I watch a lot of
movies. There are very few that I discriminate against, and I tend to watch
even those. I love escapist entertainment, including the brainless action films
which have had a revival in Hollywood
2013 seems to be
a year of disappointment for Danish directors, with Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives receiving less than
favorable early reviews and audience boos at a Cannes press screening and just
as many critics bashing Dead Man Down,
which was the English-language debut from Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl with the
Dragon Tattoo). Oplev also has a summer series on CBS called “Under the Dome,”
which premiered this past week and has thirteen episodes in the first season. I
hope that American audiences can learn to appreciate Oplev, because I was a fan
of the blending of Hollywood action with a
European sensibility towards character and pacing which the filmmaker used in Dead Man Down. For that matter, I think Only God Forgives may be a little bit
brilliant, despite being one of the more difficult films. In other words, I
applaud anyone willing to mix it up a bit. Hollywood
Dead Man Down is a revenge film at its
core, though this is underneath layers of twists and turns in each of the
significant characters. What is important to know is that Colin Farrell heads
up the cast as Victor, the right hand man to an underground New York
The plot is more
complex than that, with many characters not exactly as they appear. In order to
avoid spoiling any of the reveals, all that really needs to be known is that
the relationship between this gangster and his neighbor is central to the plot,
leading up to a classic over-blown shootout. I enjoyed this film, but was also
pleasantly engaged by the characters and the acting. Many action fans will find
there are too many dialogue scenes, too much melodrama. Arthouse fans will find
the action to be unbelievable and better suited for Stallone or his cohorts.
Fortunately, I am a fan of both and found the balance made for a perfectly
well-rounded evening of entertainment.
The Blu-ray
includes both a DVD and digital copy of the film. There are two exclusive
featurettes on the high definition disc; one about the casting and another
about the film’s cinematography, which was done by Paul Cameron. Also included
is a featurette about the firefights in film, and how they were choreographed.
Entertainment Value:
9/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Disc Features: 6/10
