The 2016 detective film directed by Ariel Vromen can safely be recommended for viewing, if only because any modern blockbuster can envy his acting ensemble. Actors starred in the film “The Criminal” (2016): the phenomenal Gary Oldman, who had not appeared on the big screen for a long time, Kevin Costner, who has not lost Tommy Lee Jones for about 20 years, the charming Deadpool Ryan Reynolds, the beautiful wonder woman Gal Gadot.
Project Advantages
The director Ariel Vromen does not stop changing inside the jammed genre cliches of action-packed cinema. In “Frozen,” he presented the main character, a ruthless killer, who was an exemplary family man overnight. In the film “The Criminal” (2016), the actors and the roles of which will undoubtedly be remembered by the viewer, the visionary tried to find the finest line separating a person from an animal.
To do this, he had to turn the traditional theme of temporary or complete loss of memory inside out, traditional for spy fighters. This artist was helped by excellent performers. Actors who were the embodiment of professionalism, albeit not in their best roles, were involved in the film "Criminal". The acting ensemble of the picture was called its greatest dignity.
Plot
The story begins with the death of CIA agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) during a secret operation in London. The spy does not have time to report to his superiors about the location of the hacker he discovered, who hacked into the defense of the ballistic missile launch system in the United States. Not only the Tsareushniki are hunting for computer genius, but also a terrorist syndicate for their mercantile villainous purposes. The Federal Agency of America is taking drastic measures.
To gain access to the recollections of the deceased, neurosurgeon Franks (Tommy Lee Jones) transplanted his memory to the arrested psychic maniac Jericho (Kevin Costner). A prisoner due to childhood trauma is not able to experience normal human feelings like sympathy or love.
The experiment at first seems fruitless, but after Jericho escapes from the jailers and, under the influence of surging memories, tries to continue the work of Bill Pope. Such an intricate story was presented to the audience by the above-mentioned actors of the film “The Criminal” (2016).
Veteran movie
Ariel Vromen’s project is notable for the fact that in the “Criminal” actors Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman first became screen partners from the time of the sensational political thriller John F. Kennedy: Shots in Dallas in 1991. In fact, in the light of recent trends in the popularity of Hollywood actors, Reynolds was supposed to play the role of a key character in the tape, and not act as an appendix to the beginning of the story. Ryan's character performs purely propaganda functions, so Bill Pope is a real hero, without fear and reproach and a bit of hesitation. But its timing is catastrophically small.
Due to the fact that Vromen was filming frankly veteran cinema, the actors in the film “Criminal” (2016) involved wise worldly and cinematic experiences. In the action movie, along with Costner, Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones, starred 47-year-old Jordi Mollie. The Spaniard, in comparison with the mastodons, looked almost like a boy. Of course, the heroines of the picture, played by Gal Gadot and Alice Eve, are many times younger, but that's how it is.
Two trump cards
Initially, the candidacy of the production group considered the candidacy of Nicolas Cage, but the actor, in the light of one of the known reasons, refused the proposal. At the end of the casting, the production process had to be postponed for a week due to the fact that Tommy Lee Jones managed to break his ribs.
However, in general, the filming process took place as planned without any significant changes. As a result, the premiere of the tape took place in early April 2016. Critics assigned the action movie the status of a good movie and an IMDb rating of 6.30. According to cinema experts, Vromen had two trump cards. One of them is Kevin Costner, the other is Gary Oldman. The second got the image of the unprincipled head of the CIA headquarters in London, willingly breaking human destinies for the sake of state security. Everyone knows, Oldman, in principle, does not know how to play poorly. The reviewers compared these actors of the film “Criminal” (2016) with a powerful locomotive, which at mediocre moments pulled an action movie onto the rails of high-quality cinema.
Casting
In his initial scenes, Costner, realistically depicting a hefty maniac, not at all similar to the traditional characters of the actor, surprises the beholder. If the story continued in this vein, Vromen could have produced an interesting anti-heroic tape. But the plot story pretty quickly turns the hero into the right Pope 2.0, playing with the orphaned daughter of Bill and telling the inconsolable widow about how much she was loved by the deceased spouse. In general, he behaves as a typical good-natured hero and a brilliant defender of America. Unfortunately, according to the 62-year-old Kostner, it is noticeable that he is no longer able to perform tricks and fight, like Jason Bourne. So the second half of the picture is full of touching episodes and practically does not contain scenes that can surprise fans of action tapes.
Pleasant exception
There are many secondary characters in the film, but bright ones. The main antagonist makes a depressing impression, he is too stereotyped and sluggish, and his actions are frankly ridiculous. And the rest of the countless policemen, hackers, special agents and criminals are simply lost in a scenario heap-mal.
Definitely only remembers the image of Gal Gadot. Admiring the actress is incredibly nice. Even her silent presence in the frame, for example, on the ocean in the memories of the central character, smooths out some of the blemishes of the picture.