Code Name Banshee

Looks like Banderas is the next actor to follow the path of Nicholas Cage, Bruce Willis, etc...

This movie was a big swing and a miss, despite the big names in the cast. I thought the whole opening sequence was laughable as the protagonist literally stood in the open while holding two guns out like she's some sort of terminator. From that point on, the story was just cliche and the actions were just boring as expected. They should take a lesson from Kate, which did it right.

However, perhaps the most annoying is the camera work. Again, in 2022 with what we have today in terms of technology, it still baffles me while there are directors who want to get cute and use some poor lighting, old camera style, etc... People want to see crisp clear HD, not a dark near black and white grainy screen.

Terrible film. 2/10.

Who selected these actors, and why does Banderas do this garbage? He can clearly do that better.

The main actress should consider whether she wants to continue playing at the level, or should rather take on easier roles. She holds the weapon like a beginner and embodies the assassin very badly. The close combat scenes were hidden in the dark. Were you so bad that this was necessary?

THINGS I LIKED: The cast includes Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory), Jaime King (Black Summer), Tommy Flanagan (Westworld) and Catherine Davis (Run Hide Fight) I always get a kick out of Antonio Banderas, but I was worried about 2 things: his red hair and that this movie might be like one of those terrible Bruce Willis movies that he's been pumping out lately. That being said, I can't wait to hear his voice talents in the next PUSS In Boots movie. You can watch my trailer reaction for Puss in Boots by clicking here. The movie looks awesome.

There is plenty of action.

There is an element of the importance of family: blood-related family, as well as the loyal friends we surround ourselves with.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: I couldn't hear a word anyone said for the first 5 minutes. All of a sudden, the volume picked up.

One of the characters has a thick Irish accent which is often difficult to understand.

I was bored within minutes. Yawn.

The camera angles and shaky cam were super annoying.

Tons of flashbacks and exposition.

I just didn't find any of the characters compelling enough to care about them very much.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: High dead body count with blood splatters Lots of killing with a variety of weapons Profanity, including F-bombs and crude language

THEMES: Revenge Family Loyalty Risk Parenting Legacy

YouTube channel.

D-level movie. Something a bunch of high schoolers could have made on VHS in the 90's. The guns have zero recoil. The acting is below par. The story makes little sense. Just awful.

What happened to Banderas? He used to be awesome.

I came across this movie totally by accident, and although the cast looked impressive (particularly with Banderas) the recent stream of appalling movies with actors like Willis, Cage and a handful of others meant I was guarded (at best) on its prospects for being decent... and as it turns out my scepticism was completely warranted.

Banderas is as always accomplished, and! Puts his heart into his work delivering a solid performance as you'd expect, but he can't carry this one (no single actor could) since on the whole the movie just fails to deliver on so many fronts.

It's really a pale shadow of the story it should be offering an insufficient level of suspense, dialogue, story, action and overall engagement to pull off a film of this genre. In fact, the overall experience is a little like the title, underwhelming and somewhat misleading.

One of the major problems is with the lead played by Jamie King. She is seriously miscast here and hasn't the on-screen presence, the physical dexterity, or the acting capability to pull this one off, and what she lacks she does in some considerable measure.

I love strong female characters, but if you're selling me one, make it authentic and not some Poundland or Wallmart alternative. Her inability to hold a gun steady is a glaringly obvious disaster even for a casual observer, but the choreography she delivers in the fight scenes had me doubting if she could successfully even take on my eighty three year old grandmother, who is a specialist in her own right with a wooden spoon. That said, she isn't the sole cause of the films failure to deliver, just another aspect of one of the many facets that wasn't addressed sufficiently.

There is no excitement here, just another mediocre delivery to pass time or have on in the background and even though I made it to the end, I don't recommend it.