This film is a great example of what the action Melodrama genre can be. Sure its over the top, sure its gory, sure the profane language is hard to miss, but it all enhances a very deliberate tone and plot in this film.
Paul Walker was one of the biggest surprises in this movie, I'm used to seeing him as a wooden, brain dead, dull performer that has alway's failed to interest me. but he had a good director behind him here, backed up with a good story, and an interesting melodramatic character to help him along. Not to mention, in a film like this performance is hardly the most sought after element. All the actors had a simple job, take this character for what they are and play it as big and strange as you possibly can. If your written as a schmuck, be the worse of them, if your a hero be the best.
This film did bear the Tony Scott, tripped on acid kind of film style that put a visceral, ugly, dramatic look ahead of beautiful imagery. This was a dark film! It was shot in color but there were quite a few scene's where they blasted the actor's with so many foot candles that there was hardly a hue to be seen. Of course this was further accentuated with a black void of a background. the hockey rink scene was particularly impressive with its use of blue lighting and flat space.
There was a great deal of what has been known as a somewhat documentary film style, there was a lot of hand held camera and jarring movement, but it didn't get the the Paul Greengrass extent to where you don't know up from down (unless that's what they were going for). It was one of the few time that this film style was in fact, effective in enhancing the story telling process.
This was quite simply a good movie, it was a popcorn film that allows you to just sit back and let the wild ride happen. I can definitely appreciate such films every now and again. This one is worth seeing.
Paul Walker was one of the biggest surprises in this movie, I'm used to seeing him as a wooden, brain dead, dull performer that has alway's failed to interest me. but he had a good director behind him here, backed up with a good story, and an interesting melodramatic character to help him along. Not to mention, in a film like this performance is hardly the most sought after element. All the actors had a simple job, take this character for what they are and play it as big and strange as you possibly can. If your written as a schmuck, be the worse of them, if your a hero be the best.
This film did bear the Tony Scott, tripped on acid kind of film style that put a visceral, ugly, dramatic look ahead of beautiful imagery. This was a dark film! It was shot in color but there were quite a few scene's where they blasted the actor's with so many foot candles that there was hardly a hue to be seen. Of course this was further accentuated with a black void of a background. the hockey rink scene was particularly impressive with its use of blue lighting and flat space.
There was a great deal of what has been known as a somewhat documentary film style, there was a lot of hand held camera and jarring movement, but it didn't get the the Paul Greengrass extent to where you don't know up from down (unless that's what they were going for). It was one of the few time that this film style was in fact, effective in enhancing the story telling process.
This was quite simply a good movie, it was a popcorn film that allows you to just sit back and let the wild ride happen. I can definitely appreciate such films every now and again. This one is worth seeing.