells is poor. Also, any decent film has to have decent dialogue. The dialogue in every case (apart from bits of the wrapper scene between Harold and Goose) is shockingly bad. This is not helped by some truly appalling performances. I really want that hour and half back. Life is too short.

Is this series bad? No. It has many redeeming features: the acting, the cinematography and the mood. But my god it is grim. Forget the fact that the police procedures are laughable. That doesn't really matter, the problem is that there is no light at the end of any tunnel. Everyone is a mess, everyone is traumatised, everyone has made lousy choices in life etc etc.

I am huge fan of Nordic Noir but this has taken the Noir to a new black.

Why oh why did first class actors like Tom Wilkinson and Andy Serkis agree to take part in this abomination? I can only hope the payday was worth it. The script is atrocious, the plot laughable and much of the acting shocking. To add insult to injury, trying to add some pseudo romance-psychology to the plot is quite frankly insulting. Also, finally, there is a pretty foul underbelly of glamourising killing which sticks in my craw. Yuck.

I became quite hooked on the first series although I am not sure why. The characters were interesting and very three dimensional which is rare. The crime element was very much a sub plot. The gist of the series is about two very different cops coming to a brutal realisation of who they are and where they come from. The one thing it lacks, however, is any suspense whatsoever. Not a huge problem, but noticeable. However, season 2 for me is the whole package. I am only on episode 3 but felt compelled to write this review. The acting is fabulous. Matti Ristinen especially steals the show. There is palpable tension in every episode as the righteous but traumatise cop deals with a new world order on one side and suffocating, corrupt religious zealots on the other. Love it.

Rarely have I watched a series which is so intelligent, perfectly paced and deeply troubling. The period feel is fantastic without one ever feeling fake. You completely forget this is shot in 2020 and transports you to the mid seventies with perfect style and touch. Tahar Rahim gives an incredible performance: charismatic, seductive and yet cold as ice and genuinely frightening. Ellie Bamber and Billy Howle are perfect as the Dutch diplomats unable to let go of their suspicions and the need to do pursue their target at whatever cost. Tim McInnemy also superb as a rather sleazy Belgian diplomat/spook who helps with the seedier parts of the Bangkok. The only reason I help back a star is because of the casting of Jenny Coleman as Monique. Not that she delivers a bad performance, but why, when all the casting is so razor sharp, did they cast her as a Quebecoise when she clearly can't speak French, while surrounded by French actors. In a series that pulls you in, her dreadful attempts at French keep dragging me out of the illusion. I know she is top flavour at the moment but why oh why couldn't they have cast one of the myriad of phenomenal French actresses out there. I am no expert, but I imagine there are some pretty talented French Canadian actors out there as well. Anyway, aside from that, do not miss this gem.

Starts promisingly with interesting character and dynamics but is ruined by the simple fact none of the film's action would be possible if it were not for ridiculous and implausible police officers. It is inconceivable that police could be that dumb and inept and therefore very difficult to take the rest of the film seriously. It is a shame because actually the character of Leo is interesting and well acted. I disagree with some reviews who think it would have been improved by a younger actor more capable in the fight sequences. The truth is that the fight choreography is pretty second rate, but the ageing commando no longer at the peak of his form is more powerful in his desperate search. It tries to put a newish twist on an old idea and might have succeeded. Sadly it didn't.

That is not a pun on the fact most of it is set in arctic conditions in Russia. I mean it is fresh because it makes such a change to watch a show that is so real and non manipulative. There is plenty of emotion to go around, sadness, fear, tension and tragedy, but none of it is milked. It just is. Terrific performances across the board with a taught script and superb camera work. This is a terrifying story but the real drama comes from the total humanity of the characters. All are flawed, yet wonderful. Cruel yet human. I can only pray there will be a second series.

Series 1 starts very promisingly. Intriguing characters and crime. Brave observation of racism, a divided town and local corruption. However problems soon arise. First and foremost, the producers allow what could be a very good, gritty crime drama into an unabashed soap opera. One one hand your have the investigation, then endless ridiculous subplots too farcical and melodramatic to be believed. The saddest part of it is that some of the better actors are drawn into soap acting. What a shame because the crime plot is not at all bad. Finally, there is simply too much that beggars belief in terms of coincidences.

You may have to be a little long in the tooth to really appreciate this movie. Many of compared it to Dusk till Dawn and rightly, but I take it back a little further to John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13. In fact this movie owes a lot to classic John Carpenter: the music, the feel, the look. I love the fact it is cast with fantastic actors who historically played villains in many of our favourite movies (Karate Kid, Die Hard, Commando etc) and created a wonderful group of old soldiers who can only do the right thing. I may be delving too deep here, but there is also a commentary about how society creates a group of men whose only true achievement in life was to kill or be killed. They are therefore redundant in peace time, until, that is, a young girl needs help. Then, they see a possible way out. Whatever, this is true old school, grind house, violent, tongue in cheek good stuff. One last note, I love the fact that all the drug dealers and junkies are all white. So glad that cliche was avoided.

Ok, casting is absurd, plot is absurd, script is dire and my guess is that it was directed by a second unit director who has only ever directed battle sequences which are the only reason for the one star. They are adequate. On what planet did they decide to cast a cute, blonde, Russian woman to represent the Russians in a a team of big male special ops commandos. I may be being too literal here, but we are talking about a storyline where one simple drone strike would have made this entire plot unnecessary. Absolute garbage.