Criminal

Greetings from Lithuania.

"Criminal" (2016) is kinda "been there saw that" type of flick - nothing original, nothing super exciting, but as a one evening guilty pleasure it does it's job, at least partly.

The cast is superb, and everyone did their OK jobs for the material, except for Tommy Lee Jones - this is "you got to be kidding me" type of performance - he goes with one facial expression during whole flick, expression that says "what am i doing here? what is this thing?".

Overall, nice execution and OK story with some fun acting makes this flick work for one boring evening. There is even some descent music in it, the one in the van and the one at very end - closing song was great.

I often feel people are far to critical of some movies, this would fall into that category. Solid action thriller, good cast, good action and a few comical lines. Ignore the low ratings!

I despise movies where the premise is beyond credible. So after reading the reviews I decided I did not want to see another Face Off type transplant story. But wow, was I ever wrong. What I was missing is one of the best characters ever created by an actor and that was Kevin Costner's doing. He develops a totally believable and absolutely impeccable portrait of a sick psychopath who is greatly affected by an unapproved medical procedure. What is great is that he is not politically correct, weak, or conflicted. It makes him incredibly interesting in the age of weak males pandering to everyone. He gets to glimpse a normal life through the eyes of a strong man who is also moral which is the Ryan Reynolds character. He also gets to feel the love of a daughter and beautiful wife which he had never known before. All of the actors are great but Costner raised my opinion of his acting ability by a mile. The story and production is also excellent with an ending that is quite satisfying.

Pulp Sci-Fi Thriller that Blows Over its High-Concepts, like Memory Transfer, with Penny-a-Word Hastiness. But this Underrated Entertainment is just that, Entertaining.

Forget the Egg-Head Cranks, Kick-Back and have Fun with this Star-Studded Romp that is Highly Emotional, Endearing, Violent, and an Anti-Hero worth Rooting for.

Kevin Costner is Involving, Gary Oldman almost Destroys any Balance of Good Sense and Cleverness in His First Scene confronting Costner's "Jericho", but manages to Recover for some Redemption by the Feel-Good Ending.

This is a Familiar Story but Twisty Enough to make it Fresh. Tommy Lee Jones Walks through His Minor Part, but the rest of the Cast comes through working with the "Comic-Book" Script. Lara Decaro is the Heart of the Movie as a Little Girl who Warms up the Films Cold Premise.

Overall, Criminally Underrated Mainstream Movie that makes up for its Shallowness and Clichés with a Rapid Pace, Good Thrill Kills, and Costner's Commitment to the Role. This is one of those Big-Name Attractions that Critics Love to Hate for not being Intelligent and Opting for a By-the-Numbers Scenario.

These Prudes have Forgotten that Movies at their Least can be Forgiven a lot of Things if it Simply Entertains. This Fun Film does just that and maybe a bit More.

I decided to buy a matinée ticket on a rainy day for this movie based on its terrific cast, and I wasn't disappointed. Yes, it feels like a cousin of Face/Off. Yes, there are tremendous conveniences in the story. Yes, it is predictable. However, if you like the cast and if you like action movies with some surprises then it is worth seeing. Costner brings his star power to the role of Jericho, a man with no social skills due to his underdeveloped frontal lobes, which were damaged as a child (in a touching story). Therefore it's fun to watch him steal a vehicle right in front of people, walk to the front of lines and punch people just because he can. I was happy to see Gal Gadot in a bigger role than I expected. And I spent most of the movie trying to figure out who one of the villains was, as I recognized her from another role but couldn't place it. She is very distinctive (and very beautiful), and at the end I realized it was Antje Traue, the East German actress who played a super villain in 2013's Man of Steel. Overall, the movie is good enough for a entertaining matinée at the movies.