Very dark movie. Surprisingly dark considering it is a movie with Nicholas Cage. Resolve at the end is lackluster, nice surprise when you're not spoiled but makes the whole build up kinda useless. The whole story/script rather feels like it's falling into places however it is convenient for progress. On that way there are some things that irritate me as a viewer: Why did Maguire kill himself at the end? Just because of feeling remorse for what he did when he was 17? Why now? Cowardly way out when he was about being killed anyway, leaving his wife back, alone. Why did he have to kill his friend? Why didn't he trust him just now? I get what was tried to explain it in the movie but it was again just falling into places here, it's highly unbelievable. Completely unnecessary as well. Most of all: this movie probably has the most useless and retarded police I have ever seen in a movie. They are just there for action scenes, for suspense when chasing the bad guy(s), giving a certain frame. They could be cut out completely from the movie and it wouldn't make any change. Not only is Maguire a very unlikeable cardboard character but the side characters have no other purpose than to appear out of nowhere just for plot and leave again. They aren't explored whatsoever, it's just "they are the mysterious bad guys you don't want to anger". That's it. Well, at least for the most part, turns out that one guy who got killed when Maguire was 17 was the brother of the Russian mob boss. How convenient. The premise is great, the twist at the end a nice change to the happy end crap that is favored and it has it's moments but the movie lacks on all ends sometimes more, sometimes less.
Review by ds1BlockedParentSpoilers2014-06-23T14:39:42Z
Very dark movie. Surprisingly dark considering it is a movie with Nicholas Cage.
Resolve at the end is lackluster, nice surprise when you're not spoiled but makes the whole build up kinda useless.
The whole story/script rather feels like it's falling into places however it is convenient for progress. On that way there are some things that irritate me as a viewer:
Why did Maguire kill himself at the end? Just because of feeling remorse for what he did when he was 17? Why now? Cowardly way out when he was about being killed anyway, leaving his wife back, alone. Why did he have to kill his friend? Why didn't he trust him just now? I get what was tried to explain it in the movie but it was again just falling into places here, it's highly unbelievable. Completely unnecessary as well.
Most of all: this movie probably has the most useless and retarded police I have ever seen in a movie. They are just there for action scenes, for suspense when chasing the bad guy(s), giving a certain frame. They could be cut out completely from the movie and it wouldn't make any change.
Not only is Maguire a very unlikeable cardboard character but the side characters have no other purpose than to appear out of nowhere just for plot and leave again. They aren't explored whatsoever, it's just "they are the mysterious bad guys you don't want to anger". That's it.
Well, at least for the most part, turns out that one guy who got killed when Maguire was 17 was the brother of the Russian mob boss. How convenient.
The premise is great, the twist at the end a nice change to the happy end crap that is favored and it has it's moments but the movie lacks on all ends sometimes more, sometimes less.