Being from Grand Rapids, MI (where most of the film was shot) I figured I'd see how good of a product Mr. Jackson and his crew turned out.
First, a minor gripe about location. Understandably, just because it was filmed in Grand Rapids doesn't mean that it's set in Grand Rapids-- but at times the movie seems to think it is. "Rich" talks about money and guns coming from the east side of the state (Detroit) to the west (Grand Rapids), and also talks about a proximity to Chicago. That's all GR, along with every street named in the movie (heck, the "44th street slums" would be near my office...if there were any slums on 44th). But then the ending seems to take place in Detroit, with no mention about a police force from one side of the state going to the other side. It's only a gripe because of where I live, but it just showcases a level of confusion on the part of the film.
That confusion runs everywhere else, though. Is "Rich" a good guy or bad? What exactly are the cops trying to do? Is "Angel" good or bad? He goes free at the end, even though he killed just as many people in the movie as "Rich". Ultimately, I'm just left trying to figure out if there was much of a story here at all.
On the plus side, the acting is decent (although it sounded like Mr. Jackson had cotton balls in his mouth the entire time), and it really is shot beautifully. It's just too bad such a nice looking film had nothing else going for it.
First, a minor gripe about location. Understandably, just because it was filmed in Grand Rapids doesn't mean that it's set in Grand Rapids-- but at times the movie seems to think it is. "Rich" talks about money and guns coming from the east side of the state (Detroit) to the west (Grand Rapids), and also talks about a proximity to Chicago. That's all GR, along with every street named in the movie (heck, the "44th street slums" would be near my office...if there were any slums on 44th). But then the ending seems to take place in Detroit, with no mention about a police force from one side of the state going to the other side. It's only a gripe because of where I live, but it just showcases a level of confusion on the part of the film.
That confusion runs everywhere else, though. Is "Rich" a good guy or bad? What exactly are the cops trying to do? Is "Angel" good or bad? He goes free at the end, even though he killed just as many people in the movie as "Rich". Ultimately, I'm just left trying to figure out if there was much of a story here at all.
On the plus side, the acting is decent (although it sounded like Mr. Jackson had cotton balls in his mouth the entire time), and it really is shot beautifully. It's just too bad such a nice looking film had nothing else going for it.