This is a mediocre remake of a 1971 film by the same name, with Sylvester Stallone inheriting the title role from Michael Caine (who also has a minor role in this film). The screenplay has been updated to make it more techie (cyber porn, cell phones and internet billionaires). Writer David McKenna (`American History X') attempts to flesh out Carter a bit more and make him a nice guy in a bad profession. Unfortunately, while that helps, the dialogue is uniformly bad and the characters are boringly stereotypical.
Director Stephen Kay is creative with the camera, but adds excessive style without regard to substance. He throws every technique ever invented into the frame in a flurry of strange camera angles, strobe effects and fast forward photography. The result is a presentation that is more idiosyncratic than brilliant. There is so much hand held photography that by the end of the film, the viewer has whiplash from trying to follow the action. Speaking of action, there is not much of it. There is a lot of talk, a few fistfights and one decent car chase and that is about it. For a film that clearly targets a male audience, this film fails to deliver what guys want most.
Stallone gives his standard tough guy performance, which is generally among the best in the business. He is still in good shape at 54, but one has to wonder how much longer he can keep playing these characters before it becomes incongruous. As has been the rule in remakes of late, the former Carter, Michael Caine is given a supporting role in this film. Caine is excellent as the slime bag pulling the strings behind the scenes. Rachel Leigh Cook also gives a fine performance as Carter's niece, and does an outstanding job in one poignant scene where she describes to her uncle how she was raped. Alan Cumming plays a sniveling rich boy who made millions in technology and provides an almost comic contrast to Stallone's deadly seriousness. Mickey Roarke provides his character with a sinister and despicable personality, and is still as tough as they come. However, he is another actor whose thug days are numbered.
I rated this film a 5/10. Despite some good acting, a dull script is embellished with unnecessary directorial flourishes making it more annoying than entertaining . Women subtract at least two points for testosterone overload.
Director Stephen Kay is creative with the camera, but adds excessive style without regard to substance. He throws every technique ever invented into the frame in a flurry of strange camera angles, strobe effects and fast forward photography. The result is a presentation that is more idiosyncratic than brilliant. There is so much hand held photography that by the end of the film, the viewer has whiplash from trying to follow the action. Speaking of action, there is not much of it. There is a lot of talk, a few fistfights and one decent car chase and that is about it. For a film that clearly targets a male audience, this film fails to deliver what guys want most.
Stallone gives his standard tough guy performance, which is generally among the best in the business. He is still in good shape at 54, but one has to wonder how much longer he can keep playing these characters before it becomes incongruous. As has been the rule in remakes of late, the former Carter, Michael Caine is given a supporting role in this film. Caine is excellent as the slime bag pulling the strings behind the scenes. Rachel Leigh Cook also gives a fine performance as Carter's niece, and does an outstanding job in one poignant scene where she describes to her uncle how she was raped. Alan Cumming plays a sniveling rich boy who made millions in technology and provides an almost comic contrast to Stallone's deadly seriousness. Mickey Roarke provides his character with a sinister and despicable personality, and is still as tough as they come. However, he is another actor whose thug days are numbered.
I rated this film a 5/10. Despite some good acting, a dull script is embellished with unnecessary directorial flourishes making it more annoying than entertaining . Women subtract at least two points for testosterone overload.