Category Archives: Violent

2018, Alaskan wilderness, Creepy, Dark, Dysfunctional Lives, Frontier Life, Gloomy, Grim, Grisly, Gritty, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Police Story, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Slow, Violent

Hold The Dark (2018)

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From IMDB:

After the deaths of three children suspected to be killed by wolves, writer Russell Core is hired by the parents of a missing six-year-old boy to track down and locate their son in the Alaskan wilderness.

From Netflix you can stream this 2 hour film.

S L O W !  and D A R K ! is the flavor of this story set in dark Alaska (did I mention “dark”?) where the sun comes up at 10AM and sets at 3:30PM.

Russel Core (played by Jeffrey Wright) is a wolf expert who travels to a remote spot in Alaska at the request of Medora Slone (played by Riley Keough) who wants Russel to kill the wolf that abducted her son Bailey. Meanwhile Medora’s husband Vernon (played by Alexander Skarsgård) gets shot in Afghanistan and is sent home. Just before Vernon arrives home, Russel returns from a wolf hunt to find Medora gone and discovers the body of Bailey strangled in the basement.

In Afghanistan we were introduced to Vernon’s brutally murderous side. It would seem now that his intent is to find his wife and avenge the murder of his son. From here on in I reveal no more only to say that the story takes a shocking, unexpected, and violent turn. You have to stick around to understand the local hatred toward the police, the local superstitions, and what makes Vernon tick.

Just be aware that despite the unusual plot, which kept me interested, this film is VERY VIOLENT!

 

2018, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action Film, Action Hero, Adventure, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Drone warfare, Father-son relations, Germ Warfare, Human trafficking, International thriler, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Revenge, Romance, Sex Scenes, Terrorist Attack, Terrorists, Violent

Jack Ryan (2018)

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From Amazon Prime:

When CIA analyst Jack Ryan stumbles upon a suspicious series of bank transfers his search for answers pulls him from the safety of his desk job and catapults him into a deadly game of cat and mouse throughout Europe and the Middle East, with a rising terrorist figurehead preparing for a massive attack against the US and her allies.

From Amazon Prime you can stream Season 1 of this international terrorist season. Each of the 8 episodes are roughly 45 minutes except for the first pilot episode which is over an hour.

If you like adventure thrillers with a bit of romance thrown in, you will enjoy all the action.  To reach a happy ending Jack Ryan makes some pistol shots that seem downright implausible, but at least those shots reduce the tension.  Congratulations to the film makers for choosing for the lead role John Krasinski (“who?”) who is anything but the usual Hollywood-handsome type of actor.

Sometimes I worry that the elaborate terrorist plots and devices will motivate real terrorist to use the same methods.

Bets are you will binge-watch this series. Let’s hope there are more seasons.

2017, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Acorn TV, Ambiguous Conclusion, Brother-Sister relations, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Corruption, Courtroom scenes, Detective, Drug Dealers, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Financial malfeasance, Illegitimate Child, Lawyers, Marital Infidelity, Missing Person, Mother-daughter relations, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Revenge, Romance, Small Town, Violent, Wales, Welsh detectives

Keeping Faith (2017)

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From Acorn TV:

Fun-loving Faith Howells is drawn into a mystery when her husband and business partner Evan (Bradley Freegard, EastEnders) disappears. He leaves for work, but never arrives. His sudden absence strikes deep into the heart of this tiny Welsh community and forces Faith to come back from extended maternity leave to defend a hopeless vagrant on shoplifting charges. As increasingly-desperate Faith searches for clues, she discovers new revelations about Evan’s private life and questions how well she really knows the man she loves. Also starring Hannah Daniel (Hinterland), Matthew Gravelle (Broadchurch), Mark Lewis Jones (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), and Aneirin Hughes (Hinterland).

From Acorn TV you can stream the 8 one-hour episodes of the only season offered.

“Mounting Frustration” best describes the progress of the series. Just when you think things could not get any worse for poor besieged Faith, they get much worse. Finally Kathy and I arrived at the eighth and last episode only to be rewarded with an ambiguous somewhat happy ending, which seems to beg for another season.

Too much time is spent in long-held motionless poses where we watch Faith suffer. Could the villainess be any nastier?  As plots go, this one is fairly complicated.

Just don’t expect justice to be served perfectly, and for all the heroes to live happily ever after.

2017, Abuse of Women, Addiction, American Indian culture, Bloody scenes, Could Be Hard To Watch, Disturbing Image, Father-son relations, Grim, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Rape, Revenge, Violent

Wind River (2017)

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From IMDB:

A veteran tracker with the Fish and Wildlife Service helps to investigate the murder of a young Native American woman, and uses the case as a means of seeking redemption for an earlier act of irresponsibility which ended in tragedy.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 47 minute full feature length film starring Jeremy Renner.

Although the scenery in all its wildness is breathtaking (and beautifully photographed), after watching this film I have decided that you could not pay me to step foot in central Wyoming. Perhaps I got the wrong impression.

Quite simply the story is about the brutal rape of a young American Indian woman and the murder of both her and her white American boyfriend and how this crime is avenged. When I say brutal, be warned: there is some nasty violence portrayed.

Jeremy Renner teams his persona as a tracker with that of a young urban FBI agent Jane Banner played by Elizabeth Olsen.  He is on the side of the law of the land whereas she tries to uphold the rules of the FBI. She has no clue about the wilderness, so to honor his Indian friend and father of the victim, he volunteers to help her while making it clear he follows his own rules.

Expect some ugly violence, much death, and a very fitting revenge. Not for the faint of heart.

2007, Amazon Prime, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, British, Dark, Grim, Grisly, Iraq War, Mental Illness, Military, Murder, Police Culture, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Suicide, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Violent, War Veterans

Mobile (2007)

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From IMDB:

Detective Inspectors Conil and Fleming (“Casualty” star Sunetra Sarker and “Gunpowder” newcomer Shaun Dooley) investigate how a gangland shooting connects to a terrorist campaign against a mobile phone conglomerate in this politically charged thriller set against the backdrop of the Iraq War.

From Amazon Prime you can download the 4 episodes (each about 50 minutes) of this violent one-season story.

In a complicated plot, someone is waging war against mobile phones.  Here the novel approach is that each episode seems to repeat the previous episode, each time filling in more details that seemed to be missing from that previous episode.

Eventually the entire story is one of a revenge plot centering around an increasingly disturbed war veteran Maurice Stoan, who lost his wife and child to a traffic accident.  In a real way Maurice is the victim, albeit a very violent victim.

If nothing else, the plot twists (as in, who gets blown up next?) are worth the trip.

2013, Abduction, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, British, Detective, Explicit sex, Family Conflict, French, French Detective Series, Grim, Grisly, Journalist, Marital Infidelity, Murder, Nudity, Police Culture, Psychopath, Suspense, Violent

The Tunnel (2013)

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From IMDB:

The Tunnel is set against the backdrop of Europe in crisis. When a prominent French politician is found dead on the border between the U.K. and France, detectives Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane, “Game of Thrones”) and Elise Wassermann (Clémence Poésy, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II”) are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries. The case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership. As the serial killer uses ever more elaborate and ingenious methods to highlight the moral bankruptcy of modern society, Karl and Elise are drawn deeper into his increasingly personal agenda.

From Amazon Prime you can download the 10 episodes, each episode lasting about 45 minutes.  Both French and English are spoken.

Be prepared for a somewhat grim story in which the psychopathic “Truth Terrorist” enacts a series of wrenching murders. For example, the story starts when the French and British detectives meet inside the channel tunnel at the exact half point which is the dividing line between Britain and France. Lying on that midpoint are two body halves (each from a different person) joined to look like one person. This should give you an idea of how grisly the plot becomes.

If you can put that gore behind you, you might enjoy the personal crux of the story: Elise, the French half of the team, suffers from an extreme case of Asperger’s Syndrome. She just does not understand human emotions, or as we might put it, she is just plain clueless. However both she and the British detective Karl are equally obsessively dedicated and very smart detectives.  Between them the interaction is entertaining.

And yes, there is quite a bit of sex, meaningless and otherwise.

If you can stand the harsh crimes, the suspenseful story is a good watch.

2017, Action Film, Addiction, Amazon Prime, Bank Robbery, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Crime, Detective, Drama, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Forensics, Grim, Police Culture, Prison, Prostitutes, Romance, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Violent

Prime Suspect: Tennison (2017)

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From Amazon Prime:

This is the much-anticipated prequel to award-winning global hit Prime Suspect. Rewind to 1970s London to portray the early career of the formidable DCI Jane Tennison (Stefanie Martini), the role that established Dame Helen Mirren as a household name. We meet Jane as an ambitious 22-year-old probationary officer, starting out as a WPC in a world where chauvinism and rule-bending are the norm.

From Amazon Prime you can download Season 1 of this Prime Suspect prequel. Each of the 6 episodes last about 45 minutes.

Every episode offers tense action and interpersonal interactions. All 6 episodes form one complete story. Along the way there are romances, deaths, male chauvinism, crimes, drugs all of which lead to a suspenseful conclusion.

Well worth the watch.

2017, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Based on a Book, Film Remake, Grungy, Pseudo Utopia, Suspense, Violent

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

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From IMDB:

A young blade runner’s discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former blade runner Rick Deckard, who’s been missing for thirty years.

British Air offered this film with subtitles.

Before you watch this “Blade Runner” update, you MUST watch the original version which ends with Rick Deckard flying off into the wild blue yonder with his female android sidekick. This 2017 version picks up some time after the first version ended.

Try not to compare the two versions. Remakes today use all kinds of visual tricks and techniques to make the films seem snazzy. But sometimes the simpler  filming techniques work just as well (but then who’s comparing?) If you see both versions I would be interested in your opinions. In the original who could forget the powerful android who just as his manufacturer-installed death date  approaches says “Oh – the wondrous things I have seen (THE END)”? Or who could forget watching the frustrated android (oops, we forgot to add the sex feature!)  squash the head of his creator.  Now quote for me some unforgettable portion of the new version.

Despite my old-fart grumbling, Ryan Gosling as usual puts in one of his well-done stone-faced performances. And what a surprise when Harrison Ford finally appears!

Loved both versions!

2017, Action Film, Action Hero, Amusing banter, Car Chase, Chase film, Comic Moments, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corruption, Courtroom scenes, Mayhem, Suspense, Violent, Witty dialog

The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017)

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From IMDB:

The world’s top bodyguard gets a new client, a hit man who must testify at the International Criminal Court. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time.

British Airways offered this film with subtitles.

Car chases galore, gun battles everywhere, conspiracy, genocidal dictators, romance, and a stream of side cracks all amount to a fun suspense fest. Perhaps that list sounds hackneyed, but somehow this film makes it all work.

All those side cracks are Ryan Reynolds’ trade in stock, which he delivers successfully. His banter with Samuel L. Jackson is also amusing.

And of course, the bad guy is really bad and you have to see him get his just dues.  Just as the film was reaching its conclusion the plane landed, but fortunately the plane was delayed for quite a while before we could disembark which let me see the stunning conclusion.

Just let your inner male teenager relax and enjoy the mayhem.

2017, Abduction, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Bail Bondsmen, Bloody scenes, Card sharks, Complicated, Complicated Scams, Contract Killing, Extramarital Affair, Gambling, Identity Theft, Police Culture, Prison, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Torture, Violent

Sneaky Pete (2017)

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SEASON ONE

From Amazon Prime:

A con man (Giovanni Ribisi) on the run from a vicious gangster (Bryan Cranston) takes cover from his past by assuming the identity of his prison cellmate, Pete, “reuniting” with Pete’s estranged family, a colorful, dysfunctional group that threatens to drag him into a world just as dangerous as the one he’s trying to escape – and, just maybe, give him a taste of the loving family he’s never had.

There are now two seasons you can stream from Amazon Prime. Season One consists of 10 episodes, each roughly an hour long.

Giovanni Ribisi (who plays Pete) has always been one of my favorite chameleon actors. But the bonus is that his “grandmother” Audrey is none other than Margo Martindale whose resumé is enormous but whom I first remember as the cold blooded killer Mags Bennett from “Justified.” You will probably also recognize Pete’s “grandfather” Otto as the actor Peter Gerety who played Judge Timothy Stane in “The Good Wife.”

Clever crime can be extremely technical. In our case the crimes center around fraudulent scams and card shark gambling. Not only can the scams be complicated, but the cheating techniques in card playing are challenging to understand. However, those details do not really matter because the fun is just watching the participants getting caught in their intrigues.  If you think some of our current politicians are “good” at lying, wait till you hear Pete in one tense situation after another instantly concoct some of the most creative lies I have ever heard.

At times the show can be violent. For example, until Pete returns stolen money to a crook, Pete’s captive brother will regularly lose a toe (ouch!).  But after the card shark brother loses just one toe, the captors convince him to deal cards for them in order to discover how one of the client players is cheating.

If there is a main theme, it is that Pete not only convinces the family that he really is the long lost grandson, but Pete becomes genuinely attached to the family.

Peter never stays out of trouble for long and seems to drag everyone else along with him. But it is just fun to watch.