gwilson1982

If there ever was a brilliant film worth 11 points on a 10 point scale, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels surely was one. If you like that sort of stuff of course. Tongue-in-a-cheek, smart, comedy-action-crime story with brilliant script and great camera work. The characters are mostly all idiots, but they all have their charm. Or at least something. You can't help but wonder how you yourself would act in a situation like this - although surely, no viewer could be as stupid as the characters in the film. Well, stupid is probably a bit strong. Naive perhaps. In any case, the story is brilliantly told, you keep rooting for the good guys, and for ... ahem... some less good ones as well. The twists and turns keep you guessing and the tempo is high until the very (rather entertaining) end. It's a true classic, great to watch even years later! Highly recommended - just watch it!!

What's this film got to do with Bourne? Not much, that's for sure. There are some flashbacks to the previous films, some hints of a relationship, but those are more confusing than helpful. The fourth part of the trilogy is almost like trying to attach a second tail to a dog. Or fifth wheel to a car. Or a... You get the point. Without the Bourne name, it would have been yet another action thriller, the same as everything else. The plot is straightforward, get item A, go to point B, fight bad guy C.

But does this make it a bad film then? Not really. It's still enjoyable entertainment for a night out in cinemas. The main actors are great, things are happening, the pace is solid and entertainment wise you have no been short-changed. There is enough action and tension in the film, not the least in how the secret government agency goes forth in its information gathering activities. The chase scene towards the end is a bit uninspired though - except for the very final part. Go watch it, but don't expect it to be as good as the first Bourne film.

I'll refrain from making use of the word "sucker" in this review. It's difficult, of course, given that I felt like one after watching the first 10 minutes of the film - however, at some point things seemed to get better. Or possibly it didn't really get better, I just shut down part of my brain and the film actually became rather entertaining at that point. The film is all about visuals, robotic German warriors, far eastern samurai monsters, dragons, big guns, bigger guns, swords, knives, explosions, and so on and so forth. Plus of course an excuse to see pretty girls dressed in manga inspired Japanese console fighting game outfits, which leave both too little and too much for the imagination. And it's clear that the film makers have had bucketfuls of imagination - all of this running rampant throughout the flick. I honestly wish they had had just a little bit more control over that, but as a film it truly is one of a kind. Hot girl factor 10 points, story 1 point, explosions and special effects 8 points. Probably does its best at the big screen, but also worth time spent on a slow night with a DVD player for a company. (all right, not worth the 8 points I gave, but you know - an excuse to see the pretty girls going all kung-fu on stuff... :) )