What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 31st March 2022.

The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honoured the best films released between 1st March and 31st December 2021, and was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, on Sunday 27th March hosted by American Actresses Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes.

Aside form the now infamous slap to the face given by Will Smith to Chris Rock which largely overshadowed the remaining proceedings, the winners of the golden statue and the also rans are as given below, by way of a recap :-

Best Picture

* Awarded to 'CODA', beating out 'Belfast', 'Don't Look Up', 'Drive My Car', 'Dune', 'King Richard', 'Licorice Pizza', 'Nightmare Alley', 'The Power of the Dog' and 'West Side Story'. 

Best Director

* Awarded to Jane Campion for 'The Power of the Dog', beating out Kenneth Branagh for 'Belfast', Ryusuke Hamaguchi for 'Drive My Car', Paul Thomas Anderson for 'Licorice Pizza' and Steven Spielberg for 'West Side Story'.

Best Actor

* Awarded to Will Smith for 'King Richard', beating out Javier Bardem for 'Being the Ricardos', Benedict Cumberbatch for 'The Power of the Dog', Andrew Garfield for 'Tick, Tick... Boom!' and Denzel Washington for 'The Tragedy of Macbeth'.

Best Actress

* Awarded to Jessica Chastain for 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye', beating out Olivia Colman for 'The Lost Daughter', Penelope Cruz for 'Parallel Mothers', Nicole Kidman for 'Being the Ricardos' and Kristen Stewart for 'Spencer'.

Best Supporting Actor

* Awarded to Troy Kotsur for 'CODA', beating out Ciaran Hinds for 'Belfast', Jesse Plemons for 'The Power of the Dog', J. K. Simmons for 'Being the Ricardos' and Kodi Smit-McPhee for 'The Power of the Dog'.

Best Supporting Actress

* Awarded to Ariana DeBose for 'West Side Story', beating out Jessie Buckley for 'The Lost Daughter', Judi Dench for 'Belfast', Kirsten Dunst for 'The Power of the Dog' and Aunjanue Ellis for 'King Richard'.

Best Original Screenplay

* Awarded to 'Belfast' by Kenneth Branagh, beating out 'Don't Look Up', 'King Richard', 'Licorice Pizza' and 'The Worst Person in the World'.

Best Adapted Screenplay

* Awarded to 'CODA' by Sian Heder, beating out 'Drive My Car', 'Dune', 'The Lost Daughter' and 'The Power of the Dog'. 

Best Animated Feature Film

* Awarded to 'Encanto', beating out 'Flee', 'Luca', 'The Mitchells vs. the Machines' and 'Raya and the Last Dragon'. 

Best International Feature Film 

* Awarded to 'Drive My Car' from Japan, beating out 'Flee' from Denmark, 'The Hand of God' from Italy, 'Lunana : A Yak in the Classroom' from Bhutan and 'The Worst Person in the World' from Norway.

Best Documentary Feature Film

* Awarded to 'Summer of Soul (. . . Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised!)', beating out 'Ascension', 'Attica', 'Flee' and 'Writing with Fire'.

In the other awards, 'Dune' was presented with the Oscar for Best Original Score to Hans Zimmer; Best Sound; Best Production Design; Best Cinematography for Greig Fraser; Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling was awarded to 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye'; Best Costume Design was awarded to 'Cruella' and Best Original Song went to 'No Time To Die' from 'No Time To Die' by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell.

The Governors Awards were presented to Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May and Liv Ullman each with an Honorary Academy Award and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was presented to Danny Glover. 

 

For all the information, details, glitz and glamour of Hollywood's Night of Nights, you can visit the official website at : https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2022

This week then to tempt you out to your local Odeon, we have four new movie offerings kicking off with a Superhero film based on a Marvel character that sees a biochemist who tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, inadvertently infecting himself with a form of vampirism instead. This is followed by a story set in 1961 in which a sixty year old taxi driver, steals Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. Next we have the sequel to a 2020 film about a blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds, and when his arch rival returns to Earth with a new ally, this hedgehog and his new friend is all that stands in their way. And we close out the week with an animated feature about a bunch of reformed yet misunderstood criminal animals who attempt to become good, with some disastrous results along the way.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'MORBIUS' (Rated M) - this American Superhero film features the Marvel Comics character Morbius, the Living Vampire, and is the third film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe following 'Venom' in 2018 and 'Venom : Let There Be Carnage' in 2021. Directed by Daniel Espinosa whose previous feature film credits include 'Safe House' in 2012, 'Child 44' in 2015 and 'Life' in 2017, this film saw its World Premier screening in Mexico City on 10th March before its release in the US and Australia this week. Originally slated for a 10th July 2020 release, the film was delayed several times before ending up on this weeks schedule largely due to the impacts of COVID-19. Costing US$75M to produce, early critical reaction has been less than positive. 

Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, biochemist Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed in the form of vampirism. Will good override evil - or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges? Also starring Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, Tyrese Gibson, Corey Johnson and Michael Keaton. 

'THE DUKE' (Rated M) - is a British biographical comedy drama film Directed by Roger Mitchell in his final film making capacity before his death in September last year. His other more noted Directing credits take in the likes of 'Notting Hill', 'Changing Lanes', 'Hyde Park on Hudson', 'My Cousin Rachel', and 'Blackbird'. In 1961, Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), a 60-year old taxi driver, stole Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery's history. Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government invested more in care for the elderly - he had long campaigned for pensioners to receive free television licenses. What happened next became the stuff of legend. Only 50 years later did the full story emerge - Kempton had spun an intricate web of lies. The only truth was that he was a good man, determined to change the world and save his marriage - how and why he used the Duke to achieve that is a wonderfully uplifting tale. Also starring Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead and Matthew Goode, the film saw its World Premier screening way back in September 2020 at the Venice Film Festival before being delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released in the UK in late February and has garnered widespread critical acclaim.

'SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2' (Rated PG) - this American action-adventure comedy film is Directed by Jeff Fowler and based on the video game franchise published by Sega. The sequel to 2020's 'Sonic the Hedgehog' which grossed US$320M off the back of a production budget of circa US$90M that film was also Directed by Jeff Fowler, and features most of the cast returning for this second instalment. Following on from the events of the first film, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) is determined to make his mark as a hero and decides to stay in Green Hills while Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter) go to Hawaii for her sister Rachel's (Natasha Rothwell) wedding. When Doctor Eggman (Jim Carrey) returns from the mushroom planet in search for the Master Emerald to conquer the world and exact revenge against Sonic with the help of Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Idris Elba), Sonic and his new friend Miles 'Tails' Prower (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) set out to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands. This film is due for release in the US on 8th April. In February of this year, Sega and Paramount confirmed that a third Sonic film and a Knuckles spin-off series are in development.

'THE BAD GUYS' (Rated PG) - is an American computer-animated crime comedy film Produced by DreamWorks Animation and Scholastic Entertainment and is directed by Pierre Perifel (in his feature directorial debut) and based on the children's book series of the same name by Aaron Blabey. After a lifetime of legendary heists, notorious criminals Mr. Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson) and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) are finally caught. To avoid a prison sentence, the animal outlaws must pull off their most challenging con yet - becoming model citizens. Under the tutelage of their mentor, Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), the dubious gang sets out to fool the world that they're turning good. In the meantime, a new villain emerges. Also starring the voices of Zazie Beetz, Lilly Singh and Alex Borstein. The film was released in Latin America on 17th March, goes on wide release in the US from 22nd April and has so far grossed US$8.5M. 

With four new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

LIFE : Tuesday 28th March 2017.

I was keen to see 'LIFE' which I caught earlier on in the week. Directed by Daniel Espinosa, whose previous credits include 'Child 44' and 'Safe House', this Horror Sci-Fi, was made for US$58M, was released in the US and Australia on 23rd March, has so far grossed US$32M and garnered average reviews. This I have to say, I find a little surprising because I, for one enjoyed this isolated space station romp that has elements of 'Alien', 'Gravity' and 'Sunshine' in its make-up, and serves as a pre-cursor to the eagerly awaited much grittier 'Alien : Covenant' due in May this year, courtesy of franchise originator Ridley Scott.

The film is set entirely aboard an International Space Station sometime in the near future where the six-man crew successfully intercept an off course satellite probe returning from Mars with soil samples inside.

The crew is tasked with analysing that sample for what may prove to be the first signs of extra terrestrial life. British biologist Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare) who is expert in life forms beyond Earth, is able to extract a single cell from the soil samples, and sparks it into life by making adjustments to the nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide mixture he exposes it to, together with a dose of glucose. As time goes on the cell quickly grows into a multi-celled organism that begins to react to external stimulus.

Upon further analysis, and given the rate of growth Derry and British Quarantine Officer Dr. Miranda North (Rebecca Fergusson) determine that each cell in the organism is a highly evolved muscle, brain and eye, all at once. As the days pass and become a couple of weeks the crew go about their normal space station routines - they eat, sleep, exercise, joke around and celebrate the birth of Japanese Systems Engineer Sho Murakami's (Hiroyuki Sanada) baby which he viewed live on screen. The next day or so there is an atmospheric leak in the lab where the organism is securely contained, causing it to become dormant. Derry attempts to reanimate it using a mild electric shock.

In so doing, after a number of seemingly unsuccessful attempts, the organism latches onto Derry's hand with an inordinate strength and wraps itself increasingly tightly around his lower arm. As Derry struggles to break free, so the vice like grip worsens. Derry's Space Station colleagues look on in horror from the other side of the lab containment wall, fearful of what action to take. Eventually Derry breaks free, but his hand is crushed, limp and bloody.

The organism breaks free from its contained examination cube, demonstrating its intelligence, and into the secure lab where Derry is nursing his crushed hand. American engineer and pilot of the International Space Station Rory Adams (Ryan Reynolds) enters the room in an attempt to rescue his colleague. By now the organism has devoured a lab rat and has grown further in size almost instantly. Sensing the presence of another human, the organism attaches itself to Adams leg and begins to crawl upwards. At this point all Hell has broken out. American Senior Medical Officer Dr. David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal) locks Rory inside the lab, so securing the organism, which Adams then attacks with a handheld incinerator device. But the organism it seems is able to withstand intense heat, and evades Adams attempts to kill it, by manoeuvering itself around the enclosed room with speed and agility. When the incinerator runs out of gas, and Adams attempt to foil that pesky alien critter have failed, that organism attaches itself to his face and slides into his mouth - killing Adams from the inside. Minutes later, with Adams body contorted and spitting globules of blood from his mouth, the organism emerges, having grown bigger again. Using an emergency fire suppression vent as a means of escape, the organism breaks out of the lab, and now has the run of the Space Station.

All means of communication with Earth suddenly are cut off. Russian crew Commander Katarina Golovkina (Olga Dihovichnaya) takes it upon herself to take a space walk to repair what is believed to be a broken antenna. In repairing the damage she notices that coolant has been drained from a reservoir and assumes that the organism has consumed it as a means of feeding itself. At this point the organism escapes through the antenna valve and promptly attacks Golovkina during her space walk, trying to gain entry through her space suit. In the ensuing struggle, her suits coolant system is ruptured pouring liquid coolant inside her suit - effectively drowning her.  Her limp lifeless body drifts off into space.

The organism gains entry back inside the Space Station. The remaining crew hatch a plan to make the organism dormant again by sealing themselves into one single module and venting all the atmosphere out of the remaining Station. In doing so, Derry goes into cardiac arrest. Jordan and North are able to resuscitate him, but only to see movement under his trouser leg. The organism has attached itself to Derry's leg and is feeding off him. Derry is paraplegic and so had no sense of touch or feeling in his legs. When the organism is revealed it has grown again, and is now a much larger more menacing tentacled creature than before even. It lunges to attack the there remaining crew who all head off in different directions. Sho heads to the sleeping quarters and quickly locks himself inside his sleeping pod with the organism hot on his heels. It attempts to break into the pod by crushing the glass, but is unsuccessful. Jordan and North attempt to tease the organism away from Sho, using the corpse of Derry as bait, and they are successful in locking it inside a module to deprive it of oxygen.

When a Russian Soyuz Capsule docks with the Space Station in response to an emergency SOS call before all communications were lost, Sho makes a dash for it believing this to be a rescue mission. The reality is however, that the Soyuz is there to push the Space Station into deep space, so preventing the organism from ever reaching Earth, where it will wipe out mankind, as it is believed to have done on Mars. The Soyuz Capsule docks against the module where the organism is contained, and in opening the hatch to gain entry, Sho is immediately attacked as are the crew of the Russian craft. Causing a docking breach, the Soyuz capsule is pushed backwards where it spirals out of control and crashes into the Stations vital infrastructure.

The collision causes the oxygen levels and the temperature to plummet very quickly. Jordan has a plan involving two escape pods, each of which are pre-programmed to auto-pilot back down to Earth.  He takes it upon himself to lure the organism into his pod and manually override the auto-pilot command and head out into deep space so sacrificing himself but ensuring that the organism cannot be Earthbound. He fears that the organism would likely survive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, and so this is the only option. This will create the necessary distraction to allow North to make a clean getaway in the other escape pod.

Jordan lures the organism into his pod with heat sticks given that the temperatures now on board have dropped to dangerously low levels. Meanwhile North clambers in to hers. Her pod is knocked off course when it hits debris from the earlier collision. The organism attacks Jordan while he is trying to control the trajectory of his pod. At first the pods are side by side, but with the ensuing dilemma confronting both survivors, they soon divert and head off in different directions - one bound for home, and the other for deep space.

There will be obvious comparisons here to Ridley Scott's ground breaking 'Alien' and that would be hardly surprising, especially given the imminent arrival in a couple of months of his 'Alien : Covenant' which is already gaining much publicity. At a brisk running time just on one hundred minutes or so, this film propels you into the action fairly quickly, and layers on the suspense, but there are no jump scares in this film that you might expect from its horror tag. It is well acted, well crafted, looks impressive and delivers exactly what you would expect from a stranded all alone educated and level headed expert crew battling an evil unknown alien foe that is capable of wiping out all humankind, and prepared to sacrifice themselves for the greater good in the process. We've seen films of this type for decades, and there are a few that deliver a much better result, but equally there are plenty that fall way short of 'Life'. The film works on many levels, and I enjoyed the ride, and it is certainly worth the price of your ticket.

 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 23rd March 2017.

With the release of the next Disney animated classic in full live action mode this week - see my Preview of 'Beauty and the Beast' below, it is no wonder this Production Company has a strategy in mind given the pay dirt they have hit since embarking on this renewed focus. Following hot on the heels of the other classic animated features given the live action or full CGI makeover, that were Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' in 2010 taking US$1.03B; 'Maleficent' in 2014 which took US$786M; Kenneth Branagh's 'Cinderella' in 2015 which grossed US$544M and last years 'The Jungle Book' Directed by Jon Favreau with receipts of US$967M, it is hardly surprising that Disney is green lighting its animated classics for the live action treatment. 'Mulan' is up next in November 2018.

Upcoming from Disney over the next several years, we can expect to see, 'The Lion King' which has been announced with Jon Favreau Directing given his success as mentioned previously, although a release date is unknown. Favreau is also Directing 'The Jungle Book 2' to follow on from last years success. Tim Burton is said to be Directing a live action version of the 1941 classic 'Dumbo', and Guy Ritchie is rumoured to be Directing 'Aladdin'. Angelina Jolie will reprise her 'Maleficent' role in a sequel, Reece Witherspoon is attached to 'Tink' as 'Tinkerbell', a spin off from the world of 'Peter Pan' and David Lowry who Directed 'Pete's Dragon' is attached to 'Peter Pan' on Directorial duties. Emma Stone is set to play Cruella De Vil in an origin story spin off from the 1961 animated film and the 1996 live action '101 Dalmatian's'. Others on the slate to get the full live action/CGI treatment include 'Pinocchio', 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' it's first full length animated feature film, 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Sword in the Stone', 'Winnie the Pooh', and the follow-up from the 1964 'Mary Poppins' film, 'Mary Poppins Returns' with Emily Blunt playing Poppins, is scheduled for a Christmas release 2018.

This week there are four new film offerings to tempt and tease you out to your local multiplex or independent theatre. We kick off with a much loved and hugely successful Disney animated classic getting the full 21st Century live action makeover. We then move to an outer space alien horror story involving a quickly evolving Martian life form, an International Space Station, the six man crew and the fate of our fragile little green planet. We then have the launch of a possible new Superhero franchise that is not of the Marvel or DC kind, but will be known to many of us as an existing popular long running television series that sees five unsuspecting teenagers brought together to save the world with their particular set of skills, and their brightly coloured threads! Wrapping up we have a young childhood based animated feature from those people at DreamWorks that sees a baby taking charge on the home front to reunite a family and thwart a potentially epic struggle involving a manipulative company CEO.

When you have fulfilled your opportunity to watch a film of choice in the week ahead, from any one of those Previewed below, or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog posts, be sure to drop us a line detailing your relevant, constructive and unbiased opinions. Simply leave your views in the Comments section below this or any other Post - we'd love to hear from you! In the meantime, enjoy your movie.

'BEAUTY AND THE BEAST' (Rated PG) - this Walt Disney Pictures latest live action release of its much loved animated film of the same name from 1991, spawned a whole industry in itself in the wake of its release. The original animated feature which picked up multiple awards and nominations including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes and five Grammy Awards and took US$425M at the Box Office, gave rise to three straight to video sequels, a television series which ran for 65 episodes, and a hugely successful Broadway musical which toured through thirteen countries and took US$1.4B between its release in 1994 and when the curtain finally came down in 2007. There has also been a bunch of video games over the years.

Directed by Bill Condon and with an ensemble cast that features Emma Watson as Belle an avid bookworm, who's independent and a beautiful young woman, and Dan Stevens as The Prince/Beast, an egotistical handsome prince who is cursed into a reclusive bestial creature by The Enchantress as punishment for his arrogance. The story, which you'll know already, features Belle who is taken prisoner by the fearsome Beast in his enchanted castle. There, she learns that the castle's residents were once humans and are cursed into their current states as household objects. Belle also tries to evade a fiendish former soldier-turned hunter, Gaston (Luke Evans) who seeks to have Belle as his trophy wife. Despite her fears, she soon becomes friends with the castle's welcoming enchanted staff and learns to look deeper beyond the beast's ugly exterior, allowing her to see the kind heart and soul of the true prince on the inside. Also starring Kevin Kline, Ewen McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Josh Gad and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. This production cost US$160M to bring to the big screen, and it has so far recouped US$393M since it release in the US last week.

'LIFE' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Daniel Espinosa this Horror Sci-Fi is set aboard an International Space Station where the six-man crew successfully intercept a probe returning from Mars with a sample inside. The crew is tasked with analysing that sample for what may prove to be the first signs of extra terrestrial life. As the crew celebrate their discovery and settle down to conduct their research, the primitive life form ultimately proves to be not so primitive as was thought as it rapidly evolves and proves to be much more intelligent, menacing and deadly that they could have imagined. The race is on to destroy it, before the crew are all destroyed, and the ISS returns to Earth with a deadly cargo capable of wiping out all humanity, if life on Mars, or lack of it, is anything to go by. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds and Rebecca Furgusson. The film was made for US$58M and is released Stateside this week also.

'POWER RANGERS' (Rated M) - after 24 years, 24 television seasons and now three cinema released films, this teen Superhero film gets a reboot with the Red, Pink, Blue, Black and Yellow Power Rangers saving the world for a cool budget of US$105M. Directed by Dean Israelite, this film features many of the characters as seen on the television series 'The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' albeit updated for a whole new audience brought up on a diet of Marvel and DC animated adaptations. Here five teenagers with attitude are thrust together either by design or by coincidence to become the newest line of warriors, crime fighters and protectors of the Earth, known as 'Power Rangers'. Quickly putting their real life teenage issues behind the them, the newly formed Power Rangers must assimilate quickly to each other, their new powers and their new responsibilities to protect their own small town of Angel Grove, and the world at large, from an alien attack, launched by Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), a powerful witch and former Green Power Ranger, with an army of stone golems and a giant golden monster. Starring Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, R.J. Cyler, Becky G and Ludi Lin as our titular young heroes with a particular set of skills, with Bill Hader and Bryan Cranston too.

'THE BOSS BABY' (Rated G) - this DreamWorks CGI animated feature is based on the 2010 picture book of the same name by Marla Frazee and is Directed by Tom McGrath. Here, the arrival of a new baby impacts a family, told from the perspective of a unreliable, albeit delightful narrator -- a wildly imaginative 7-year-old named Tim (Miles Bakshi, and narrated by Tobey Maguire as his adult self). The most unusual Boss Baby (Alec Baldwin) arrives at Tim's home in a taxi, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. Their sibling rivalry must soon be put aside when Tim discovers that Boss Baby is in fact a spy on a secret mission to win back the affection of his parents (Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow), and thwart a plot that involves the CEO of Puppy Co. Francis E. Francis (Steve Buscemi) in an epic battle between puppies and babies. The film is released in the US on 31st March.

Four films this week offering the usual range of genres and tastes from epic big budget Disney live action retelling, to an updated teenage Superhero offering, to an ET alien running rampant on an International Space Station, and wrapping up with an animated family offering with a message. Share your thoughts with us here at this Blog, and in the meantime, I'll see you somewhere, sometime in the coming week at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

SAFE HOUSE - archive from 18th February 2012.

Saw 'SAFE HOUSE' this week at my local independant picture house with a couple of mates. This latest Denzel Washington actioner is Directed by Daniel Espinosa and co-stars Ryan Reynolds, Brendan Gleeson and Vera Farmiga in a CIA cat & mouse romp set this time in South Africa. Also supporting is Robert Patrick, Sam Shepard, and Liam Cunningham who all add gravitas to the plot. The action comes at you hard & fast (Bourne style) and the plot is not dissimilar to something seen before (Mission:Impossible) but it is gritty (hand held camera work) and reasonably intelligent.

The story here surounds former CIA operative Tobin Frost (Washington) who has jumped the fence and turned international criminal. He has acquired a data storage devise from a rogue MI6 Agent and when together they are ambushed forcing Frost to surrender himself to the local American Embassy in Cape Town. He is quickly moved to the 'safe house' which is being guarded by Matt Weston (Reynolds) - a rookie agent recently promoted into this dead beat position.

Needless to say the 'safe house' gets attacked leaving a trail of bloody broken bodies, but Weston escapes with Front in tow. What follows is a cat & mouse game as Frost breaks free from Weston, Weston tries to re-secure Frost, Frost gains the upper hand, another safe house is revealed that provides for the ultimate showdown, and then Weston wins the day albeit not necessarily in one piece but retrieves the data storage device and learns what is contained therein - using it for his eventual gain.

Ryan Reynolds is quickly proving his acting chops and plays the reluctant hero well, but I can't help thinking that once again Denzel phone's it in with a part that he is all too comfortable with, and you have seen before in other roles before . . . and since! Brendan Gleeson is the devlish wolf in sheeps clothing as David Barlow (senior CIA and superior to Weston) but can he really be trusted and Vera Farmiga as Catherine Linklater is also with the CIA but really surplus to requirements and canon fodder in the end! 

This film cost US$85M to make and brought in a global box office haul of US$208M and it picked up one award win and seven other nominations. Entertaining enough, fast paced, well written, well acted out and worth the price of a ticket for an intelligent action drama of basic cops & robbers with a few added twists & turns that is set somewhere different for a welcome change!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-