Criminal has been slated in most reviews I've read, so I went into this film expecting very little from it. However, the film is actually considerably better than these reviews suggest and has some clever ideas running through it. It's all about the memories of Bill Pope, played by Ryan Reynolds, being transferred into Jericho Stewart, played by Kevin Costner. Both actors do well with what they are given, and Costner is particularly impressive when he has to deal with his own thoughts and Pope's as well. This memory transplant is done so a task can be completed, and you'll understand why if you watch the film. The start of the film is very intense and really pulls in your interest, with a selection of plots being introduced and I felt they all connected quite nicely at the end. The script is a bit lacklustre and uses swearing for effect rather than proper character development, although this isn't totally lacking, as Stewart tries to connect with Pope's family, which develops the story and characters quite nicely.
The action sequences provide nothing new or inventive to the genre, but they are well done and they always feel like a payoff for decent storytelling. The primary issue I had with Criminal is the middle section, which becomes very lacklustre and slow, and to be honest is a bit boring. I know most films slow down at some stage, but this one lost my interest a bit, which is never a good sign. We get to see a lot of Gel Gadot here, and she plays a good part and acts well alongside Costner. However the film picks up again with a pretty good final third, although again, nothing new is shown and the action is slightly generic. The film ends well, and the clever principles of this film are not lost through the seen it all before action scenes.
So overall, Criminal is film with clever ideas but has generic action sequences which does not merit these ideas, despite the action being entertaining. The acting is good, but the script is lacklustre and the middle section is slow. Criminal is worth a watch, but it won't win any awards despite it being a decent crack at the action film genre.
