Category Archives: Violent

2014, Acceptable for teenagers, Action Film, Action Hero, Airline pilot, Alcoholism, Clever Plot, Computer geeks, Drugs, Frenetic, Mayhem, Murder, Netflix DVD, Political statement, Suspense, Thriller, Trouble on an Airplane, Violent

Non-Stop (2014)

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From IMDB:

An air marshal springs into action during a transatlantic flight after receiving a series of text messages demanding $150 million into an off-shore account, or someone will die every 20 minutes.

At the conclusion of this film I had no fingernails remaining. Talk about suspense! Clever and inventive plot, a team of well-known actors, and some human interest make this particular airplane film worth watching. Moreover, the post-ending was not too maudlin.

  • Liam Neeson plays Bill Marks the federal air marshal on board.
  • Julianne Moore is Jen Summers who supports Bill despite the plot to make him look guilty.
  • Corey Stoll (Rep. Peter Russo in “House of Cards”) was the cop Austin Reilly.
  • Linus Roache (King Ecbert in “Vikings”) was head pilot David McMillan.
  • Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley in “Downton Abbey”) was the stewardess Nancy.

Certainly this thriller is better than my all time favorite “Snakes on a Plane”.

2016, Abduction, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crude Talk, Detective, Disturbing Image, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Grisly, Murder, Netflix DVD, Nudity, Psychopath, Revenge, Sadism, Sociopath, Suspense, Violent

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

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From IMDB:

A wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband’s novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.

Should I feel guilty being completely absorbed (as in “who needs dinner?”) in one of the nastiest films I have ever seen?

First Warning: Please ignore the opening and possibly offensive scene.  Susan Morrow, the art gallery owner, admits later on that the fashionable art she show is “junk”.  As an example this first scene shows obese, older women with sagging giant breasts and body fat writhing for the camera,  all as part of Susan’s  latest art exhibit.

Susan’s marriage is falling apart. She is asked by her former husband and first love, Edward Sheffield,  to be initial reader for his first novel. As she reads the novel, it is presented to us in film and portrays a horrific crime perpetrated by a psychopath and his two brutal followers. Just watching the crime is harrowing in the extreme.

So why did I put myself through this horror show? Mostly I was attracted to actors such as:

  • Amy Adams plays Susan Morrow. Amy was already amazing as the lead in “Arrival“.
  • Jake Gyllenhaal plays Tony Hastings (the novel protagonist) and Edward Sheffield (Susan’s first love). Gyllenhaal takes chances and expands his abilities with challenging and unusual roles.
  • Michael Shannon plays Bobby Andes who is the police detective in the novel.

Watch the cringe-fest if you must, but you won’t be happy afterwards.

2016, Abduction, Acceptable Science, Cancer theme, Computer geeks, Creepy, Father-daughter relations, Grim, Mother-daughter relations, Nudity, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Sociopath, Suspense, Teenagers, Thought provoking, Uncategorized, Violent

I.T. (2016)

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From IMDB:

Mike Regan has everything he could ever want, a beautiful family and a top of the line smart house. The company he owns is on the verge of changing flight leasing forever. That is, until the relationship with his I.T. advisor turns nasty, to the point where his teenage daughter is being stalked and his family is under attack through every technological facet of their lives.

On our British Airways flight to London I was able to watch both this film as well as “Jason Bourne” which is reviewed elsewhere. As I mentioned in that other review, both films deal with the current War on Privacy. Whereas in “Jason Bourne” the CIA wants “Apple Corporation” to let the CIA have access to everyone’s data, in “I.T.” Mike Regan  (played convincingly by Pierce Brosnan , age 64) foolishly allows his new IT employee Patrick (played eerily by Jason Barry,  a young looking age 46) to convert Mike’s home into a “smart house” which allows Patrick to see all and tell all that occurs there. That was a big mistake!

In “I.T.” the suspense seemed more intense than in “Jason Bourne”, probably because the former  scenario is today unfortunately very plausible. Would you feel comfortable living in a smart house? Is Big Brother watching you?

2016, Action Film, Action Hero, Ambiguous Conclusion, Based on a Book, Black Ops, Car Chase, Chase film, CIA, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Ethical struggles, Father-son relations, Mayhem, Revenge, Suspense, Torture, Uncategorized, Violent

Jason Bourne (2016)

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From IMDB:

The CIA’s most dangerous former operative is drawn out of hiding to uncover more explosive truths about his past.

Our British Airways flight to London gave me the chance to see this latest installation in the Bourne saga.

Because the very beginning is just noise and chasing I almost gave up watching. But in time the plot was interesting and current enough to warrant continuing to the end. Also on our BA flight I watched “I.T.”  which really shares a theme with “Jason Bourne” in the sense that both stories feature the threatening tendency in this 21st century for intelligence agencies and individuals wanting to eavesdrop on every detail of our lives. In other words, the theme is the War on Privacy. In this regards you can also read Dave Eggers book “The Circle” and watch certain episodes of the TV series “Dark Mirror.”

Acting is a secondary consideration in this production. Tommy Lee Jones as CIA Director Robert Dewey grunts through his scheme to establish a new torture black ops program as well to force the equivalent of Apple Corporation to give the CIA a back door into everyone’s smartphone.  Notice how often in films the CIA is the wicked enemy.  Matt Damon plays his usual unemotional role as Jason Bourne.  For a man of 47 years, Matt Damon has kept in good physical condition. Of course his face has aged to a middle age presence. Tommy Lee Jones at 71 years looks considerably older.

Because of the way the ending is constructed, there could be sequels. But this film in the series was enjoyable enough to have us consider yet another future installment.

2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Car Chase, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime, Crude Talk, Detective, Drug Dealers, Forensics, French Detective Series, Gangs, Gay theme, Grisly, Homophobia, Lawyers, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Occasional gore, Police Culture, Police Politics, Pornographic Scenes, Prison, Prostitutes, Psychiatrists, Rape, Revenge, Sadism, Sociopath, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, Thriller, Torture, Unscrupulous drive to power, Various Romances, Violent, Vulgar, Wife Beating

Spiral (2005)

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From IMDB:

Follows criminal investigations in Paris from all the different points of view of a criminal investigation.

Netflix streaming brings you 4 seasons of this French TV series:

  • Season 1: 2005    8 episodes
  • Season 2: 2008    8 episodes
  • Season 3: 2010 12 episodes
  • Season 4: 2012  12 episodes
  • Season 5: 2015  12 episodes
  • Season 6: 2016  12 episodes

Season 7 is currently being produced in France. Spoken French with optional English subtitles.

“Engrenages” is the French title which means “gears”, the theme being how intertwined are the lives of criminals, police personnel, lawyers (honorable or prostituted by greed), ambitious (and seemingly entirely corrupt) politicians and innocent civilians. Various crimes (murder, spousal abuse, drugs, prostitution, gun running) are investigated.  Actors are matched flawlessly to their characters.

Such a long-running series will, of course, require many actors. But several stand out:

  • Grégory Fitoussi is the honest lawyer Pierre Clément.
  • Audrey Fleurot  is the greedy, amoral, beautiful lawyer Joséphine Karlsson who specializes in defending the scum of the earth for large sums of money.
  • Caroline Proust is the extremely competent, tough, but constantly embattled police detective Laure Berthaud.
  • Philippe Duclos is Juge Roban, an honest judge who has to constantly fight to stay honest.

Because of its variety of characters and their interactions, the many tense situations, the constant battle between corruption and honesty, this series has been immensely popular. Sometimes the many car chases border on boring. But this is NOT your average detective show. Call it a soap opera if you wish, nonetheless it remains compelling.

FIRST WARNING: Each season will end with a cliff hanger enticing you to watch the next season.

SECOND WARNING: You must have a strong stomach to watch these often brutal, violent, sadistic, and bloody episodes.  Tension runs as constantly high in this series as in any I have seen.

2016, Action Film, Action Hero, Based on a Book, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corny at times, Corruption, Drug Dealers, Dysfunctional Lives, Father-daughter relations, Illegitimate Child, Invincible Hero, Mayhem, Military, Military Corruption, Mixed Martial Arts, Murder, Netflix DVD, Suspense, Unmarried mother, Violent

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

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From Netflix who sent me the DVD:

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) returns with his particular brand of justice in the highly anticipated sequel Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. When Army Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), who heads Reacher’s old investigative unit, is arrested for treason, Reacher will stop at nothing to prove her innocence and to uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy involving soldiers who are being killed.

So what if you have seen one then you have seen all the Jack Reacher films (of all the action films, for that matter)!  Once the action starts I am attracted like a fly to fly-paper. Never mind that Tom Cruise looks much older. At least give him credit: not bad for someone who is now 55 years old. Never mind that his street fighting skills are improbably staged, they are still fun to watch. Never mind that he and his fellow fighters for truth and justice get some unlikely breaks from time to time just to let their side win. Never mind that the last 10 minutes or so are unbearably maudlin. Never mind that our hero can just barely speak an emotive line of script.

Who cares! What you see is what you get and it just plain fun!

2014, Abduction, Action Film, Bloody scenes, Brazilian, Creepy, Crime, Dark, French, German, Gritty, Italian, Mayhem, Motorcycles, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Spanish, Suspense, Traditional Chinese, Unusual, Violent

Stereo (2014)

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From Netflix:

Erik’s peaceful rural family life is shaken by the arrival of sinister figures who claim to know him and a mysterious “friend” who may not even exist.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 30 minute film from Germany.

Many films streamable from Netflix now offer an amazing array of language choices. Take this film as a example. For audio you can choose from Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian and Spanish. For subtitles you can choose None, English, French, German, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.

Why the film is called “Stereo” is something I do not understand. In any case this is a somewhat strange film. Erik wants a peaceful life with a single mother Julia and her daughter Linda. Julia’s father is a policeman and suspicious of Erik’s unexplained past. That past catches up with Erik in the form of a group of men looking to kill Erik out of revenge. Meanwhile Erik, and only Erik, constantly sees , hears, and can talk to a hooded man who eventually we learn is his dead brother Henry.  Erik tries several methods to get rid of Henry, all to no avail. In a violent climax, we learn about Erik’s  past.

Erik is played by Jurgen Vogel who was the teacher in the German film “The Wave“. Henry is played by Moritz Bleibtreu who played Gustav Klimt In “Woman in Gold”.

As far as classifying this film, call it a violent action film. For me the main attraction was solely the opportunity to hear and read simple, basic German. For you that is not a rave review by any means.

 

 

2016, Clever Plot, Cult Brainwashing, Drama, Frenetic, Made For TV, Netflix Streaming, Suspense, Thought provoking, Unusual, Violent

Rebirth (2016)

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From Netflix:

Long-lost buddy Zack gets suburban dad Kyle on a bus to a Rebirth seminar, sending him down a rabbit hole of psychodrama, seduction and violence.

Again a Netflix Original film, this time one full-length feature lasting 1 hour and 40 minutes.  Several languages available both in subtitles and audio tracks.

What seems to start as some almost boring story picks up when Kyle reaches the Rebirth seminar, From then on the story crescendos into a horror story of violence, brain washing, and the frightening power of a fanatical cult. Recall how the novel “1984” ends? This is no different and the ending is chilling indeed. Could that ever happen? Think about Scientology.

Such a film may fascinate or horrify you, but it will not make you happy.

 

2015, Australian, Australian Aborigine, Barely Acceptable Trash, Bloody scenes, Cancer theme, Car Chase, Corny at times, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Fantasy, Gay theme, Love Story, Made For TV, Medical Theme, Mediocre, Motorcycles, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Police Culture, Revenge, Sci-Fi, Sex Scenes, Small Town, Sometimes seems silly, Violent, War, War Veterans, WWI

Glitch (2015)

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From Netflix:

James and Elishia keep the Risen under wraps while they try to make sense of what’s happening, and James makes a second shocking discovery.

From Netflix you can stream the 6 episodes of season 1 of this Netflix original.

At least 6 people climb out of their graves and interact with the living for 6 episodes. Mostly this is a mystery story which tries to solve not only how this resurrection is possible but also how each person died. It takes a character as many as 6 episodes to make that self-discovery, often to their great unhappiness. Curiosity kept me watching this mediocre, maudlin, barely acceptable piece of trash.

Surprisingly, this new production offers the audio and subtitles in many languages. Because the dialog is simple and basic, this is a good opportunity to use languages other than English. HOWEVER, the written scripts do not match the spoken scripts, which has been a flaw prevalent in many films for many years.

WARNING: Episode 6 ends with a huge cliff hanger. Just when you think you will learn the answers, the season ends.  Wait, I suppose, for a second season.

2016, Abduction, Anti-Arab, Arab Culture, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Child abduction and murder, Child Molestation, Could Be Hard To Watch, Danish, Danish Detectives, Dark, Disturbing Image, Explicit sex, Grim, Netflix Streaming, Orphans in Foster Care, Philosophic Discussions, Police Politics, Religious Theme, Sadism, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Sociopath, Suspense, Uncategorized, Violent

Department Q (2016)

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From Denmark comes this TV detective series in which each episode lasts most of 2 hours. In other words, each episode is a feature-length film. From Netflix you can stream each episode.  Each episode has its own title. You should watch them in order. One of the reviewers called the series a “top box-office film in Denmark.”   Spoken Danish with English subtitles.

From Decider we learn that there are six books in the series, but that only three have been made into films.

WARNING: Generally speaking, these episodes are grim, violent, and peopled with vindictive, cruel, sadistic, psychopathic villains.  Strong stomachs are advised.

Episode 1: The Keeper of Lost Causes

From Decider:

Precisely. Nikolaj Lie Kaas stars as Carl Morck, a brilliant homicide detective who gets demoted to Department Q. His partner in solving crime? Another detective named Assad (played by actor Fares Fares). Together they delve into the crimes no one wants solved.

Episode 1 introduces us to the two detectives mentioned above. In episode 2 a third member is added to Department Q, which we would call the “Collection of Unsolved Crimes or Cold Cases”.

In this episode a young woman politician in on a ferry with her emotionally disturbed brother when she is abducted and held captive in a barometric chamber. You were warned it could get ugly!

Episode 2: The Absent One

In this episode the detectives uncover a series of brutal crimes planned and perpetrated by students at a posh private high school that caters to the ruling class. Their outrageous behavior continues throughout their wealthy lives as they are protected by a former classmate who is now an extremely powerful lawyer. More Ugly!

Episode 3: A Conspiracy of Faith

Yet another psychopath, this time kidnapping children of fundamentalist Christians and using a type of religious blackmail against the parents.  As we often seen in such films, the sociopath does his damage calmly and with a bland or smiling countenance. But still ugly!

One characteristic of all three stories is the suspenseful and action filled final scene in which our heroes confront the villain. You might even hold your breath in all the (did I mention “ugly”?) excitement. Take a tranquilizer and enjoy.