Rancid

Congratulations to the makers and actors of this film. It was really something else. Every one in a while a thriller comes along that leaves me searching for breath, and this was one of them. One of very few films I can honestly say I enjoyed in every respect.

Action packed, drenched with dark scenes, incredible execution of the plot, sizzling sexual and romantic chemistry between the characters, and a dark undertone of brutal justice.

It wasn't too clichéd for the die-hard thriller-buff, yet also was not too obscure for enjoyment by the average movie-goer.

Recommended.

If this movie had (a) been better directed and produced, and (b) had half decent acting throughout, it would have been a fairly decent 90 minutes of my life taken up on a Saturday evening. I now wish i'd gone out and spent the £3.95 on a couple of beers down the local pub instead. It tried far too hard to be slick and clever, but fell very badly at every turn. I would steer clear of this at your local DVD rental shop and go for something good! How it got the near 6 out of 10 mark on IMDb, i'm not sure. If you're looking for an entertaining, fast paced thriller with a wicked twist and an awesome story-line, PLEASE don't bother renting this, I was truly disappointed and annoyed that I spent nearly £4 to hire it, and the guy behind the counter didn't think it good customer service to inform me on just how bad it is. If you don't want to take my word for it, that's fine, just let it be known that I did tell you so...

I wanted to watch this movie, because I'm European and was anticipating a real avant-guard thriller. No frills, no special effects just some good film making. I was shocked, it was wooden and the camera zoom became just annoying in the end. The acting was light, the character development ? let me say I didn't find it. The plot was so empty, the 'bad' guy never got a chance to rise above his stereotype, the 'good' guy was so weak and the 'twist' so clumsily enacted. Well what can I say, there are no spoilers because the movie spoils itself. A ill managed collage of bad dialogue, weakly acted, strung together with an amateur plot and directed by someone who should better stick to 'home movies'. It cannot get any worse.

It's always worrying when asked about a film and the only thing you can say as a positive is that it had boobs in it. And that's only from the perspective of women-lovers everywhere....

Now, don't get me wrong, this film does have merit. Unfortunately, that is that it had the good sense to rip EVERY idea it had from other, more memorable examples of the crime/thriller genre. Everything you see will be familiar, even if you aren't sure why.

It looks good enough. It sounds good enough. The people are beautiful enough. The stroy is interesting enough. But is it good enough to watch...No.

Rancid is an average thriller with a quite good story. There's not anything that's really bad with this movie, rather it's that nothing is quite great. As someone said, you're left with a small feeling of nothing. Now, this can be said of thousands of Hollywood films, too. The reason why they get a higher score is probably because they got a cast that's more mainstream and probably some cool action scene! The performance in Rancid is good. Well-casted and well-acted. Matthew Settle, Fay Masterson, Currie Graham and Patrik Ersgård are all doing a good job. Personally, I think Patrik Ersgårds character and acting lifts the movie a bit. Michael Wiseman and Siena Goines are the weaker links in this chain. The characters are interesting enough.

The dialog is without marks, actually quite good I'd say. The movie is rather fast-paced, compared to most Hollywood-thrillers. The editing is so-so. Music and overall "look and feel" is about average.

There's no reason to choose another thriller over this one. It feels authentic, and maybe that's the downside to it? It's just not enough "Hollywood" to give you that adrenaline. Personally, I prefer Rancid over any action-packed thriller. And that feeling of nothing I mentioned? Well, it's not a feeling of bad, is it? Go see it, rent it or whatever. It's worth it, if only to rest your eyes from all mainstream actors! 7/10