I find it very, very interesting that a large number of highly-rated reviews of "Fast Charlie" have been written by "users" (a.k.a, Chat GPT) who have only been members of the site for four weeks. What are the odds that people are coming out of the woodwork to rate this little flick 10 stars out of 10! It's almost like the studio started some sort of guerrilla marketing campaign to trick unsuspecting viewers into renting this movie for $5.99 due to the positive reviews. For better or for worse I was one of those unsuspecting viewers who only took a cursory glance at the scores before deciding to settle down for the night and watch this movie. And you know what? While half of the current reviews on IMDB may be written by artificial intelligence, they are actually doing "Fast Charlie" a disservice by advertising it that way because - coming from a real person - this movie isn't bad.
I watched the trailer for "Fast Charlie" a few weeks ago, being utterly convinced that it was just another old man action movie, akin to what Liam Neeson has been putting out for the past decade or so. Luckily for me, the trailer actually undersells this movie. "Fast Charlie" is an action film, but it's also a romance, a black comedy, and a vehicle for Pierce Brosnan to sport a southern accent while driving around New Orleans, hunting down those who did him wrong. It's a simple enough premise, but I couldn't help but enjoy both the setting and the character of Charlie Swift.
Pierce Brosnan is as charming as charming can be here as a somehow lovable hitman with a southern charm that manages to be somehow both unassuming and threatening. Charlie is a killer - no doubt about it - but one that has managed to maintain his humanity. So, it's fun to watch Charlie dispatch his enemies, but it's equally as fun to watch Charlie fall for one Marcie Kramer, played by the gorgeous Morena Baccarin. Pierce gives a multilayered performance that combines stone-cold killer with southern beau, and it works in a movie that plays itself seriously enough to convey the stakes but not so seriously that it comes across as the 100th "Taken" ripoff.
To its credit, "Fast Charlie" is trying to do something different - and it does, as this is not as straightforward of an action movie as the trailer portrays itself as being. Sure, Pierce does engage in a plethora of shootouts, but the film cares less about action and more about the interactions between the characters; luckily, this is a nice change of pace, as Pierce and Morena are pretty great in their roles and really entertaining to watch as they stomp around the southern U. S. The movie is also surprisingly funny, ensuring that viewers get moments of levity among the blood-soaked gunfights. However, as this is a low budget picture, keep your expectations in check: You're not going to get as high octane of an action film as you may expect, as everything is played slightly subdued here, most likely due to Brosnan's age. That said, "Fast Charlie" works very well for fans of Pierce, and for fans of lower budget action thrillers. This might not be the freshest or most innovative film, but it is certainly entertaining enough to warrant a viewing or two. And if you're a fan of Brosnan? Well then, you may have found one of your newest favorite films.
