I know the summer movie blockbuster season is upon us. I know you have tons of options and, if you aren’t taking summer classes, you’ve got plenty of time to go see things blow up or watch space wizards battle some robots. But if you are sitting around on a Thursday night and you don’t want to go out, maybe one of our movie reviews this month could point you to a pleasant way to spend a few hours before bed.
Den of Thieves (2018) [R]
Consensus. Compromise. These are markers of a good relationship. They are also why the first movie we are talking about this month is Den of Thieves. I really didn’t have high hopes for it, but my buddy had come over and was adamant that we should give it a shot. “Dude, you love heist movies!” And I do. “It’s got O’Shea Jackson Jr. and you thought he was great in Straight Outta Compton.” Also true. “50 Cent is in it. Don’t you want to help 50 Cent? You know he’s having money problems.” That was a while back, folks, but “Fine,” I said “We’ll watch Den of Thieves.”
This gritty heist film from rookie director Christian Gudegast follows a pair of alpha males on opposite sides of the law. Gerard Butler plays “Big Nick” O’Brien, a rough and tumble cop who is on the trail of a group of bank robbers lead by Pablo Schreiber’s character Ray Merrimen. Both men are leaders. Both men are determined to do their job by any means necessary.
Merrimen and his crew hatch a plan to steal millions from the Federal Reserve Bank in Los Angeles. O’Brien and his crew are going to catch them. Sounds simple enough, right? But Gudegast, who also wrote the screenplay, manages to keep adding complexity to the plot while maintaining the entertainment value. This also means that Den of Thieves clocks in at almost two-and-a-half hours, which feels a little long.
It’s clear Gudegast had a lot on his mind when he was writing the script. There are a lot of ideas and themes at play. Probably too many as there are certainly occasions where you will ask yourself, “Wait, why was that scene even in there?” But surprisingly, the finished product isn’t too bad. The actors do a fine job. The action is good. The heist itself is fun to watch. At the end of the film, I had to turn to my friend and say, “All right. Not bad. Not great, either, mind you. But definitely better than what I was expecting.” Then she told me, “Yeah, right? And they are already working on Den of Thieves 2!” Of course they are.
7 paws out of 10
Red Sparrow (2017) [R]
This one is going to be the controversial review of the month for a couple of reasons. First, Jennifer Lawrence has a pretty rabid fan base and her past two movies (2017’s Mother! and Red Sparrow) have been quite the departure from her earlier roles. Second, I don’t think the marketers behind Red Sparrow quite got across what the movie actually is. There is some full-throttle nastiness and a persistent dour mood here, and I don’t think people expected that going in. But mostly, I worry this is going to be a controversial review because I liked Red Sparrow more than, it appears, many critics.
We start off with Lawrence playing Dominika Egorova, a top Russian ballerina who is caring for her ailing mother. During a performance, her leg is shattered when her dance partner lands on it. Dominika has to find a new life and her uncle Vanya (Yeah, writers Jason Matthews and Justin Haythe had fun with that one, but he’s nothing like the character from the Chekhov play) offers to help by bringing her into the spy network that he runs. Much like many of the situations in Red Sparrow, this is both an offer of help and a threat. I won’t go too much further on the plot though because I don’t want to ruin any of the fun.
“The fun.” In some ways, those are the wrong words. Red Sparrow is most definitely serious, dour, brutal and perverse. This is a movie for adults. And this is where the Jennifer Lawrence fans might start to get upset. Lawrence took a real risk with this role and while she doesn’t quite nail the Russian accent, she more than holds her own with fellow heavy-weight cast members Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons and Matthias Schoenaerts. That shouldn’t be surprising. She is an Oscar winner. But this role is so different for her, trust me, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Red Sparrow has all of the hallmarks of an espionage thriller. The locations are beautiful. There is plenty of action, intrigue and seduction. But what really sets this film apart is Dominika’s horror at what she must do to survive. That is what is missing in the marketing for the movie. This isn’t about how glamorous the life of a spy is. This is a film about surviving that life. While it isn’t the best spy movie I have ever seen, I think it is a pretty good one.
8 paws out of 10
As always, if you have a movie you think I should check out or you want to talk further about one of these reviews, drop me a line at collincougar@collin.edu or leave me a message on Facebook.