There is always a big gamble with revenge flicks : these stories have been told so many times
it takes more than a few big names to make them memorable. Characters, dialogue, tension, subplots, impressive kills...If used properly, these elements will differentiate any formulaic revenge flick from the lot. While Dead Man Down is not a terrible movie, it's just another title that falls in the loop of quickly-released and just-as-quickly-forgotten anonymous revenge flicks.
The storyline makes for a synopsis a thousand times more interesting than the actual product resulting from its lazy execution. We've got two parallel quests for revenge, and neither of them is ever able to capture any sense of depth or avoid clichés, thanks to typical sequences of Farrell watching 8mm tapes of an afternoon in the park with the wife and daughter, where they just laugh and do every possible thing to look like the perfect little family. The other quest for revenge, which involves Noomi Rapace's character, stays on the shelf for nearly the entire runtime, which makes it hard for the average and not overly sensitive viewer to become emotionally involved (or to simply give a rat's ass about it) at any point.
The very few action sequences are poorly shot. There is not one moment where Colin Farrell is believable as a Hungarian mobster, nor is Noomi Rapace as a French woman that is both physically and emotionally scarred, thanks to the silly accents that both actors clumsily mimic. And while the acting may be Dead Man Down's strongest point (that says a lot), you can feel the cast is trying hard to bring some life to these frustratingly empty characters, especially Terrence Howard.
It is a very typical story, and for it to become something special, its basics had to be strong. And it is not the case. Instead of working on its characters, Dead Man Down prioritizes clichéd rubbish visual elements to add some sort of an intrigue feel that never materializes. From the picture puzzle to the bars on the "f"s, the ensemble feels like it was written to feel way more complex than it actually is.
Visually, Dead Man Down is equal to its script : we've seen this a thousand times already. A greyish tone to give it some sort of gritty edge, bland directing lacking anything fancy that is never able to generate any kind of dramatic tension whatsoever. It's all tame. Not awful, just awfully tame.
This will be on the shelves of video stores for a month, and next times you will see a copy of Dead Man Down, it will be in 5 years, in the five-dollar movie bin at Wal-Mart, lost under a pile of similarly forgettable products.
The storyline makes for a synopsis a thousand times more interesting than the actual product resulting from its lazy execution. We've got two parallel quests for revenge, and neither of them is ever able to capture any sense of depth or avoid clichés, thanks to typical sequences of Farrell watching 8mm tapes of an afternoon in the park with the wife and daughter, where they just laugh and do every possible thing to look like the perfect little family. The other quest for revenge, which involves Noomi Rapace's character, stays on the shelf for nearly the entire runtime, which makes it hard for the average and not overly sensitive viewer to become emotionally involved (or to simply give a rat's ass about it) at any point.
The very few action sequences are poorly shot. There is not one moment where Colin Farrell is believable as a Hungarian mobster, nor is Noomi Rapace as a French woman that is both physically and emotionally scarred, thanks to the silly accents that both actors clumsily mimic. And while the acting may be Dead Man Down's strongest point (that says a lot), you can feel the cast is trying hard to bring some life to these frustratingly empty characters, especially Terrence Howard.
It is a very typical story, and for it to become something special, its basics had to be strong. And it is not the case. Instead of working on its characters, Dead Man Down prioritizes clichéd rubbish visual elements to add some sort of an intrigue feel that never materializes. From the picture puzzle to the bars on the "f"s, the ensemble feels like it was written to feel way more complex than it actually is.
Visually, Dead Man Down is equal to its script : we've seen this a thousand times already. A greyish tone to give it some sort of gritty edge, bland directing lacking anything fancy that is never able to generate any kind of dramatic tension whatsoever. It's all tame. Not awful, just awfully tame.
This will be on the shelves of video stores for a month, and next times you will see a copy of Dead Man Down, it will be in 5 years, in the five-dollar movie bin at Wal-Mart, lost under a pile of similarly forgettable products.