It was the plot synopsis that caught my attention, and the impressive cast that convinced me to try it. I am very glad that I did, because this movie is a pleasure to watch. I have never particularly liked Vince Vaughn, for me his comedic characters have always fallen flat. I certainly wouldn't have pegged him as right for a lead role in a movie like this, but then I not only underestimated Vaughn as an actor, but I underestimated what this movie was going to be. The synopsis paints this as a serious thriller, something fast-paced, tense, action-packed. It is these things, at the right moments, but at other moments it is a father and daughter bonding in charming and unexpected ways.
I just watched the trailer to see how well it represents the movie, and I have to say it is poorly cut and doesn't do the movie justice at all. For one, the trailer, and the synopsis for the movie, give the impression that this is a straight-to-DVD, cliché-ridden, B-List ensemble cast movie that will, most likely, disappoint, but at best mildly entertain.
What I took away from the movie is that more movies ought to be like this one. It is clever, insightful, character-driven, tense when appropriate, charming and witty. It takes actors who are always type-cast in similar roles, then gives the character an unexpected twist to add dimensionality. The movie is full of lessons to be taken away by the audience and likable characters that a viewer can invest in, which makes it feel like a movie from a bygone era when measured against so many vapid, effects-ridden action movies with one-dimensional characters.
At first, Vaughn's narration seemed cheesy and, like so many aspects of this movie, something that, at first glance, seems contrived and typical of a terrible TV movie, but, also like everything in this movie, it quickly grows on you, and you find yourself missing his voice-over whenever it goes silent for a few minutes.
I enjoyed the movie and I hope to see more like it, from the director, the writer and the cast, who all did a magnificent job.
