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As derivative an action film as this is, it is inestimably watchable. The bad guys are clear and the good guys - errr - guy, operate on such clearly delineated principles (or lack thereof) that you cannot help but find yourself rooting for the protagonist. Given todays political divide, I am certain that many people will connect with this film on a level that previous times would find untenable. The action sequences are straight out out of previous Jason Statham films and therein lies the charm and attraction of this film. It is very simple in scope, and the timeline is quick, but it is thoroughly enjoyable, as unrealistic as it is.

I see many have compared this to Heat. IMHO this film is so much better than Heat. What Heat had going for it was a good bad guy gang, and the first time co-appearance of Pacino and De Niro on the screen. This film is much more layered, less overacting and better writing overall than Heat. The two gangs here, LASD sherriffs and bad guys, are played well and with great gusto headed each by Butler and Schreiber. Butler plays a borderline bad cop and Schreiber plays a borderline good guy. You kind of do t know who to root for. This is exactly what makes the film so enjoyable and interesting. A masterpiece of filmmaking and one of my absolute favorite films.

This film is about as strange as it gets while not being intentionally comedic. It is funny, but only in that everything that happens is one a single emotional plane. It is very darkly comic but it is hard to get through the whole film without furrowing your brows and wondering just exactly what the point is. Maybe there is no point. I suppose in that fashion it could Python-esque. Without a doubt one of the strangest films I have ever sat through entirely, mostly because I could not figure out where it was going or how it was going to get there. The cast does a good job, but there is so little emotion it's more like simply reading lines like a robot. Give it a whirl. If you get through it, let me know your thoughts.