STACK NZ Jan-Feb #59

31 / 60

31
REVIEWS DVD&BD
ith his action man credentials now firmly established,
am Neeson takes the chance to stretch himself a little
ith this noir-rish thriller, in which the emphasis is more
mood and suspense than explosive set-pieces.
sed on the novel by Lawrence Block, Neeson is Matt
udder, a reformed alcoholic cop who now makes a
ing as an unlicensed private eye. When approached by
ug dealer Kenny Kristo (Dan Stevens from Downton
bey ) to help him find the men who abducted and
murdered his wife, Scudder is reluctant to take 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.
Neeson’s NY Noir
A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES
lthough it could be seen as a prequel to Jackie Brown
it features younger versions of the characters played
y Samuel L Jackson and Robert De Niro in the Quentin
arantino film – this sly comedy thriller more than stands
p in its own right. Based on the late, great Elmore
eonard’s novel The Switch and retaining the ‘70s settings
f the original, Mos Def and John Hawkes play the
forementioned Ordell and Louie, two small-time crooks
ho hatch a plan to kidnap the wife (Jennifer Aniston) of
a sleazy businessman (Tim Robbins). Unfortunately, the
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.
Hostage to Fortune
LIFE OF CRIME
very day Christine (Nicole Kidman) wakes up with
er complete stranger in a bed. The man (Colin Firth)
atiently explains that he is Ben, her husband, and
ecause of traumatic accident in her past, she suffers
om a rare form of amnesia in which she forgets
verything about herself her adult life everytime she
oes to sleep. However, unbeknown to Ben, Christine
now being helped by a sympathetic neurologist (Mark
trong) 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.
Memories of Murder?
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP
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.
Bourne again Brosnan
THE NOVEMBER MAN
Format: Release Date: 18/02/15 Format: Release Date: 15/01/15
Format: Release Date:04/02/15 Format: Release Date: 04/02/15
THRILLER