Tag: assassin

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Muni reviews: Hanna (2011)

This movie was some kind of awesome. From frame one, this movie completely enthralled me. It's a top-notch thriller that doesn't sacrifice its human side for the sake of explosions, chases, and fight scenes. At its core, there's a very complex character that's both interesting and sympathetic. The story begins by showing Hanna, a physically sharp teenage girl with a mysterious past, hunting a deer. Her father eventually explains that a government agent named Marissa Weigler is searching for her. He's been training her for her entire life so that she can take on Weigler. If she flicks a switch, Marissa Weigler will know where they are, and an intensely rehearsed plan to kill her and live life without any potential harm will begin. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned, and as Hanna tries to reach her father after she's escaped capture, the hunt begins. First of all, let's discuss the technical aspects of this movie. After seeing three of Joe Wright's movies, it's clear that this man has a keen eye for cinematography, and I thank him for it. There are so many beautiful shots and flashy camera-techniques in this movie. All of them fit the specific moments in which they exist, but they all blend together very well. The best looking scenes are the scenes in the snow-laden forest. Of course, the cinematography would fall apart without proper editing, and they do nail it. The movie is filled with quick cuts, and they make the action scenes much more shocking than they would otherwise be. There's a scene early in the film where Hanna kills a group of guards and shoots all of the cameras in the room, and the way it's edited makes you jump with every gunshot. The acting here is superb. Saoirse Ronan gives an incredibly dynamic performance as always. She's a great young talent that has shown us several times now that she's a force to be reckoned with. Kate Blanchett gives a great performance as well. She gives a performance that is both cold and emotional when necessary. Eric Bana gives a surprisingly good performance as Eric, Hanna's father. It's not a huge stretch for him, but he certainly does a good job. The actors playing some of the lesser side-characters also do a great job. Sophie's mother is played by the lovely Olivia Williams, brought warmth to he character. Jason Flemming makes an excellent supporting villain. The soundtrack to the film, by The Chemical Brothers, made the film in my opinion. The music was exquisite and worked very well with the film. I believe they did a fantastic job in adding a different dimension to the film, which works. It’s made me a fan of their music for sure. What can I say? This movie was phenomenal. I went in with enormous expectations and was completely blown away. This movie has so many elements sewn into it that fondly remind me of my favorite films. It has everything I want in a movie and more. It finds the perfect balance of honest emotion and thrilling action. The result is a knockout. This movie may very well end up on my Best of the Year list. Honestly, I haven't enjoyed seeing a movie in the theater this much since I saw Inception for the first time. My verdict it’s a well directed smartly paced film, which has a fantastic story and great soundtrack. It got mixed reviews by both critics and “normal people” but I guess you have to make your own opinion. I’d say if you want to watch this then do, as I believe you will really enjoy it, more then you probably think. 8/10 Muni

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Kazed reviews: The American (2010)

Synopsis: one among assassins, Jack is a master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows to his contact Pavel that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde, is in the offing as a weapon is constructed. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto and pursues romance with local woman Clara. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate. Here's a film which is a tad different to your average Action/Thriller. It's more of a subtle action more than anything else. Clooney, who plays Jack (No connection to Bauer), is quite a reclusive character, one that doesn't really associate with the world, or tries to, but in doing so, finds out why he shouldn't. The film itself tends to move a little slow following the first scene, and continues to keep this steady pace up until around midway through, where business picks up - Then it slows down again. This wasn't a negative, but the trailer made the film more than it is, which I didn't appreciate. How rude. How rude of the trailer making people. As if I have the time to watch something I think it's going to be but isn't. What nonsense. What monstrosity. Seriously though, for what it was, it was an enjoyable semi-thriller-subtle-action type deal. The performances were nothing short of good, except that of Clooney's. The cinematography was really impressive at parts, really easy on the eyes, and frankly was more interesting than the film. No I kid. LOL. Here's a new one - The location. The combination of this along with the tone of the rest of the film worked perfectly, to spawn something which looked like it came out of Pre-Daniel Craig James Bond's uterus. How disgusting. I should stop writing stuff like that. Ha. Not. I'll leave it in. Good film, a little slow, don't be fooled by the trailer, which makes it look frickin' awesome. But then, I guess that's what trailers are meant to do. 7/10 anyway, well deserved. Here's the trailer anyways:

Kazed