Under the wing of crime boss Frank Costello, Colin Sullivan manages to infiltrate the Massachusetts police force as an informant for the Irish Mob. At the same time, the police manage to plant an undercover rookie in with Costello’s crew to bust him from the inside. It’s when the two rats start tailing each other that the plot starts to captivate.
my rating : 4 of 5
2006
2014
crimestoppersusa.com
The premise is engaging. Two kids go missing during a Thanksgiving dinner. The fear is a kidnapping with the probability of the girls being raped and killed. Such an outcome could make for a poignant movie, but director Denis Villeneuve would rather cater to the morals of its audience thus realism is overshadowed by silly unlikelihoods. The actions of Keller Dover; the father of one of the girls; are particularly outrageous.
my rating : 3 of 5
2013
2014
Ice Cube is cool as detective James Payton, but it’s pseudo partner Ben Barber, played by Kevin Hart, who steals the show. He’s funnier here than he is as an on-stage comedian, so, in a movie with such a hackneyed plot, the jokes are the driving force. This is essentially a loose parody of Training Day, a fact the script is clever enough to acknowledge.
my rating : 3 of 5
2014
justice.gov
Michelle Pfeiffer is looking old, but her daughter makes up for it. Belle is alluring. In a Robert De Niro movie about Goodfellas-style mob crime, the most captivating moment is a sex scene in which she’s getting fucked by her teacher. That’s because, while the concept; a Family trying to adjust to a new life via The Witness Protection Program; has potential, the plot is full of bullet holes.
my rating : 3 of 5
2013
Jordan Belfort lived the good life. His supply of money, drugs and pussy seemed endless until he got busted for stock fraud. His rise and fall is depicted here via Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie is zippy; an abundance of soft porn scenes help; but it never builds into a cohesive story.
Tighter editing might’ve done the job; the Lemmon car and Monaco boat rides are particularly excessive; but I’m doubtful. The Wolf Of Wall Street, while stimulating in its debauchery, plays with the incoherence and fleeting suspense of a movie that’s based on a true story.
my rating : 3 of 5
2013
2014
cnn.com
2012
2009
2013