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4/10
Disappointing due to hollow screenplay, incomplete IMAX and primitive plot
18 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
A very much expected X-Mas premiere disappointed me very much.

The plot is primitive, except for the first 15-20 minutes most actions are predictable with virtually no drama. Action scenes are made with some care but are very mechanical.

The Burj Dubai (Khalifa) was where we expected some stunning blood-freezing action and there it was the action but blood did not freeze... The Moab scene in MI2 was one -- I clearly remember the cinema audience holding their breath, and one cannot stop comparing these two...

Those who go to IMAX version will be specifically disappointed when they realize only few sequences are filmed in IMAX format whereas during the rest of the movie you see coarse film grain and other low-res artefacts of a regular movie format blown to a huge IMAX screen as ... Why is that, dear Tom & Brad, the budget did not allow more?

In the absence of real or virtual drama the whole thing becomes flat and boring -- I wish they considered hiring Robert Towne again, for example... .

It is not very often that some characters are so irrelevant to the plot that а movie could live without them. Despite superb acting of Mashkov (russian cop Sidorov) I really miss why this character is in the movie at all ! Take him out and... nothing changes !

Paula Patton (Jane) - I am sorry but Jane is as "persuading" in the role of a field agent as Halle Berry was in JB Arctic story.

I'd better stop now and will not go into smaller details (read- spoilers). The nice side is that at least some of the sequences ARE filmed in IMAX, the opening soundtrack seems to have been re-recorded and is excellent, there are some nice areal IMAX shots of Dubai and Mumbai at night. Most of Moscow seems to have been shot in Prague or Wroclaw and does look very fake.

What else - Tom plays as he usually do but because of the primitive plot and dull screenplay there is nothing left to remember or comment. Knight & Day is what You remember, not MI-4.

I personally believe any review/rating higher that 7/10 for this one is a 90% fake ("stimulating") whereas 8-10/10 ones are 103% such.
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The Tourist (I) (2010)
2/10
You simply do not believe it
19 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Nothing that happens on the screen makes me believe in what I see. A mechanical walking/running/talking/killing/kissing etc. of a well-paid actors in accordance with the script shot on a camera. But not more than that.

There is hardly a moment in this movie where you believe in the plot. Just because you do not.

A total disaster.

I only wonder how it happened the producers had not stricken the bell at some moment in the production and had not done anything about it!

And my wife felt asleep during an action movie!
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Maybe not the best movie of the year but entertaining and novel
11 December 2002
Warning: Spoilers
O.K. timeline was as follows: first I bought the movie, then read all these spoilers here and only then played it already with a great deal of scepticism.

I should have known better!

I was very surprised that so many people here failed to get that this is not a heist movie! The producer spent so many efforts to communicate to the audience that it is NOT about robbery or murder - note that the massive gunfights are shot with some irony ironical, I'd say Hong Kong bullets-spraying style, many killings are not even shown at all! Lots of thing are intentionaly shot so that you say "No, this could never happen in real life!" to outline the fact the crime here is only a background.

Sure the plot is there, maybe not as centered as it could be yet is does not spoil that particular movie. Kurt Russel is great and Costner is exactly what it should be for this evil charecter!

Excellent camerawork and very entertaining deviation for the boring Hollywood heist cliches. Great entertainment! Definite 6/10 !
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8/10
A great Bogdanovich Movie !
25 November 2002
...and the rest of the crew is fantastic.

Very authentic and persuading and refreshing. Everyone plays the best.

Needs a talent to make a basically boring story a movie jewel.

Needs to be seen but not talked about.
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The Killer (1989)
7/10
A bit overrated by JW and CYF enthusiasts yet
25 November 2002
is a nice action movie of the time. It made John Woo and Chow Yu Fat what they are today.

Compared to what movie biz was making those days in action "Die xue shuang xiong" contains many novel things despite evidently low budget.

And Chow really made an unusual Killer character - amusing to see.

Deserves to be seen despite its age.
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9/10
A great movie with capital M.
2 April 2002
Well, that is my favourite Spielberg film.

Some call it a WW2 film but in reality it is a drama with WW2 set as a decoration (background, though very precise one).

A human-child-big-tought-world story made with lots of funds and talent produces great results.

If you love the point-and-shoot movies this one is probably not for you.
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The Last Bullet (1995 TV Movie)
9/10
Pretty good piece of Australian movie-making
24 December 2001
It is a movie that is not shown by TV networks as often as it probably deserves to be especially nowadays when then there are so many conflicts brewing across the globe and "foe" tag often leads to hatred and unjustified murder.

I'd say that here in Europe as well as in the US folks often underestimate australian movie industry which is a misjudgement. Despite the fact that aussies do not make as many movies as Hollywood one cannot deny that australian cinematography is very mature yet really different from both Hollywood and what sometimes is named as the "european" schoool of film-making and that makes it very unique (read - even more interesting).

"The Last Bullet" featuring Jason Donovan and Koji Tamaki in lead roles is just one such example of very interesting, thrilling yet very serious war films, which is in effect a very anti-war movie. I'd note that due to Jason Donovan's pop-singer popularity one may possibly expect something miraculous on his part and some folks were a bit disappointed yet in my opinion what Jason did in this movie is just exactly what he should have done - that movie is not about singing.

Another interesting aspect of that movie is that it is a rare piece of the WW2 episode where Japanese are characters rather then just a "banzai"-shouting mass.

Interesting is that the film director Michael Pattinson is exactly the man who directed the fabulous TV series "The Feds" which is probably the best TV police series ever made.

So, I do not know how you'd be able to see the "Last Bullet" unless it is on your TV station schedule yet if there a chance to do not miss it.
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8/10
Great movie (series). Sometimes the course of events is a little
2 April 2001
artificial yet that is the authentic story's fault.

Otherwise very convincing late Denholm Elliott and Nichole, great set-up, intriguing plot and nearly proper pace.

Very worth buying for a home libruary.
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8/10
Nice funny job
10 December 2000
Nice movie, lots of fun, one you'd want to re-see every 5 yrs.

Easy and witty.

Bridget Fonda plays fine and all the cast are really convincing in a funny situations that are in there in plenty....
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10/10
A must-see.
23 March 2000
One thing about this movie is that it is probably one of the best movies of the 80-s.

Another true fact is that Barry Levinson, Robin Williams and late J.T. Walsh will be remembered in 40 years time primarily because they made GMV!.

It IS very funny (do not be tempted to watch in any other language but original!) yet is a very serious film - definitely not Arnold and Dolf type. It brings to attention just another side if Nam war but not only. A delicate but nonetheless impressive show of characters under the strain of another "...for the sake of the nation..." crusade.

No Vietnam theme is complete without GMV and it certainly deserves buying a DVD player just to have this single movie in collection - because you'll play it over and over again.

It is not enough to put together light, film, camera and a few actors to make a movie. It takes talent, luck and some magic to make real ones. These guys had all three of it.
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10/10
One of the best movies on the eighties
21 March 2000
The best performance of Kurt Russel ever, maybe the best of Michelle, fantastic Raul Julia and always correct J.T. Walsh.

It is definetly not the best performance of Mel but alltogether under the guidance of Thom Mount and Bob Towne these people made a magical job - they made a movie where every bit, every second and every frame is a masterpiece (well - certainly there were more people involved).

One need to see it several times to discard its "detective" tag - it is definetely not a detective. Than what is it? Just see it and answer yourself...
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