Year: 2004
Directed By: E. Elias Merhige
Written By: Zak Penn
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with this one. It’s one of those movies I watched once about ten years ago and immediately bought a copy of it to add to the collection. There was a period of aggressive expansion for the collection around 2006-2008 when I lived near a used DVD store and could buy lots of movies. I would look for something cool and add it to the collection I was so proud to show off. This movie was one of those added around 06, and I’m excited to sit down and see what it was that caught my eye.
This is a cool movie of cat and mouse but I think what sets it apart is Ben Kingsley. The ferocity he acts with is a remarkable thing to see. The man really is on another level of acting than most of his peers. His performance in this movie is quite impressive but he really catches you off guard with the following scene:
Kingsley can be so unnerving, it’s the look in his eyes. He’s scary enough just on his own but when he has you tied up and at his mercy he invokes another level of fear. I’ve seen him bomb a role before (Iron Man 3) but when he brings it he can startle you out of your seat. Check out Sexy Beast if you don’t believe me.
I think what probably caught my eye back in 06 wasn’t Ben Kingsley at all but more likely Aaron Eckhart. He had blown me away the year before with Thank You For Smoking and I was a really big fan. Eckhart is a good actor and he does a good enough job holding his own against Kingsley in this movie. Can’t help but feel like his career never quite took off after rising around this time and then falling a few years later.
I feel like this movie climaxes with a real Sevenvibe to it but it’s not as good. No movie can really match up to “what’s in the box?!?” Nevertheless it’s a good enough ending to an interesting movie. It manages to surprise you a little bit after misleading us with a bit of foreshadowing earlier in the film.
This is a cool movie with a couple of notable performances but it’s nothing spectacular. There are worse ways to spend your time but I don’t know that this movie is really worth it. It’s not bad at all but still manages to be more of the same.
Year: 2013
Directed By: Shane Black
Written By: Drew Pearce and Shane Black
RYAN’S REVIEW
I have been a little obsessed with the MCU lately. Along with Iron Man 2 I revisited this film too as it is the only other movie within the MCU that we didn’t own a copy of. Having not added the second film to the collection I didn’t add this one either because I can’t stand gaps within trilogies even if one of the films isn’t very good. When this movie came out I didn’t think it was good enough to warrant purchasing both films. I thought it was OK when it was released and I’ll maintain that impression after seeing it again. This movie is just OK and far from the best of the bunch when it comes to the 14 movies now within the MCU.
I remember when this film came out the tagline was something like “does the suit make the man or the man make the suit.” That was a huge theme within this movie as Tony again spends far too much time as Tony and not enough as Iron Man. It’s cool that Tony Stark can still be heroic without his armor but I didn’t go see the Iron Man movie to see Tony in James Bond mode outside the Mandarin’s house. I wanted more Iron Man after feeling like the second movie didn’t offer enough Iron Man action either. While I like the second film more now than I did years ago I still feel like this one had a lot more problems.
The problem with the scope of the MCU now has to be making these individual movies when they aren’t all together. For example where is Captain America when the President’s life is being threatened? Where was Iron Man when S.H.I.E.L.D. turned out to be heavily infiltrated by Hydra? Yeah it’s all about budget and contracts and you can’t have every character in every film but that doesn’t change the fact that it doesn’t really make sense. We are seeing that change as there is far more crossover with characters these days. I’m totally psyched for the third Thor film as it will feature appearances from both the Hulk and Doctor Strange.
I have always been a fan of Shane Black’s action films from the 90s. While usually credited with writing he has had a hand in many classic action films like Lethal Weapon, Last Action Hero, The Last Boy Scout, and one of my household favorites growing up The Long Kiss Goodnight. He was also the writer for one of my childhood/lifetime favorites The Monster Squad. So I’m a big fan of his work, but I don’t know that this Iron Man film lived up to some of those classics. Getting behind camera this time around Shane Black gave us a cool enough movie but nothing spectacular.
This movie doesn’t have the feel of a real MCU movie barring the presence of MCU characters. For example it doesn’t have a mid credit sequence that alludes to the coming films or future of the MCU. Its setting during the Christmas season for a summer release seemed an odd choice, out of place in the MCU which is usually has no association with holidays.
I think the problems with this movie in general starts with the story. It just isn’t big enough and too isolated to Iron Man specifically. After the second film there should have been more cross over with other characters. For example, Captain America’s third film featured an iconic comic storyline and turned into a huge spectacle. I think they could have put more thought into what to do for Iron Man’s second sequel. Granted you have Don Cheadle on board as War Machine/Iron Patriot but it just doesn’t seem like enough. After introducing Black Widow and featuring Nick Fury in the second movie this one is just too absent of other characters.
I also hate that Ben Kingsley was wasted as a pretend bad guy. He could have been much cooler than what they ultimately got with Guy Pearce. I don’t really care for Guy Pearce and nothing about that changed with this movie. I liked Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2, but felt another rival weapons manufacturer for this movie to be redundant. I did like James Dale Badge as the top henchman. I have been a fan of his since he played Jack Bauer’s partner in season 3 of 24. Ben Kingsley isn’t just a top grade actor but he is capable of playing a great villain, if in any doubt check out this. This movie could have used a little Don Logan if you ask me, such a waste.
I consider this one of the weakest installments to the MCU, not a bad movie but simply not up to par with the other films. It just feels too isolated for a third installment. Tony has too many friends at this point to take on this problem on his own. Even if they couldn’t include other characters somebody else should have at least been referenced with the President’s life at stake. I think this movie is worth your time but it’s far from the top of the pack in the 14 movies now within the MCU.
Year: 2000
Directed By: Jonathan Glazer
Written By: Louis Mellis and David Scinto
RYAN’S REVIEW
Some actors take every opportunity to showcase their greatness and sometimes they deliver a performance that reminds us just how talented they really are. That’s what Ben Kingsley did with this movie and that is exactly why I own it. Years ago I had a friend bring this movie over and I wasn’t interested, but once Kingsley showed up with all the ferocity I never knew him capable of I had to own the film.
This is really a fairly cut and dry movie short the performances that make it exceptional. Ray Winstone is great as Gal, a criminal who thinks he’s “retired” and has to find out the hard way that his enterprise isn’t one you ever actually quit. He’s living the good life, soaking up the sun and drinking the night away with friends before a phone call from back home upsets the equilibrium of things. An old acquaintance has decided to pay a visit and he is not the type of man you can deny when he comes calling.
Don Logan is intimidating as hell and I am so surprised every time I see this movie how wicked he is. Adding to his intimidation is the fact that you can so clearly see how afraid Gal and his friends are when they are around this guy from back home. It suggests they know things, they know what he is capable of and it has them visibly distressed. The thing about Ben Kingsley as Don Logan is that he is just as intimidating when he is sitting quietly as he is when he is flashing his anger. He has a presence that can be felt through the screen and right into your living room. Kingsley was actually nominated for the Academy Award for this role but lost to Jim Broadbent for his role in the movie Iris.
Kingsley overshadows nearly everyone in this movie but Ray Winstone is due plenty of credit. He kept the movie interesting after Kingsley’s part with his interactions with the equally intimidating Teddy Bass, played by Ian McShane. I am a huge fan of Ian McShane and he is always great as a sinister and shady character. In this movie I didn’t feel like McShane really brought it as a bad guy but it’s hard to be in the same movie with Don Logan and measure up.
Bank robbery movies have a tendency to be redundant because we have seen it all before. This movie is no different once Don Logan has come and gone. I think it is still worth your time to see though because Don Logan deserves to be seen. If for no other reason then seeing a bad guy be bad this movie is one you should definitely check out.
The Movie Snobs 