Criminal (2016)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

A Brilliant Conflict

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Other reviewers have given plot summaries so I'll just focus on the acting and production, both of which are pretty much ... routine. It's not a bad film. For a modern action thriller it's competently made, but without anything really special going on, including the last-minut Reveal. It's quite watchable throughout though, and Kevin Costner is the standout once he's introduced. He maintains his gruff, gravel-voiced demeanor from start to finish, first as a criminally psycho violence-prone baddie unable to even tell right from wrong. But once the memories of a recently-killed espionage agent are inserted into his brain, things change bit by bit until he essentially recovers his humanity and saves the day. The rest of the cast is impressive on paper, including Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, Alice Eve among others. (Gadot is seen here just before moving on to Wonder Woman.) But the thing is, except for Costner they're all replaceable. They all do just fine, but you can visualize any of half a dozen other actors doing their roles equally well because the dialog and plot devices are all routine. Costner's part is the one that is really distinctive, so see it for that (but not worth paying for a DVD -- the Netflix option is just fine).

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.

The only familiarity I had with the movie 'Criminal' was the poster. I had seen it a number of times on my watchlist and had mistaken the star of the film for being Aaron Paul. Even now, knowing that it is Kevin Costner, it looks more like Paul to me. It wasn't until about halfway through the movie that I clicked and asked myself when the hell Aaron Paul was going to show up. That story to me is more interesting than anything the film could come up with. Man oh man was this bland. The acting was bland, the action was dull and the story was as forgettable as you will ever come across.There's actually a great cast assembled for 'Criminal' however none of them are given anything interesting to say or do. Ryan Reynolds even makes a brief appearance near the beginning of the film, however in hindsight I probably would've preferred he wasn't there at all, because the cameo only left me wanting more from him. There's an 'R' rating for the film, but you'd hardly notice this because none of the violence is in any way interesting. All up 'Criminal' is a complete misfire and a waste of a talented cast.

Criminal review Enjoyed this film, OK it's impossible to transfer memories and the way Ryan Reynolds wife suddenly believes is too far fetched but otherwise one of the best films Kevin Costner has made in ages. Good story, good action even if Kevin is getting on in years, only real let down was the police chief played by Gary Oldman, but Tommy Lee Jones, wow! OK rating 8 out of 10