Complot meurtrier

This should have been much better, good cast, decent acting, but badly put together, and with the Worst sound staging I've ever heard in a "proper" movie ..

Very much a tale of 2 halves, the production, and production values are fine, top tier as you would expect from a seasoned cast & production...

But then when it came to the post production editing/sound boarding and the nuts & bolts of putting something like this together, it was rushed and thrown out the door... Studio problems, a Hard deadline, I dunno, but it was done very poorly, imagine doing a job for the first time, once it's done your proud and happy of what you made, then years down the line, once you've really learned your craft, you look back at it and can't believe how bad a job you did compared to how you would do it today...

That's how I felt watching this.... Started by a top dollar production company, then put out the door by the local youth club...

It's genuinely interesting to watch just for the flaws, and to try to figure out where it went pear shaped ......

Action movie with average cast, good photography, great stunts, unusual location (Thessaloniki, Greece), good music and some nice dialogue (here and there).

Script, alas, had some really annoying aspects... for example: who would like to watch a man in his 50s, alone, defeating with his bare hands 30 thugs, most of them armed, one after the other, in a same scene?

Movie reality is cinematic, ok... but there are rules nonetheless: I'd say that 2 thugs should be the edge of 'realism', up to 5 you must be funny, plausible and it remains however debatable, 6 is reserved for James Bond and higher figures definitely require superheroes.

Another (violated) rule of mine says that a thug easily defeated in a previous scene cannot have such a come back and beat you to a pulp in a following sequence... anyway... that said, it was not boring: I reached the end titles in good spirits and it made me kill some time.

And I always liked Aaron Eckhart.

Enjoy.

If the beta of chat gpt wrote a spy movie where the person inputting prompts really wanted bricks to be part of the plot this would be the outcome.

My wife and I began to enjoy it for its silliness about midway through. The plot makes no sense. The dialogue is clunky. The most enjoyable thing about watching this movie is scratching your head at why they force meaningless plot line after meaningless plot line only to immediately burn it and move to the next one.

Some of the action sequences are decent. Lots of smashing various glassware over each others faces. The main characters take a lot of damage and are always beautiful the next day.

Good for background noise or a laugh.

I don't understand who green-lights these movies. Did no one read the script before they started shooting? This is just so freaking mediocre.

Writing: the story is derivative as hell and dumb AF, there is no character development at all, and the dialogue is uncomfortably cringeworthy.

Acting: Aaron Eckhart is a good actor, but in this movie, no one delivers a remotely decent performance. Especially Nina Dobrev, who at least in this film, brings no range whatsoever, no chemistry with the lead actor and a truly amateur performance. The support cast is no better.

Directing: a disjointed and incoherent mess with nothing but a few passable action sequences to pacify the tedium.

I strongly encourage the writers to hang up the gloves. When ChatGPT can do a better job than you do, it's time to look into a different line of work.

"The Bricklayer" crumbles under the weight of its own predictability. Clichéd plot-lines and illogical turns make this B-movie feel like a dusty relic from a bygone era. While promising a gritty thriller, the film delivers more eye-rolls than excitement.

The narrative cracks are evident from the get-go. Characters behave with questionable motives, and the action sequences lack punch. The cheap production values do little to elevate the experience, leaving viewers yearning for a trowel to smooth over the rough edges.

Despite its flaws, "The Bricklayer" isn't completely without merit. A few scattered witty lines and a fleeting moment of genuine suspense offer glimpses of what could have been. But ultimately, these are just bricks scattered amidst a crumbling wall.

If you're seeking a cinematic masterpiece, you'll find this film more like a pile of rubble. However, for fans of campy B-movies who enjoy a generous helping of cheese with their action, "The Bricklayer" might provide a mildly diverting afternoon distraction. Just don't expect it to win any awards for architectural brilliance.

Overall: A predictable and uninspired thriller that fails to build any real excitement. Skip this one unless you're craving a cinematic power nap. Rating: 4- out of 10 IMDb stars.