crime – Page 13 – tmc.io 🍿 watch movies with friends

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile Movie Review

May 3, 2019 (updated May 3, 2019) Published by Shari K. Green

If you head into this movie thinking, even hoping, you’re going to see a slasher film, you have to adjust your expectations. With this, director Joe Berlinger tells you the story of an evil man and what his evil mind allowed him to ultimately become. Since we don’t actually see the consequences of his actions, we are able to (much like the woman he was living with who was completely in the dark about him) put the murders he committed aside and instead see who he could have been. I feel compelled to mention that this movie does not glorify a serial killer! See more about that in my interview with the director.

Here’s the link.

Anyway, Ted Bundy had everything he could have wanted. Why was this the route he chose? As you watch, you can’t help but wonder what motivates someone to murder. Something drives him to commit the most unspeakable horrors one could think of. Why? The movie doesn’t focus on the acts of what Bundy did by showing us, but by allowing us, even forcing us, to think about them.

That he walked amongst us, lived a seemingly normal existence… and that you could know a Bundy, too, is a frightening thing to ponder but ponder you will. Berlinger, known for his true crime documentaries, one in particular called ‘Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes,’ was certainly the best person to take on this task. He knew the subject and examines everything.

Ted Bundy is being played by Zac Efron. The actor wanted to shed some of his ‘High School Musical’ image and dig deeply into something against type. He certainly picked the right part for that. In my interview with him, Joe Berlinger said this of Zac getting the role, ‘…Zac wants to play with his teen heartthrob image in that way, I respect that. And, also, as a documentarian, it gives me a little piece of reality to break into the movie-making process. The fact that, in real life, he has this profile of teen heartthrob… that is very similar to the effect that Bundy had on women. I found that a nice piece of reality I could play with.’

While in character, Zac was appealing in all the ways that Bundy was. Not known for this sort of role but perfect for it, you can see the serial killer in his face. The way he gives off little hints of his condemnable actions, with just a simple mouth curl at the right moment, the use of his eyes… he proved himself here. With this performance, he gives you the man that Bundy’s girlfriend Liz (Lily Collins) saw but you also see underneath the mask. That’s what worked so brilliantly. At first, you’re obliged to see Ted as just a person, not as the monster you know he is. They do walk among us. We don’t know who they are. They could be who we’re with. Just contemplating that alone makes this a good crime film to see. It was important that we see a good portion of the film through Liz’s eyes.

With this approach, the audience was able to garner sympathy for her and see the larger picture. Eventually, the strikes against him can no longer be denied. However, his crimes don’t seem to matter to some. We move on from Liz to see Bundy’s point of view and through the lens of another woman. She is someone who clearly has a low opinion of herself.

Bundy takes advantage of both of these women, but you can tell that he loves one and is simply using the other. This is a fascinating look into his double life. He charms women, he charms his victims, he even charms the law. Scenes of what he does and the ultimate reason he’s getting away with things will surprise and enrage you. The film is slow paced but once you see what Berlinger is going for, it will engage you and you’ll walk away unable to get the movie and Zac’s performance out of your mind temporarily.

John Malkovich is superb as the judge in Florida who says the words the title is based on. His reverence for Bundy is strange to witness and hard to accept but his duty to the law holds up and he gives Bundy the sentence Bundy didn’t expect. Death. How we get to this moment, is worth seeing so I must recommend the film, as well as Berlinger’s documentary.

If you haven’t yet, join Netflix and watch ‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile’ today. Watch the four-part series, too.

El Chicano Movie Review

May 3, 2019 (updated May 2, 2019) Published by JMcNaughton

“El Chicano” is a dark and gritty view into a Hispanic gang-run neighborhood, with an emphasis on the ‘hood’. It relates the legend of a mysterious motorcycle-riding vigilante called El Chicano. He attacks the criminals and gang-bangers and brings them to justice. He is kind of a Ghetto Ghost Rider, without the flaming skull. The drug-infested East Los Angeles area is like “Mean Streets” with Salsa beats. El Chicano targets the drug pushers and killers, the bangers and cartel leaders. He takes a magical Aztec knife and uses it to kill the baddest of the bad. He becomes a boogie man for the criminal underclass, a type of “Usual Suspects” character ‘Keyser Soze’ of the Barrio.

Three young boys grow up in the East Los area, and one night they see El Chicano in action. A local gang leader is stabbed, and the roar of the black motorcycle is heard screeching away. A local cop named Gomez is on the scene quickly, but El Chicano is gone. The young boys are grown up twenty years later, and each has gone separate ways. Detective Diego Hernandez (Raúl Castillo) is now on the right side of the law. But his twin brother Pedro has served time in prison, and now is dead. The other childhood friend is a top-level gang leader named Shotgun (David Castañeda). Most of Shotgun’s crew of thugs has been killed in a mass slaughter. Detective Hernandez is handed the case with his new partner Detective Martinez (Jose Pablo Cantillo). They have a day to determine what is going on, because the FBI is hot on the trail of a cartel boss. The cartel is trying to get into the Barrio, and the killings might be related. However, Diego Hernandez is worried, because all the murdered thugs have a tattoo.

This odd tattoo is the old nickname of Diego Hernandez’s twin brother Pedro, and the tattoo also has their birthday. How is his dead brother related in any way to the thugs that worked for Shotgun, and is this related to the cartel? Detective Hernandez and Detective Martinez transport the lone survivor of the killings, until they are ambushed. The last survivor is killed, and all ties to crime lord Shotgun are gone. The two Detectives report to their boss, Captain Gomez (George Lopez). The street cop from years ago is now the Police top dog. He is working to keep the FBI away, but the heat is rising. Detective Hernandez and Detective Martinez are in the middle of a stakeout to watch Shotgun and the cartel guys. But there is more violence and murder, but this time it is not aimed at a thug in the back seat.

Detective Diego Hernandez has lost a brother, and now he has lost a partner. He investigates what his brother Pedro had done when he got out of prison. He finds a secret hideaway that contains the black motorcycle that he last saw as a kid. Back then it was being ridden by El Chicano when he eliminated many bad guys. Diego is tired of having the gangs and the cartels win the street battles. So, he trains and gets in shape, so that he can carry the magical Aztec knife and go after the evil thugs. He gets his black cape and death-skull face mask. He will be ready to take back the streets as the mystical magical El Chicano. The cartel guys and Shotgun are now on the run from the avenging force of “El Chicano”…

This “El Chicano” movie has a lot going for it. There is a street-wise feel to the scenes and the story is built up organically. Diego has a slow transformation into the El Chicano character, and it feel real and earned. The moves of El Chicano when attacks and fights several thug henchman at once are swift and brutal. He would make “John Wick” proud. The movie is seeped in the Hispanic culture of respect for the dead, and ‘El Chicano’ is seen as an avenging angel. He is ready to force retribution on the cartel and drug lords. He is there to take back the streets.

There are a few times when it seems to be a low-budget movie. But for the most part, it gets the same milage for action and fight scenes as the big budget movies. The acting is low-key and many of the extras look like they come ‘Straight Outta East Los’. The cast is pretty good, but basically unknown. Only George Lopez has a high profile background. Co-writer Joe Carnahan has done some really good stuff in the past, and his efforts are well used in this script. The overall quality of this movie is very watchable, even when it did not have the richest budget.

The Highwaymen Movie Review

March 22, 2019 (updated July 8, 2019) Published by Shari K. Green

Clever cinematography pulls you in but it’s the script that grabs and holds you. Very well written, ‘The Highwaymen’ resuscitates and retells us the story of Bonnie and Clyde from a different angle. Read more The Highwaymen Movie Review

My interview with John Lee Hancock and John Fusco of ‘The Highwaymen’

March 15, 2019 (updated July 8, 2019) Published by Shari K. Green

As you should posthaste, I recently watched the highly entertaining Netflix Original ‘The Highwaymen.’ Having enjoyed it so, I couldn’t wait to converse with the men who created the film, director John Lee Hancock and writer John Fusco. Read more

Triple Frontier Movie Review

March 8, 2019 (updated October 18, 2019) Published by Shari K. Green

‘Triple Frontier’ opens in select theaters and will be available on Netflix March 13. Other projects coming to Netfix is ‘The Highwaymen’ with Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson. It’s directed by John Lee Hancock who directed ‘The Blindside,’ ‘The Founder’ and ‘Saving Mr. Banks.’ Also coming is ‘The Irishman’ from Martin Scorsese, a gangster drama that has him once again working with Robert De Niro. Netflix is doing everything right and doing it well. Their latest original films are proof that they’re aware of when they have a good thing on their hands. ‘Triple Frontier’ is no different. Read more Triple Frontier Movie Review

‘The Highwaymen’ starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson coming soon to Netflix!!

February 20, 2019 (updated February 20, 2019) Published by Shari K. Green

The outlaws made headlines. The lawmen made history. From director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), THE HIGHWAYMEN follows the untold true story of the legendary detectives who brought down Bonnie and Clyde. When the full force of the FBI and the latest forensic technology aren’t enough to capture the nation’s most notorious criminals, two former Texas Rangers (Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson) must rely on their gut instincts and old school skills to get the job done.

*Launches globally on Netflix on March 29 with exclusive theatrical engagements beginning March 15th.

Distributor: Netflix

Cast: Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Kathy Bates, Kim Dickens

Directed by: John Lee Hancock

Written by: John Fusco

Producer: Casey Silver

Executive Producers: Michael J. Malone, John Lee Hancock, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Costner, Rod Lake

Music By: Thomas Newman

Cinematography By: John Schwartzman

Production Design By: Michael Corenblith

Costume Design By: Daniel Orlandi

*Follow @NetflixFilm on Twitter and Instagram

Triple Frontier Trailer

February 19, 2019 (updated February 19, 2019) Published by Shari K. Green

TRIPLE FRONTIER

DIRECTED BY | J.C. Chandor

STORY BY | Mark Boal

SCREENPLAY BY | Mark Boal and J.C. Chandor

CAST | Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal, Adria Arjona

SYNOPSIS | A group of former Special Forces operatives (Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal) reunite to plan a heist in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America. For the first time in their prestigious careers these unsung heroes undertake this dangerous mission for self instead of country. But when events take an unexpected turn and threaten to spiral out of control, their skills, their loyalties and their morals are pushed to a breaking point in an epic battle for survival. Directed by Academy Award® nominee J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year) and co-written by Chandor and Academy Award® winner Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty).

*In select theaters on March 6, 2019

and globally on

Netflix March 13, 2019

For More Info:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

#Netflix #TripleFrontier

Visit netflix.com/triplefrontier



In Theaters March 13, 2019

http://www.fandango.com

Everybody Knows Movie Review

February 15, 2019 (updated February 15, 2019) Published by Shari K. Green

One thing for sure is that writer and director, Asghar Farhadi, lives up to expectations. Having worked in the business since 2002, in 2011, he launched himself into major notoriety with his film, ‘A Separation,’ where he was adorned with awards. In fact, he was the first Iranian filmmaker to win an Academy Award®. Similarly, he was the first Iranian filmmaker to be nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, better known as the ‘Bafta.’ This made him so successful that Farhadi was listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in the year 2012.

Now that I’ve introduced you to the writer/director of ‘Everybody Knows,’ I’ll tell you about the movie. With the help of an extremely clever trailer and the talents of the Oscar-winning, real-life couple, Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, what Farhadi has essentially done here is lead you in one direction yet take you somewhere completely unexpected.

You wander into the film believing the story will be more about love, the trouble that sometimes comes with it and about Laura (Cruz) and Paco’s (Bardem) past together and are surprised with more of a mystery. The story is about those very things but not in the way you’d think which makes the yarn that much better.

We meet Paco, who has a winery, and Laura, who has traveled from Argentina to Spain with her children to attend her sister’s wedding. Paco has wisdom to share with us such as the only difference between grape juice and wine is time. Lines such as this makes you think their relationship may have aged in the same manner… like a fine wine. When Laura first gets there, her very social and gregarious teenage daughter Irene (Campra), prances about getting as much attention as she can. However, it turns out that she also gets the attention of someone in need of money and suddenly we’re in a film centered around her abduction.

Farhadi wrote a script that does a good job of keeping you interested in what’s going on and what will ultimately happen. You get sucked in right away but where he went vastly wrong was when he introduced us to the victim of the kidnapping. Irene is anything but a likable character. She’s an obnoxious spoiled brat, trouble for her mother and the kind of person you’d dodge rather than treasure to be anywhere near. I can’t figure out why she was written to be so annoying when the movie ends up being centered around everyone caring for her safety. Had she been more likable, it would have been more heartbreaking for the viewer. This is in no way a reflection on the actress who did a superb job, especially near the end. Speaking of acting, Cruz is excellent as a distraught and tortured mother. Her performance was convincing. She laments about what’s next and is tearful throughout most of the film. She’s needed to be and is believable in her concern. Unfortunately for the audience, you don’t quite feel for her. See the earlier paragraph regarding her daughter’s irritating attitude for what I mean. We just needed Irene to be more of an appealing person for us to take on her mother’s pain.

The story becomes a less complicated narrative when the set up for the kidnapping, and how and why it gets pinned on a certain person, (a land dispute) is made clear at the wrong time. On the surface, the dispute is quite exaggerated and contrived. Now onto the title. Let’s get to just what it is that everybody knows. And I mean everybody, including Laura’s current husband, by the way. It seems that Paco is the only person who doesn’t know. It turns out that Irene is Paco’s daughter. In a small town, everyone talks and unless the man doesn’t have ears how does he not know the big secret? In fact, this bombshell is something you’ve long suspected. When it’s revealed, with his hair graying from the stress for some reason, what Paco does with the news is to use his money to pay the ransom. This seems as though it may have been the aim all along.

The ending is strangely elusive but leaves it open for a sequel which is puzzling yet a bit intriguing. If Farhadi nails the characters a little better, I’d be up for it. What would make it even better is if he were able to have the same cast. ‘Everybody Knows’ is an acceptable crime, drama with a good plot and is beautifully shot. It has gorgeous locations which are accentuated by the brilliant cinematography of José Luis Alcaine (Volver, The Skin I Live In) who has an immense amount of work behind him. For you to get the full benefit of his work, seeing this on the big screen this weekend would be the best way to watch this film.

Social Media:

Official Website: http://focusfeatures.com/everybody-knows

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EverybodyKnowsMovie/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everybodyknowsmovie/

#EverybodyKnows

Destroyer Movie Review

December 28, 2018 (updated December 28, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

This crime-drama is stirring, and Nicole Kidman gives her best performances in a long time which should be admired on the big screen. She’s haunting as Erin Bell, a veteran police officer in L.A. who comes face to face with the turmoil of her past when she was an integral part of a covert operation that went horribly wrong. She’s now a shadow of her former self. She’s no longer being taken seriously and receives little to no respect from her fellow officers. The latter being mostly because she has no respect for others or herself. She’s hardened after the undercover effort trying to capture a nefarious gang of bank robbers leads to her losing almost everything she ever loved.

Director Karyn Kusama (Æon Flux, Jennifer’s Body) has chosen Julie Kirkwood (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Hello I Must Be Going), as her cinematographer… a wise decision. Together, they’ve built for you an extremely suspenseful story. Every movement of the camera spirals you further into Erin’s out of control world, bringing you down with her. Lighting is used brilliantly to focus and force your attention to Erin’s overall mood. Excessively heavy music by incredibly diverse and talented composer, Theodore Shapiro, who has an exceptional body of work and worked with Kusama on ‘Jennifer’s Body,’ keeps you involved by setting an intriguing and intense tone from the word go. For this, you’ll be rather appreciative. It’s eerily good.

A tattoo on a dead body and some money marked with blown dye packs pulls Erin back into needing to find Silas (Toby Kebbell), the leader of the brutal gang who got away with the murder of her partner turned lover, Chris (Stan). In gritty flashbacks, we see more of why she’s so jaded and more of what she’s fighting for. We find out she has an angst-ridden daughter named Shelby (Pettyjohn). Shelby not only pushes Erin away but challenges her at every turn. She’s ill-tempered and questions her mother’s authority over her. Due to Erin’s horrible parenting and boozing, Shelby becomes bitter and clings to any bad boy who’ll have her and take her away someday. She needs someone, anyone, to be that person who’ll truly love her. It’s apparent Erin hasn’t the capacity to love. Her love was gunned down along with Chris.

We continue to meet the supporting characters of the narrative as the backstory builds and moves into the discovery phase. The clue’s come and holes are filled. What’s penetrating about the script is that it has Erin on a mission to not only unpack a case that will lead her to the criminal who took her sanity but that will also bring her back to her life. As in many films of the genre, we don’t see what’s necessarily going on and there are a few moments where the audience will experience an epiphany or two.

See this. The cinematography must be experienced. It’s unlike anything you’ve seen all year. Julie Kirkwood captures the complexity of each character’s drive, pain, guilt, anger, and lust so passionately that, though you may not like them, you’re mesmerized by them and cheer them on. ‘Destroyer’ is solid and is perfect entertainment for any weekend at the movies.

22 July Movie Review

October 10, 2018 (updated November 16, 2018) Published by Shari K. Green

‘22 July’ is shocking, stirring, it’s heart wrenching, unsettling and hard to wrap your mind around. Greengrass is best known for making several of the ‘Bourne’ films and ‘United 93’ which was a real-time account of United Flight 93, the plane that was hijacked on 9/11, but crashed due to passengers willing to take drastic measures to stop the terrorists in their tracks. ‘22 July’ is, again, the story of a terrorist’s actions as he carries out brutal killings only this time it’s a right-wing extremist named Anders Behring Breivik, played very coolly by Anders Danielsen Lie, in 2011 near Oslo Norway, who feels that he, as a white man, is being discriminated against.

He attacks what he refers to as a political summer camp which is located on an isolated island. He sees this camp as a place where the ‘Marxist, Liberals and members of the elite’ send their children to learn to accept minorities.

Dressed as a police officer, he packs guns, plenty of ammo and explosives and leaves the house. He drives a van near the Prime Minister’s office and parks. He gets out, lights a fuse, and slyly walks down the street where he easily slips into another vehicle and drives away, headed for the teenagers who await their fate like sitting ducks. He gets onto the island where the children are and starts, one by one, picking them off. They run but he knows there is absolutely nowhere for them to go. He’ll get them all eventually.

The explosion is well done, along with the confusion in its aftermath, but watching the children run screaming is brutal. Anders goes into a building where people are hiding and tells them, ‘You will die today!’ It’s hard not to put yourself in that scenario once you start thinking of how often murder in the name of someone’s beliefs goes on in this world.

One child, Viljar, gets a call off to his mother to tell her what has happened. She’s involved in politics and was near the explosion so she’s able to alert the police about what her son informed her of and they head to the island immediately. An intense scene shows us that, sadly, Anders is still shooting and gravely injures Viljar. When he’s found by his parents, he’s only clinging to life. Greengrass does a beautiful job of making all the events seem as realistic as possible. What follows is how these people restore their lives in the wake of such a tragedy but on top of that, being very much alive, the gunman has ways to still twist the knife. He doesn’t care about his victims, he tells his lawyer, Geir Lippestad, he would do it all again for the cause. He also tells Geir his demands or a third attack will be coming. He wants the liquidation of the political camp and a ban on immigration. This is where my interest was piqued even more. I knew of this story but it so parallels what’s happening in my own country today which makes it more relevant than I thought it would be.

It’s frightening to take a good hard look at certain activities in our world, but I rather like that films are bringing these subjects to light. It’s important not to hide racism and pretend it’s not going on.

The rest of the film is court filings, Viljar’s struggle to come back from what happened to him and the Prime Minister realizing where he went wrong. All of this is notably well done. It’s an explosive, captivating story of good versus evil with meaningful dialogue and pacing that doesn’t bore. Don’t think for one minute you have to see it on the big screen to appreciate it. Netflix is doing more and more and with this proves they’ll continue to get better and better. But if you’re lucky enough to be in a city where it’s coming out… it would be good to experience it that way.

In case you were curious, the only reason ‘22 July’ didn’t get a higher score is for the few times it felt as if it went a little long and one other mistake that writer/director Paul Greengrass made, which was crucial, and that’s where we first find ourselves in the story. Coming in at two hours and twenty-three minutes, he captured us by getting straight to the meat of the matter. That said, to the viewers, it felt as if he had nowhere to go but down. Turns out that it’s quite enough to be considered a must-see, but had he stretched out the action a bit… had the action happened a little later in the film, instead initially introduced to us some of the characters, it wouldn’t have become the long-lasting drama it felt it became. Then again, maybe this was done on purpose because what these Norwegians endured didn’t end with Anders Behring Breivik’s massacre of seventy-seven people, not to mention the hundreds of others he injured. The slaughter was only the beginning.

*22 JULY will debut Wednesday, October 10th globally in select theaters and on Netflix.

Tag: crime