The story: Detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) investigates the death of his beloved daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) after she gets violently killed – a gun shot that he thought was meant for him. Turns out he gets a lot more than he bargained for: government conspiracy, unethical business practices, shady guys with greasy hair and suits, radical activist groups, and dairy products laced with radiation. Think of it as Taken meets Ransom with a nuclear twist.
It was a TV show?! Yes. It was a mini-series from the ‘80s starring Bob Peck – the dude who played the dinosaur game warden in Jurassic Park.
What worked? Gibson hasn’t lost his touch when it comes to selling a character who is angry and persistent. In the limited screen time he shares with his on-screen daughter, he is a softy. Emma means the world to him and it comes across well – for the most part. Still, he is like Jason Bourne but with a paternal agenda. And kudos on the Boston accent.
What didn’t work? Somewhere in his journey of vengeance, I lost interest. There were too many elements involving conspiracy, family secrets, mysterious deaths, nuclear weaponry, blah, blah, blah. I was expecting something dumbed down for someone like me who just wanted to see Mel Gibson get crazy and kick some ass a la Lethal Weapon.
Hitting too close to home? Corrupted government? Sleazy politicians? Unethical practices? Could it be a case of art imitating life? There’s a huge possibility. I don’t talk about that kind of stuff – but I just thought I needed to mention it.
A good bedtime story? Apparently it is. After leaving the theater, I heard someone say that they fell asleep.
Who would win in a fight between Thomas Craven and Bryan Mills from Taken? Hands down – Bryan Mills.
Jason Bourne? Do I even have to ask?
Overall critique: Gibson delivers, but the movie was loaded with a lot of stuff that made it into some sort of ethical/activist/conspiracy theory film. Progressive vegan shoe wearing Berkeley students may like this, but it wasn’t exactly marketed like that. Good for the marketing team, bad for the audience. Grade: C-
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
