Mediocre.. cool idea, but action wasn't impressive
Overall Grade: | C |
Story: | B- |
Acting: | D |
Direction: | C- |
Visuals: | C- |
OK, this film was basically meant to use its big star attraction to bring in the droves of Brad swooners and Jolie ooglers... The actual plot concept had some neat promise. And Pitt and Jolie actually play well as potential elite assassins. They have the acting and physical prowess to make it seem, well, not believable, but watchable. But it seems like Director Doug Liman must have been on the set for the first few weeks of the filming, then just mailed in his instructions after that. What starts out kinda cool, and a neat juxtapositioning of the standard man v.s. woman stereotypes turns quickly into just about nothing. The plot disappears, the characters keep on fighting for no apparant reason, and well after a billion bullets later the movie goes back to how it started. The opening and ending scenes of dialog with Pitt, Jolie and an off-camera psychologist were the keepers in this movie. So don't show up late to this one if you go to see it in the theatre. Also, don't miss the 2 minute return to the shrinks office at the end.
My advice: Watch the intro clip with the shrink office dialog, sneak out and watch StarWars Epsiode III for your 4th time, then return just in time for the last 2 minutes of this movie. Why? Well, you get the 5 minutes of film worthwhile watching in this movie, some action and mindless violence that actually entertains (via StarWars III), and you don't have to bore yourself with being the only person who actually showed up for this lame movie (fun though it is), including the cast, writers and directing who clearly don't show up anywhere in the set of this movie shoot. It's a good thing they blow up a number of structures in this film, so that we at least feel like our money went to something worthwhile. Wait for DVD, folks.
Undoubtably, if you do go, you will find it occasionally charming, but the after taste of movie lameness will haunt you and your $9 ticket price for a few days.