Film Reviews by TB

After the incredible Dark Knight trilogy marshalled by Christopher Nolan, then a case of significantly diminishing returns with Batman V Superman & the Justice League, we now have a new Batman & a new angle of the Caped Crusader's adventures in Gotham. But whilst there are some genuinely good elements to the film, it never rises above average for me.

The story starts a couple of years into Batman's campaign against the criminal underworld. Bruce Wayne is a young man, trying to deal with the enormous pain & personal grief he feels by beating the scum & criminals of Gotham to a pulp. There have however been some successes, mainly the busting of Salvatore Maroni's drug empire. But a dangerous new psychopath surfaces, who slaughters the wealthy & elite, then leaves riddles at the crime scenes, taunting Batman & the police. At the same time, there is also a fellow vigilante in the form of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, who is out to avenge her close friend, who has gone missing & worked at the club of Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot.

The cast themselves are overall really good. Pattison in particular is emphatically not the disaster that some people were predicting. Although his take was a little strange, looking at times like a moody emo-kid who you'd see sulking in the corner, he does project very effectively the heartache & loss he is grappling with. The stand-out performance by a country mile though is Paul Dano. He is such a creepy, evil & slimy creation, half the time goading Batman & the other half desperately wanting him to like his work/revere him. Colin Farrell as the Penguin is also great, the make-up/prosthesis he has had done to him rendering him totally unrecognisable. Andy Serkis sadly is short-changed by the script, as it Jeffrey Wright, despite both giving their best.

I think for me, the biggest thing is that quite simply I am not a comic book film fan. The main reason I loved the Dark Knight trilogy was completely because of my fan as Nolan as a filmmaker, with the fact it was a comic book story simply a factor of it. But as much as I have mixed feelings, there is some good things to like about it, alongside the drudge.

Freddie Mercury was a complete one-off: a stunning, staggeringly gifted musician & performer, outstanding vocalist & one of the best entertainers the world will ever have. Many of Queen's songs are still as popular today as they were when released, perfectly written & performed. But, particularly during his lifetime, very little was actually known about Mercury, driven primarily by him & his fanatical privacy. Stories/rumours would be published, but never confirmed. So, in other words, the perfect subject for a biopic.

But, this film has many many flaws alongside it's great parts. The main one by a country mile is how safe & sanitised this film is, which is in every way the polar opposite of Mercury the man. There is no doubt that the main reason for this is due to the extensive creative control that the remaining members of Queen had over production, controlling not only pretty much every element of the film, but also the rights to the songs. There would be no way to make a Freddie biopic without the music he created, and by extension of that, by controlling the rights, the band members could shape the film they wanted.

There was an infamous example of this early on in the gestation of this film many years ago, when Sacha Baron Cohen was cast as Mercury & wanted to make a no-holds barred, totally extreme biopic, showing the many outrageous sides of Freddie as well as his sexuality. But for many reasons, one probably being the backlash of many of Queen's fans not liking to see this extreme representation of gay life, Baron Cohen & the band fell out, the film stalling for years.

By the time it finally came to fruition & was shot with Malek in the lead role, the film had changed to what it is now: fairly rote, a bit bland & despite flashes of brilliance, nothing ever more than mediocre. There are some good parts, particularly the fleshing out of Mercury's incredibly close bond & love for Mary Austin, who was first his girlfriend then best friend. But despite some good performances from the cast, Malek is in many ways the only one who comes out of this really well. It is just a bit "meh" and I wanted & expected so much more.

Yes the music is great, hence the 3 stars, but especially when comparing this to Rocketman, released around the same time, there is so much here lacking. Yes, it was warmly received by many, but it could have been so much more.

I love this film. It is a wonderful, moving & action-packed movie, but more than anything, for me it is quintessentially a James Bond film. Bond is show to be fiercely patriotic & loyal, plus also vulnerable. Not since Die Another Day have we seen him beaten up, exhausted & jaded. But as he starts to get back to who he was, the screen just lights up & the joy you feel is the reason why, for so many people, there is no substitute.

Amusingly, one reason why Skyfall also works is because it is the only film of the series which in no way tries to tie itself in to the shadowy organisation which is first introduced in Casino Royale & then attempted to be fleshed out in Quantum of Solace. This is a truly standalone Bond film & is all the better for it.

And it starts as it means to go on: a shadow appears in the distance, then there is the almost deafening blast of the iconic Bond chords. Sat in the IMAX watching this, immediately it grabbed me & the message straight away, loud & clear was "Bond is back." In the space of 10 minutes, we see Bond desperately chase, with a car & motorbike, then on top of a moving train, a mercenary who has stolen highly classified files. The mission goes awry & Bond then vanishes, spending months in an island paradise drinking the bars dry & bedding beautiful women. However, a terrorist attack in London then draws him back to his home country & tracking down the mastermind behind it all.

This film has everything: a fantastic script, beautiful cinematography from Roger Deakins, a perfect score from Thomas Newman & theme song by Adele, incredible stunts & note-perfect performances. I mean, the list just goes on. And it is so welcome & brilliant to be able to sit in your seat & be totally swept up in everything that is going on, especially as the story & themes become much more personal. As much there is the real-world element to this & every Bond film (in Skyfall, it is mainly hacking/destroying high-value or important targets,) it becomes much more about James Bond himself & particularly his relationship with M.

Central to all of this is Daniel Craig. This is, even though Casino Royale is my favourite film overall, his best performance as Bond. Having 2 films under his belt (one spectacularly successful, the other average at best,) here you feel that he is much more comfortable & confident in the role. He really has grown into the skin of Bond & never for a second did I doubt any part of his performance. Judi Dench is also, as you would expect, incredible. Having been M since 1995 with Pierce's 1st film, here she is in many ways given her meatiest role in the 007 series. As you would expect, she delivers everything you could want & more. Alongside her, we get the return of Q, Ben Whishaw perfectly filling the shoes of Desmond Llewellyn after a long hiatus.

And then there is Javier Bardem as Silva. With a shock of blond hair & an extremely eccentric/camp persona, you almost dismiss him at first, even as he tells a fairly repugnant story in his opening monologue. But you underestimate him at your peril. He is totally ruthless, vain & evil, valuing only himself & prepared to destroy everything to get what he wants. He matches Craig toe-to-toe in dramatic tension & stakes.

Then we come to the ending. Again, no other Bond film makes you actually FEEL so strongly & emphatically the raw emotion which is shown on screen. As the final credits rolled, I felt every type of joy imaginable. I loved this film & it still saddens me to this day that despite trying, Bond has never again reached the heights it scaled here. This is James Bond, one of the greatest action heroes ever created, in one of the best films in the series.

Nobody will ever do it better.

Whenever I see David Fincher has released a new film, I always get excited. Whilst there are many reasons for this, the biggest one is because you never know what you are going to get. From his magnificent (and completely unfairly traduced,) 1st film Alien3, through to the massively successful & legendary crowd pleasers Se7en & Fight Club, Fincher is a chameleon, incapable of creating anything bland or stale, irrelevant of whether the viewer likes it or not. For his latest film, he adapts another novel, this time a highly successful & critically adored one from writer Gillian Flynn.

Gone Girl is about the sudden disappearance of Amy Dunne, who achieved a certain level of fame as a child after a series of successful books written about her by her parents, on her 5th wedding anniversary. Her husband Nick is a business owner but also in many ways, despite some small successes, basically a loser who has come to take everything in his life, including his relationship, for granted. After Nick calls the police, he then becomes a suspect, a suspicion that is exacerbated by the media hysteria/circus that descends upon the case. Nick then realises that something is very wrong & has to take matters into his own hands.

As you would expect in a Fincher film, everything is technically perfect. The cinematography, sets, costumes, soundtrack & performances note perfect. The actors are amazing, especially Rosamund Pike. In a film where she has to play so many different emotions, she aces every one. But I also feel that huge praise must go to Carrie Coon as Nick's sister. As the story progresses & it dawns on her the full horror of the situation that she has been dragged into, it is a joy to watch.

The script and story is also great. Even though I have not read the book, this did not in any way affect my viewing of it, plus I did also hear that the structure & ending has also been changed to keep an element of mystery. And the story itself is a dark & at times graphically violent one. This is a film where nothing is held back & that is absolutely to the movie's benefit. This film would not work if it was shot with half measures.

Whilst this is essential viewing, it's also emphatically not a "date" film, unless you both really like messed up films, in which case, everything you could want is catered for here.

After one of the greatest ever careers as an actor, filled with unbelievably varying characters/stories, it was completely appropriate that Daniel Day-Lewis would choose as his final film another strange & deeply idiosyncratic individual to portray. Although, as confirmed in an interview with him, when filming started, he had no idea or thoughts that this would be his final role; it was only in the middle of shooting that a deep depression & need to retire took hold. But he has gone out with a bang so to speak, playing a man only he could play & keeping us as the viewer engrossed & riveted as the film progresses. He also reunites with PT Anderson, after the magnificent There Will Be Blood, often called one of the best films ever made.

Reynolds Woodcock is a highly respected & supremely gifted fashion designer, running his fashion house in post-war 1954 London. He is revered for his designs & tailoring, catering to a wide variety of extremely influential, wealthy & important women, including royalty & the upper classes. But Woodcock is also an absolute nightmare as a person: a petulant, highly demanding, controlling & obsessive creature. Every single detail of his life, whether it is the minutiae of the stitching on the dresses he creates through to people at the breakfast table not eating certain foods at certain times, has to be exactly as he wants it, otherwise all hell breaks loose. His sister Cyril manages this life, tolerating much of this behaviour, as she accepts that this is what a tortured genius requires in order to keep the show on the road.

Into this life of precision & exacting standards comes Alma, a waitress who Reynolds meets on his yearly vacation. They immediately form a bond which then turns into love & a relationship. However, it soon becomes clear that Alma is absolutely not going to slot into the world & whims of Reynolds. We are then treated to a ringside seat as a monstrous ego meets its match.

The film itself is great fun. It is brilliantly written, quite profound & also at times unbelievably funny. Day-Lewis, who also did uncredited work on the script, dives headfirst into this world. As much as when you read the above description of Woodcock, he sounds unbearable, you do grow to love him but also feel pity for him. He is, in every sense of the world, a tortured genius, plagued by visions & hurt over the loss of his mother. But matching him toe to toe is newcomer Vicky Krieps. As with Barkad Abdi in Captain Phillips, putting a relatively new actor up against a talisman of talent like Hanks or Day-Lewis either works or it doesn't. But Krieps's gentle, fierce and strong Alma always has the viewer willing her on, whilst at the same time imaging the horror of having to deal with what is in many ways an extremely talented baby in a grown-man's body.

Lesley Manville is also excellent, her acid tongued sister Cyril managing this situation whilst also begrudgingly respecting what Alma is trying to do. There are a few great scenes between Woodcock & her, in particular one where he tries to pull his tricks on her & is cut down immediately & remorselessly. There are other elements of great humour, my favourite involving a teapot.

I did love this film, but it is in no way like There Will Be Blood, in terms of certain scenes having a degree of action in them. This is a film full of conversations, dreams & musings about life.

As much as I am devastated that one of my 2 favourite actors will no longer be working, I am glad that this was the film he went out on: a brilliant & difficult look at talent and genius.

Mr Day-Lewis, thank you for the memories.

A very gentle & warm film, showing what happens when children grow up, but don't completely lose their innocence and wonderful memories.

In this film, Christopher Robin is an adult and now is working for a company where he is in constant demand, forgetting not only his family but also all the animals in the Hundred Acre Wood. After a personal crisis, Robin is drawn back into the world & comfort of the animals and the place where all of his happy memories were created. He then slowly rediscovers the parts of himself that were suppressed & forgotten about as he was forced to mature.

It is all very gentle, with no nasty surprises, or indeed any surprises narrative wise at all. Exactly what you think will happen happens, but it is enjoyable. The cast are great, especially McGregor and welcomingly, Jim Cummings, the original voice actor of both Pooh & Tigger. The CGI is also excellent.

A perfect film to watch with your children, or by yourself if you want a trip down memory lane & a reflection of everything you had to lose in order to grow up, some of which you would do well to rediscover.

In a career full of amazing performances, this is for me hands down Nicole Kidman's best. Like a number of other actors in challenging roles, she has totally transformed herself through incredible prosthetics & make-up, but most importantly, this is emphatically not a case of simply relying on this transformation to carry the film. Like Charlize Theron in Monster or Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club, this simply allows you to buy much deeper into the story & enhances the performance in every single way.

Erin Bell is a cop with the LAPD, who has spent time deep undercover within gangs. When we first meet her, she is as close to death as it is possible to be without being in an intensive care bed. She looks like she has spent a millennia in the baking sun, her blood has been replaced by whiskey & the last time she slept was a hundred years ago. Bell is also openly mocked & traduced by her colleagues, who express credulity that she still has a job within the police force.

Arriving at the scene of a brutal gang murder, Bell claims to know who was involved, which again is dismissed by those around her. The film then jumps back in time, looking at her evolution from a keen & fresh-faced undercover cop to the ruin of a person she is now.

The entire metaphor of the film, which Kidman plays to perfection & the director Karyn Kusama flawlessly deconstructs, is the enormous personal price that being in enforcement, especially undercover, does to a person. It can, in the case of Bell, literally destroy you. But it is absolutely gripping. It also, for a nano-budget film, has a stunning heist scene, which rivals any big budget thriller film.

I won't say too much more, as part of the joy of this film is the shocking journey that you are taken on. But this is Kidman & cast at the top of their games.

A brilliant film

Free climbing, meaning the scaling of mountains & rock faces with no safety equipment, is a niche but horrifyingly watchable and adrenaline-raising sport. Whilst there have been some TV programmes on it before, there has never been a standalone docu-film about one particular individual, following his journey. 

Alex Honnold is in many ways the perfect subject for a film like this. It is clear from the opening moments that he never intended to be famous or well-known, and treats the media fascination around him with a sort of bemused detachment. As someone who has spent the vast majority of his life simply being on his own, setting & breaking multiple records, he would have probably stayed under the radar indefinitely with no-one outside of the climbing community knowing about him. But this documentary has been massively successful, even winning an Oscar & propelling him into the spotlight. 

We follow Honnold as he prepares to try to achieve the first ever free-solo climb on part of El Capitan. Along the way, we find out more about his early life, as well as how he mentally deals with the pressures and strains, despite also being strangely separated from the dangers in certain ways. Honnold is also fairly open to investigations as to why that is, including agreeing to submit to brain scans examining how his mind works. There are also some lovely intimate scenes as he finds love with Sanni, who becomes in many ways the beating heart of the documentary. 

Then we get to the climb, after months of preparation & close calls. And the way it is shot is perfect: no music, no stupid tricks or media flourishes. We are just given a front row seat to one of the greatest athletic performances of all time. Huge praise must be given to the directors, who give us just enough distance whilst still keeping us close. 

An incredible documentary & richly deserving of all the plaudits that it received.

I remember so clearly the tsunami of 2004, especially as it was Boxing Day. But this story seeks to flesh out not only the true story/experience of one family, but also to show not only the selfishness at times of some of those caught up in it (like someone refusing to allow a desperate person to use their mobile to contact family,) but also and far more frequently the incredible generosity & care of particularly the Thai people to help.

Maria & Henry arrive in Thailand with their 3 children to spend Christmas in the beautiful surroundings of Khao Lak. Over the opening minutes, you see them all sharing wonderful & precious moments together, as they mess around in the swimming pools & light fire lanterns, making the night sky come alive. Then, one day the peace is shattered in the most horrific scenes imaginable: an enormous tsunami hits the beach where they are, destroying everything in its path & splitting them up. When the tsunami passes, there is a frantic attempt to try to help the wounded & find loved ones.

For me, the special effects, as well as the use of miniatures/real world effects was absolutely staggering. When you look at the special features & see how it was recreated, it simply blows your mind. There isn't one second where it doesn't look like you are watching actual footage/you have been thrown into the center of this horror. The scenes of the water exploding through everything in its path, destroying & obliterating enormous buildings like they are made of glass, are the stuff of nightmares.

But this film is most remarkable for its performances. Naomi Watts & Ewan McGregor had worked together before on the fairly underpowered & little-seen film Stay, but had always said that they wanted to work together again. And their chemistry pays dividends here. One thing which is often completely missed by people is that in the space of literally 10 minutes, they have to convince you that they are a family who have known each other for years & make you want to follow/become emotionally involved with them.

Watts, who we mainly follow for the first part of the film is, as you would expect, amazing. Her chemistry with Tom Holland (in his feature film debut after coming to fame as one of the Billy Elliot's in the UK stage shows,) is also great. Her resilience in the face of catastrophic injuries & undescribable fear is stunning.

But this film belongs to Ewan McGregor. He has always been one of my 2 favourite actors (the other being Daniel Day-Lewis,) and in this film, there was not one thing that could be improved with his performance. He is a completely broken man who has to try & find his children and wife, whilst dealing with the constant horror of what is happening around him. And this leads to one of the most heart-breaking & unbearably emotional scenes I have ever watched, with some of the best acting imaginable, in a bus garage surrounded by actual people who were caught up in the tsunami (not actors.)

But there is also many wonderful acts of kindness shown which were inspired by real-life events. One of the most moving for me was the small moments that were shown of local people who has literally lost everything they had, be it property or loved ones, making rafts out of whatever they could salvage, rescuing people & getting them to medical help. This showed so clearly & movingly how decent people can be when helping their fellow man.

The film does everything you could imagine. It makes you laugh, cry, wince but also feel hope that in the worst times imaginable, people help each other & miracles can happen. I loved it, and I hope you do as well.

One of Pacino's early performances but also one that really put him on the map as one of the greatest actors of his generation.

Frank Serpico is a newly qualified & extremely moral cop working with the NYPD. He has become a policeman for all the right reasons: to want to help people & stop crime/criminals. However, and to his absolute horror & disgust, he quickly realises that his colleagues are every bit as disgusting and corrupt as the criminals he is attempting to take down. When he reports these actions to his superiors, he is first laughed at then slowly ostracised & begins to fear for his safety. But Serpico's decency & determination to expose this is not stopped. And as seen in the opening shots, he pays a very heavy price for this.

Pacino is excellent, really making us feel the horror & disgust of Serpico as he is associated through his colleagues with this nakedly immoral behaviour, being done often to the poorest & most vulnerable he is meant to be protecting. The other supporting cast are also good as well, plus the use of locations/shooting on the actual streets & cities that Serpico himself worked adds huge authenticity to the picture.

However, as much as I have given this 4 stars, that is mainly down to Pacino. Parts of this film are long, drawn-out and at times a bit dull as well. Pacino saves this from being a fairly rote police-procedural film & turns it into a gripping and classic movie.

After the Oscar-winning & incredible 12 Years A Slave, Steve McQueen then did exactly what you'd expect an artist of his calibre & previous work to do: go in a completely different direction to his last film & make an action/thriller film based on an 80's British TV series, but moving the action to America. Frustratingly though, this produces both inspired & also turgid/rubbish results.

The film opens with a spectacular heist, which very quickly goes very badly wrong. The gang are cornered, then desperately flee in their getaway van to the safe house, some of them sustaining serious injuries. However, they are then exposed and slaughtered in a hail of bullets by the police, leaving their broken widows to grieve them. Then, after being threatened by the man their husband's robbed, forced to become criminals themselves and target the next person on their deceased partner's list to pay back the debt.

These opening scenes are the best in the entire movie & McQueen's ability to be able to marshall this type of action really is impressive. Going from a scene of intimacy between the gang leader & his wife to being thrust straight into the action in the back of the van as the cops chase after the thieves really starts the film in a great way. However, it never again manages to hit those heights. The strangest thing for me about Widows was that when it worked, it was amazing. But so much of this film didn't fit together: characters at times were terribly written & scenes just didn't work. Plus certain actors just completely outshone everyone else because of their gravitas.

For example, the shining star by a country mile was Viola Davis. In every single thing she has been in, she has been amazing & elevated the drama. Whether it's Suicide Squad or Fences, she is perfect. And in this film, she is given a massive & expansive role as the widow of the lead gang member. But she also wipes the floor with many of the other actors/characters. They just can't keep up with her. And it is exactly the same with Daniel Kaluuya. He is introduced in a scene which suddenly descends into shocking & brutal violence, making us extremely uncomfortable with his unpredictability. But then in other scenes he is wasted & his actions just don't work within the film's narrative.

So, despite me wanting to like this film, coming after 12 Years and especially Shame, it is never any more than a 3 star film filled with as many faults as it is flashes of brilliance.

When A Star Is Born was released, it received many 5 star reviews. As someone who has always liked Bradley Cooper, I was interested & encouraged to see this film, especially as this was his directorial debut. And whilst several elements have been updated, such as people using every opportunity to ask for autographs/pull out camera phones & take pictures/invade privacy, the core elements still remain.

But it was not something that I particularly bought into or enjoyed. The music was good & the chemistry between the two of them great, however I stopped watching after an hour simply because, whilst there was nothing much wrong with what was on screen, there wasn't much right either. I could see what was going to happen and the mood I was in at the time was one of boredom & indifference.

I may one day give it another shot, but in all my reviews I am completely honest and this film was not one I was interested in finishing, despite the positives.

This concert is a celebration of the incredible work of Hans Zimmer, who has been working for over 30 years, scoring many of the films which today have become iconic elements of people's lives. For me, The Lion King, Gladiator & The Dark Knight trilogy would not be what they are without Zimmer's music. Here, we are treated to a selection of the most iconic pieces he has written.

The other reason I rented this film was because I actually saw it live when the concert was brought to London. If you are a fan, as I am, there is so much to love, as well as the thoughtful & detailed explanations given by Zimmer about the inspirations behind the various pieces he has created, many coming from places of intense pain & difficulty he has faced in his life.

Whether you are 8 or 80, there is an embarrassment of riches to be experienced. Put this on the biggest TV with the best sound system you can find.

In the bloated & extremely crowded genre of spy/espionage thrillers, Killing Eve was an instant & incredible success, making stars overnight of Sandra Oh & especially Jodie Comer. It just was such a fresh, light but also at times shocking series, following a highly skilled Russian assassin called Villanelle who was not only leathal with her skills but also her ability to blend in as well. And nowhere is this more amazing than with Comer's staggering ability with any accent you can imagine.

Bearing in mind that Comer's mother tongue/accent is an extremely strong Liverpool/Scouse accent, she literally can do any voice imaginable & switch immediately from one accent to another, sometimes in the same sentence. She also absolutely convinces in the physical/action scenes.

Sandra Oh was a bit more of a mixed experience for me. Eve Polastri is a typical desk-bound operative who works for MI-5. She is successful & competent in her job, but dreams of being an agent in the field. She is then drawn into a shocking battle of wills with Villanelle, who takes great delight in avoiding all of the traps that are laid for her, as well as mercilessly slaughtering Eve's operatives & associates.

However, despite my 4 star rating, this series as a whole also has some problems with it, the main one being how many of the situations that are set up simply aren't believable. This is either represented as repeated gross incompetence that would have, once discovered, resulted in probably instant dismissal; or quite simply things which would not happen in the way they are shown/extremely unlikely situations that stretch believability.

But I cannot deny how many times I found myself either laughing, in awe of the acting ability or totally gripped by what was on screen. So despite the flaws, this is a great series. It's just a shame that once we get to series 2 and change the showrunner (Phoebe Waller-Bridge,) a lot of the charm & zany elements are lost.

But Comer is perfection in every way.

In many ways, it's surprising that it took until 2010 for a concept like The Expendables to be realised by Hollywood, given their huge appetite for those types of big budget action fests. The basic premise of the Expendables is, to quote one reviewer, "To point a grenade launcher at the action section of your local Blockbusters;" e.g to get as many action stars from particularly the 80's/90's into one film, give them a thinly plotted mission to rescue or take out a target, as many guns as they can carry then throw it onto the screen. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that concept, indeed when it's done well, you'll struggle to have more fun in a cinema. However, the biggest issue faced with this film is the tone.

The Expendables are an elite mercenary team who specialise in carrying out impossible missions where the risk of death is high and disownment guaranteed: if they get caught, there's no-one coming to rescue them. Led by Barney Ross(Stallone,) they are then hired by a shady individual called Mr Church to topple the Latin American dictator of a country where it is revealed that it is in fact in the control of a corrupt ex-CIA operative (Eric Roberts, the go-to actor for bad guys who fortunately had a gap in his schedule between back-to-back shoots of barrel-scrapingly bad straight-to-DVD trash,) on an island full of military with enough weaponry to send the Statue of Liberty into orbit. Things are further complicated by the fact that the dictator's daughter becomes a love interest of Ross's, as well as conveniently being against everything her father is.

There are many good moments in this film including, welcomingly, the first time that Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger are on screen together, although we sadly have to wait until the sequel to actually see them all together in an action scene. As actors, they have known each other for decades, through friendship & rivalries, so the scene of them all together is great fun, with good chemistry. This film is also chock-full of one-liners (including one of my all-time favourites said by Stallone to Stone Cold) & unbelievably cheesy situations, which the film unashamedly hams up and is all the better for it. Add into that some decent action & a sizeable budget and it should be a winner.

However, this film does have what for me is actually quite a significant failure which affects pretty much all of it: it's tone. With action films, especially ones in this genre/style, whilst they can absolutely deal with heavy subjects, they also have to have a lightness of touch/a streak of silliness in them so that it doesn't descend into a weighty, turgid & lumpy mess. And whilst this film is in no way as bad as Night Hunter, it still has missing a huge amount of fun. It is at times unbelievably heavy-going, with lengthy scenes of exposition for pretty much no reason. Stallone, you aren't making Citizen Kane, you are directing a film in which at one point a bad guy gets doused in petrol & set on fire, then somehow manages to KEEP fighting...

However, if you keep your tongue in cheek & sit through the various heavy moments, there is much to like & laugh about. And the sequel is absolutely 1st class, so please don't be put off renting it after watching this.