Category Archives: Violent

2003, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, Revenge, Violent

Mystic River (2003)

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From NetFlix:

Three childhood friends, Sean (Kevin Bacon), Dave (Tim Robbins)
and Jimmy (Sean Penn) are reunited in Boston 25 years later when
they are linked together in the murder investigation of Jimmy’s
daughter. This taut thriller from director Clint Eastwood won
two acting Oscars (for Robbins and Penn) and was nominated for
several more in its exploration of human behavior when faced
with pain just beneath the surface, justified rage and scars
that never heal.

Set and filmed in Boston, this recreation of Dennis Lehane’s novel (which is a really good read) met with great success. It is a dark plot complete with child abuse, murder, and revenge. Sean Penn becomes the character completely. I think it was this film that first made me appreciate Marcia Gay Harden. Do not expect this “don’t miss it” film to end happily.

2007, Suspense, Violent

Pride and Glory (2007)

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From NetFlix:

A corruption scandal fractures a family of New York City cops
in this generational drama about homicide detective Ray Tierney
(Edward Norton), who’s tasked with investigating a precinct run
by his brother (Noah Emmerich). As if that weren’t enough, Ray’s
fellow officer and best friend (Colin Farrell) may turn out to
be dirty. Directed by Gavin O’Connor, the film features a
high-octane supporting cast that includes Jon Voight and Jennifer
Ehle.

At first this film seemed ho-hum, another corrupt cop story. But stay
with it! The ensemble work and acting are powerful. Colin Farrell has
often played a crook or murderer with a conscience, but this time he
is corrupt with no turning back. Hereafter I will remember the name
Noah Emmerich (Yale, NYU Film School, Law and Order, etc). Since I
first saw Jon Voight in “Midnight Cowboy” he has changed a bit. How
time flies.

The film is very VIOLENT, no children allowed.

Wow!

2008, FilmReview, Violent

RocknRolla (2008)

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From NetFlix:

Starring Thandie Newton and Gerard Butler, director Guy
Ritchie’s crime thriller follows a variety of crooks from
London’s underworld who set out to nab millions of dollars
left for the taking when a Russian mobster’s real estate
scam falls apart. The first part of a planned trilogy,
RocknRolla co-stars Jeremy Piven, Ludacris, Tom Wilkinson,
Gemma Arterton, Jamie Campbell Bower, Mark Strong and Idris
Elba.

“RocknRolla” is the same genre as “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels”. That is
to say, it is violent by design where the violence is somewhat tongue-in-cheek. The
dialog is witty, ironic, and sometimes very funny. It is odd that violence can be
made to look like slapstick. Not everyone enjoys this type of film which is definitely
not for children. Another characteristic of this genre is that the plots can get rather
complicated.

Is “RocknRolla” just a copy of its fellow films ? Maybe the charm has worn off, but
you may have better things to watch.

2003, FilmReview, Imperfect, Suspense, Violent

Cold Creek Manor (2003)

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From IMDB

From NetFlix:

    Location, location, location. A loving couple (Dennis
    Quaid and Sharon Stone), along with their son and daughter,
    relocate from the city to the country, where they put the
    down payment on their dream home — a sprawling farmhouse.
    But home sweet home quickly becomes a nightmare when the
    house’s previous owner (Stephen Dorff) returns from
    prison … and wants his house back  badly. Directed by
    Mike Figgis.

The trailer to this film misled me to expect a horror film.
It is not horror, but rather a suspense film. The acting is
good throughout. The beginning is well done. Unfortunately
the ending in my opinion is weak. I give this film a B. It
is fun to watch despite its imperfections. There is a lot of
sometimes scary violence, and one not-too-explicit sex scene.
Probably not for children. Do you like snakes ?

Could have been better.

2003, Could Be Hard To Watch, FilmReview, Violent

Veronica Guerin (2003)

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From NetFlix:

    Veronica Guerin (Cate Blanchett), a real-life reporter for
    Dublin’s Sunday Independent, delved into the netherworld
    of drug lords in pursuit of a great story — but her zeal
    put her life in grave danger. Gerard McSorley and Brenda
    Fricker co-star in this Joel Schumacher-directed drama based
    on events in the acclaimed Irish journalist’s life.

Lately I have lucked out and inadvertently chosen really good
films. Most films don’t deserve a rave. So if I seem to be
raving (mad) lately, it is for a reason.

“Veronica Guerin” is a powerful, tense, inspiring film. Cate
Blanchett is a warm, justifiably frightened, brave reporter.
This is a true story complete with vicious, unscrupulous drug
lords. It’s not a western but the bad guys are easy to spot.

The violence excludes children from watching. The tension
might not be easy for some viewers. I will refrain from
giving away the true ending which as usual in the real
world is a mixture of horror and triumph.

Keep a watchful eye. Colin Farrell gets a 15 second walk-on
discussion with Cate about soccer. By 2003 his career was
well established. I wonder why he would do the walk-on or if
they even paid him for it. The walk-in added nothing  to the film.

I won’t keep saying this but in this case:
DO NOT MISS THIS FILM!

1998, Violent

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

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From NetFlix:

Eddie (Nick Moran) is usually slick with a deck of cards, but
after losing at a fixed table for London high rollers, he’s in
massive debt to a local porn kingpin (P.H. Moriarty). Eddie’s
irate father (Sting) refuses to hand over his bar to save his son’s
fingers, leaving Eddie and his friends few options. To come out
ahead, they craft a heist to steal the money from the criminals
next door — with overblown results.

This older film is still funny. The violence from beginning to end is that kind of exaggerated
nonsense not to be taken seriously. Not everybody appreciates that frame of mind (including
wife Kathy). This is basically many gangs that can’t shoot straight. There are many ironic
turns of events. The dialog sparkles. The British dialects are just plain fun. Ends with one
of the best cliff-hangers I have ever seen.

You also get to see some of today’s stars when they were just starting their careers:
Jason Statham, Stephen Mackintosh. Also Sting has a role. Lenny McLean died of lung
and brain cancer.

No ugly or upsetting sights.

1995, Violent

The Basketball Diaries (1995)

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From NetFlix:

Jim Carroll’s autobiographical novel chronicles a young basketball player’s
descent into addiction. As Jim’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) experimentation gives
way to a heroin habit supported by prostitution, he’s unable to face his
mother (Lorraine Bracco) or his demons at home, and former addict Reggie
(Ernie Hudson) may be the only one who can save him. Haunting and real ,
director Scott Kalvert’s drama is a powerful portrayal of chaos and redemption.

I almost hesitate to recommend this almost-B movie which I put in the VIOLENT category. A very young Leonard DiCaprio shows what a promising actor he was. There is a moment in which he realizes how much of his life he has thrown away that is just stunning. Will you recognize the bald Bobby dying of leukemia as Michael Imperioli who together with Lorraine Bracco were characters in “The Sopranos” ? Also very young was Mark Wahlberg as Mickey.

The treatment of sex is crude, unrestrained, and explicit. But then part of the joy of this movie is the unrestrained approach to living enacted by this band of soon-to-be hoodlums. It is this lack of restraint that eventually is their undoing. But if I cannot stop watching a film, then I only hope there is something worthwhile for others to see as well.

You stand warned!

2007, Musical, Revenge, Unusual, Violent

Sweeny Todd (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Johnny Depp (in an Oscar-nominated role) reteams with director
Tim Burton for this adaptation of the hit Broadway musical
about the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Depp plays Sweeney
Todd, a man who becomes a deranged murderer seeking revenge
after being falsely imprisoned. To add to the macabre nature
of his crimes, he enlists the help of his lover, Mrs. Lovett
(Helena Bonham Carter), who disposes of the victims by baking
them into meat pies — sought after by all of London.

Only Stephen Sondheim could write a musical about slitting people’s throats. This is one literally bloody film with an R rating. If any of you out there are under 17 then you will have to have your mommy or daddy accompany you to see this slaughter. I felt compelled to put this film in the “not for everyone” category.

If you can divorce yourself from appropriate squeamishness, all the very positive reviews of this film are justified. Everything about the film is electrifying.

My daughter Kate tells me that Johnny Depp after making this film vowed never to make another musical. And while we are on the topic of music, I offer you this challenge: After watching the film, can you remember and sing even one song from the film ? No fair taking notes during the watching.

1000NYTimes, 1001BeforeDie, 1996, Unusual, Violent

Trainspotting (1996)

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From NetFlix:

Danny Boyle’s explosive 1996 film tracks the misadventures of
young men (played by a cast that includes Ewan MacGregor, Robert
Carlyle and Jon Lee Miller) trying to find their way out of
joblessness, aimless relationships and drug addiction. Some are
successful, while others are hopelessly not . Based on Irvine Walsh’s
novel, Trainspotting melds grit with poetry, resulting in a film of
harsh truths and stunning grace.

I am not so sure “stunning grace” is what would come to mind if you were daring enough to watch this film which offers the following delights:

o Drugs
o Sex
o Filthy hovels
o Disgusting bathroom scenes
o Crude language
o Degenerate amoral characters.

Now with all that to offer, how could you not see this film ? 1996 was 12 years ago. I am sure that this film was a shocker 12 years ago, and it still can shock. But to tell you the truth the characters were such moral idiots, and the dialog and (possibly disgusting) sight gags were so clever that I just kept laughing out loud. After awhile you start to cringe at how hideous these 4 boy-men were and you wonder just how would Ewan MacGregor (who really tries to go straight) ever get away from the other 3. It was just this question that kept me riveted to the end.

No doubt this film will become a cult classic.

NOT FOR EVERYONE. NOT EVER FOR CHILDREN.

2008, Not Feel Good, Violent

In Bruges (2008)

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From NetFlix:

After accidentally killing an innocent boy in London, Irish
hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are sent
by their boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), to lay low in Bruges.
But, uncomfortable in this foreign city, the two professional
killers soon get into trouble. Complicating matters further,
when the guilt-ridden Ray falls for a girl working on a film
shoot, he finds himself confronting the girl’s jealous
ex-boyfriend.

For me this film was a breath of fresh air. Or as they would say in the film, “this was a breath of F_ _ _ _ _ G fresh air!”. The F-word is used every other second. Ignoring that, the script and the stream of crazy events were an entertaining sequence of surprises. Colin Farrell plays a perfect naive, uncultured, blarney-filled hit man with a conscience (similar to his role in Cassandra’s Dream). The end of the movie is VERY VIOLENT. Not for children.

Makes you want to visit medieval Bruges,