(USA/UK,
113 min.)
Dir. Ariel Vroman, Writ. Douglas Cook, David Weisberg
Starring: Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, Jordi
Molla, Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds
 |
| Ryan Reynolds in Criminal. Courtesy VVS Films. |
Heaven help me for the way I am… One doesn’t need a good
defense for Criminal. This
preposterously silly, but consistently enjoyable, actioner boasts an insane
amount of star power for a film with such a ridiculous script. One doesn’t
download or pop-in a flick like Criminal
for some good dialogue, though, so anyone looking for an escapist adventure in
the comfort of one’s own home can happily plead ‘guilty pleasure.’
This star-studded, high-concept actioner actually gets off to a great start with an intense opening sequence that puts Canuck Ryan Reynolds in the thick of a wild CIA operation that leads to nerve-wracking shootout. Then, in a twist one doesn’t see coming, the film shifts perspectives to the dark mind of Jericho, played by a raspy Kevin Costner, a career criminal and sociopath who is about as far aware from the family-oriented Bill Pope whom Reynolds plays. Criminal then moves into Self/Less territory and the film suffers somewhat from its resemblance to another Ryan Reynolds film that has a better grasp on its speculative premise. As the convoluted science introduces a passively likable doctor (Tommy Lee Jones) and a cranky CIA honcho (Gary Oldman), Criminal often loses credibility the more it tries to explain its premise and develop its innumerable characters in a supporting cast that includes Michael Pitt, Alice Eve, Gal Gadot, and Jordi Molla.
As a diversion, though, the movie offers action sequence
upon action sequence with car chases, explosions, close-escapes, and rough
encounters as the criminal/family man try to reconcile their differences and
find a common DNA. The high-concept premise adds some novelty to the undemanding
entertainment and Criminal probably
seems a lot smarter the less one pays attention to it. Tune in during the
intense set pieces, which director Ariel Vroman (The Iceman) choreographs with visceral steeliness and one might
really enjoy it. It’s an ideal adventure enjoyed with either a crowd or a
hangover.
Bonus: The best
offering among the range of extras is the Director’s Notes Featurette, which is
like an abridged director commentary with key scenes replayed in isolation as
Vroman explains some of the artistic choices behind the selected snippets.
Especially interesting is the director’s reference to the opening gun battle
offering single-shot exchanges between Pope and the baddies to evoke the
visceral sting and terror of the attacks in Paris back in January of 2015.
The deleted scenes generally don’t offer much aside from
moments that were presumably clipped for time, but a few extra tidbits with
Reynolds are worth the gander, as is one twist with Jones that might have given
the film an extra edge. The featurette ‘Criminal Intent’ offers a thorough
range of interviews with the cast, director, writers, and producer as they
explain their characters and the chemistry that the actors created on set.
(There’s a little JFK love fest going
on between prior co-stars Costner, Jones, and Oldman, which is fun.) The short
doc also lets viewers know if they’ve been pronouncing Wonder Woman’s name
wrong all along since it turns out that Gal Gadot is actually Gall Gadot, while an added guilty pleasure
comes in the number of times that Costner expresses doubt in the production but
seems to be enjoying the ride. Finally, music video for the theme song “Drift
and Fall Again” by Madsonik is a slick and catchy number to play in the room
while chatting about the flick with friends. Case closed.
Criminal is now
available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital HD from VVS Films.
