STACK NZ Jan-Feb #59

REVIEWS

DVD&BD

Neeson’s NY Noir A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES

Hostage to Fortune LIFE OF CRIME

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Release Date: 18/02/15

Release Date: 15/01/15

THRILLER

With his action man credentials now firmly established, Liam Neeson takes the chance to stretch himself a little with this noir-rish thriller, in which the emphasis is more on mood and suspense than explosive set-pieces. Based on the novel by Lawrence Block, Neeson is Matt Scudder, a reformed alcoholic cop who now makes a living as an unlicensed private eye. When approached by drug dealer Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens from Downton Abbey ) to help him find the men who abducted and murdered his wife, Scudder is reluctant to take the

Although it could be seen as a prequel to Jackie Brown – it features younger versions of the characters played by Samuel L Jackson and Robert De Niro in the Quentin Tarantino film – this sly comedy thriller more than stands up in its own right. Based on the late, great Elmore Leonard’s novel The Switch and retaining the ‘70s settings of the original, Mos Def and John Hawkes play the aforementioned Ordell and Louie, two small-time crooks who hatch a plan to kidnap the wife (Jennifer Aniston) of a sleazy businessman (Tim Robbins). Unfortunately, the

case, but changes his mind when he discovers that these psychos have done this before and may already be targeting their next victim. Neeson is suitably world-weary as the reluctant PI, while director Scott Frank’s gritty visuals vividly brings the seamier side of the Big Apple to life.

latter is about to divorce his missus, so he has no intention of paying a ransom. This was last screen project to be overseen by Leonard and it’s fitting tribute, with the talented ensemble making the most of his hard-boiled dialogue and his crooked yet oddly likable characters.

Memories of Murder? BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP

Bourne again Brosnan THE NOVEMBER MAN

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Release Date: 04/02/15

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Release Date: 04/02/15

Every day Christine (Nicole Kidman) wakes up with her complete stranger in a bed. The man (Colin Firth) patiently explains that he is Ben, her husband, and because of traumatic accident in her past, she suffers from a rare form of amnesia in which she forgets everything about herself her adult life everytime she goes to sleep. However, unbeknown to Ben, Christine is now being helped by a sympathetic neurologist (Mark Strong) who is getting her to make a video diary at the end of each day to remind herself of her condition. And that diary reveals that her doting husband may actually be keeping her secrets from her. Based on the bestseller by SJ Watson and expertly directed by Rowan Joffe, Before I Go To Sleep is an ingenius Memento -style thriller that you won’t forget in a hurry.

One-time 007 Pierce Brosnan gets back into the spying game in this proficient Bourne -lite thriller from Australian director Roger Donaldson ( The Recruit , The Bank Job ). Brosnan is called out of retirement to help a deep cover agent – who also happens to be his former lover – escape from The Kremlin with explosive information about a politician tipped to become the new Russian president. However, when she is executed during the rescue mission by Brosnan’s former protégé (Australian actor Luke Bracey, soon to be seen in the Keanu Reeves role

in the remake of Point Break ), he finds himself on the run from both the Russians and the C.I.A. Although the plot is full of holes, Donaldson delivers on the action front, while Brosnan looks to be enjoying himself as a nastier and more jaded superspy.

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