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So this is loosely based upon the idea of Madonna having a stalker when she was dating Dennis Rodman. From these tidbits, they created a borderline satirical, borderline psychotic film that ends up not going far enough, crazy enough, or absurd enough. It all just sat there at pretend, with Ray Nicholson mugging as an escapee from a mental institution. And not very well as he seems more like a Charlie Chaplin character, just off from center, not truly delusional.

Samara Weaving fends the best as she embodies what is expected for a pop star of this time period. But, she isn't given enough time to fully embody his character as the shenanigans of the Nicholson character derail the plot. Or I guess he becomes the plot.

Tired depiction of fan obsession and delusional beliefs hitting all the beats it's supposed to hit, exactly in time, to be this type of film. I wish they could have created more originality in the presentation through production and story lines to show the absurdity more. Instead, they played it safe, middle of the road leaving this film listless and tame.

Bagman plays better as a folk horror film than standard American horror film. It establishes the "creature" in nature as well as the historical context of this type of mythology being in various cultures throughout time outting children in danger. This allows for our childhood fears of what's in the dark to perculate just a bit before the thriller parts (and jump scares) truly start.

On the down side, Bagman doesn't present anything new to this tale or genre of film, be it horror or folk horror. I found the overall experience of the film to be enough for a good watch, but at the end, I was left with many feelings of "I've seen this before in other films."

Production was good. Acting was good. Pacing was good. It just didn't bring enough or anything original to the screen. When making a folk horror film, you can't rely on the standard tropes of horror films (gore, screams, startling images, jump scares, etc.). One has to create a sense and vibe that builds to an ominous and creep inducing tension so that the resolution, regardless of originality or not, sparks dread in the viewer. (Originality does help though, as a unexpected twist increases the tension we experience.) Bagman sparks unease at best, and has nothing new to offer. Adequate for a watch.

The Amateur is a basic revenge film. Uber smart man who works cyber for the CIA becomes distraught when wife is murdered in a terrorist event. Oh! And he has some secrets that could blackmail some people. So he leverages training to be an assassin so he can get the killers.

I find Rami Malek to be a strange actor. Or his presence is slightly off in most of the roles I've seen him do. Here, he basically plays a savant on the autism spectrum. So somehow this makes him capable of mastermind plots to find who killed his wife, but at the same time allows him to muddle his way through these events.

Oh, and he outruns experienced CIA assassins with some help from a hacker, and a CIA trainer. And somehow, all sense of thrills is gone from this film. Tension is supposed to be felt from the ticks of Malek's character? Random chases and traps fall flat given how monotone Malek is.

While this film is serviceable, I was more engaged with my walking on a treadmill than the conclusion of this film. Ho Hum.