Security

22 October 2017. This Die Hard (1988) wannabe strays into dangerous territory in how seriously dramatic it descends. It's tone becomes darker as contemporary action movies seem to have become in general nowadays. The movie starts with a hard-hitting road battle the likes of Clear and Present Danger (1994). However whether the entertainment value goes up with this type of action thriller genre, does it reach a delicate balance between intense suspense along with heroic exhilaration or result in more disappointment, frustration in the dramatic outcomes that occur as the storyline progresses? Security almost plays out, even if it might reflect more of a rational outcome, more like a typical horror movie, with the human assassins playing the role of monsters. Think From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Instead of using the Die Hard story formula, Security tries too hard to expand on the drama and torturous action experience, including probably the inclusion of unrealistically too many bad guys. Psychologically, the audience attachment and connection to the characters to the movie becomes fewer and fewer and a sense of frustration and disappointment increase. This movie is pretty much run of the mill action thriller that proceeds towards a rather predictable and over rather the top dramatic climax. What makes this movie a bit different is the precarious performance of the Mall boss who is both quite irritating, irascible yet somehow engaging with a good heart as well as a rather tender last few scenes. So instead of a six, this movie might be grudgingly a seven. [12/14/2018: After a second viewing, Security holds up much better and the consequential deaths don't appear to be that overly simplistic or unrealistic as first thought. The set up and the subsequent action scenes play out well. The pacing is good and the defensive actions are nicely thought up and carried through. A "solid" seven out of ten stars.] Like Die Hard, this movie apparently has repeated entertainment viewing value. The martial and lethal shooting scenes are reasonably well done, close but never actually going over the top. Even Ben Kingsley's poignant life story and later offer is quite tempting in some ways. The last few scenes of the movie are also unusually extended for most movies of this genre but in a nice, soft concluding way. Therefore, this movie is a continuing strong seven out of ten. [2/1/2019]. 7/10.

This production by Millennium Films (the Cannon Films of the 21st century) initially has some interest because it's clearly heavily influenced by two movies. The first and most obvious is "Die Hard", but it is clear the filmmakers got some inspiration from the John Carpenter movie "Assault on Precinct 13". But while this combination gives the movie an initially interesting start, it soon becomes clear that the filmmakers had little else to jazz up this tired movie. It takes forever for it to get going, and once it does, the energy level is surprisingly flat for the most part. Even the final confrontation is a letdown. The script is extremely predictable; you'll be a few steps ahead of the characters at any point. The combination of the flat screenplay and direction probably explain why stars Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley both phone in their performances. Oh, there are a few unintended laughs, like how the shopping mall interior is clearly a very cheap construction on a sound stage somewhere in Bulgaria. And I admit the movie, while being extremely predictable, is not really boring. But for the most part, the movie is utterly forgettable; it'll afterwards evaporate completely from your memory within hours.

This movie might be considered a B-movie because of the budget and released straight to DVD, but honestly, it's a really good movie. Antonio Banderas is underrated, and should really be given the chance to go back to mainstream, especially action films.

The movie isn't perfect, and characters could've been fleshed out more but other than that, this is a nice movie to watch on a lazy afternoon on your day off.

The action sequences are great. Ben Kingsley, another underrated actor, was also great.

It's a well-done action movie with a simple story. If you want to be entertained for an hour and 45mins, this is not a bad choice.

You have a decent cast in this movie and a decent plot to boot. Is it a B movie? Yes. Is it bad? No sir. The reason for the title of this review is Banderas really carried this movie. He took the script, strapped it to his waist and dragged it through a filmmaking minefield. There was potential galore for this thing to be bad, but they dodged every bullet. In large part thanks to Banderas. Kingsley delivered his typical ominous badguy-ness and there were some good performances by the others. But Banderas really had the weight of the whole production on his shoulders as his allies left a lot to be desired. He did such a good job of being relatable, emotional but strong, really he gave us a rich, deep character for us to root for.

The writing was actually decent and one thing that really stood out to me about this movie is the pacing. It's really good at giving us breaks when we need it and ramping up the action right when you feel like they should. The scoring was alright, but I'm really getting bored with the typical boomy action movie trumpets and drums. And the tension between the good guys and bad guys creates an engaging dynamic.

There isn't a ton of substance here, admittedly. It's a fairly straight forward action movie. If you're looking for cinema genius, exceptional cinematography, jaw dropping writing, and a thrilling, moving adventure ... I'm sorry to say you will have to look elsewhere. BUT if you want to sit back with a few beers or a bowl and enjoy a good old fashioned (I would go as far to say above average) action movie? You could do a lot worse than Security.

One wouldn't imagine that Banderas would take a role like this but he pulls it off.Combat skills are convincing enough and the story line is predictable but entertaining.The budget is not huge given that entire film was shot in one location but the videography was nicely done.I would have preferred a different ending altogether but the film was enjoyable and worth the time.