Marcus Monopoli
Special to the Chief
The new film from classic Hollywood action director Richard Donner of fame, is a thriller that leans nicely towards character, but at the cost of excitement.
Told in nearly real-time, it stops and starts, putting in buffers between the action for decent but uninspired character moments between Jack (Bruce Willis) and Eddie (Mos Def). Like most thrillers, the actual mechanics of the plot don't hold up too well under scrutiny.
With enough adrenaline, a good thriller can get over that problem, but all the stops in this film gives too many opportunities to question your suspension of disbelief.
Willis, who has been doing the over-hill-action figure roles lately, can do haggardness very well - and he looks the part with his sagging, graying moustache, slow, tentative movements, and an inability to run great distances without a need for a breather. Mos Def's Eddie is more of a standard fast-talking street hustler with a heart of gold, with an earnest delivery that tries to be evocative and annoying in equal measure. Def has turned into a decent actor with a fair amount of screen charisma that, more than anything else, pulls Eddie off as more than a clich茅.
does lose momentum in the last act as Donner pulls a shameless bait and switch to put in a standard Hollywood ending for a film that opened with more promise. There's a good movie in there somewhere but it's unbalanced, and makes for a generally bumpy ride.
