New York Confidential

Where do I even begin with "Confidential Informant"? Let's start with the positives. The only reason this movie earns a generous 5-star rating from me is the presence of Mel Gibson and Dominic Purcell. Their names on the poster gave me hope, but sadly, their screen time amounted to a mere blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance. Kudos to them for making the most out of their limited minutes.

Now, let's dive into the cesspool of mediocrity that is this film. From the moment it began, I knew I was in for a wild ride, and by wild, I mean an uncontrollable descent into disappointment. The cast, excluding Gibson and Purcell, consists of C-list actors who seem to have found their true calling in television series rather than the big screen. I can't help but wonder why Gibson chose such an inferior project. Is he willingly treading on lower ground? Let's hope not.

The movie's amateurish production is painfully evident. It reeks of cheapness and lacks any semblance of visual appeal. It's as if the entire budget was spent on gathering the star-studded cast, leaving nothing for decent cinematography or production design. But the biggest letdown of all is the absence of thrill or suspense. Zero, zilch, nada. It's like watching paint dry, except paint drying might actually hold your attention longer.

I genuinely wish this movie could be erased from existence, and I sincerely hope that Mel Gibson finds himself in better roles in the future. Now, let's take a moment to appreciate the irony that this movie claims to be based on actual events. It's hard to believe when the execution is so subpar that even a fifth-grade drama class could come up with a more compelling narrative.

The blame for this catastrophe lies heavily on the shoulders of Michael Oblowitz, the experienced cinematographer turned producer and director. With an astonishing 36 prior directorial credits, one would expect him to have learned a thing or two about making an engaging film. Alas, he proved us wrong. His choices of color palettes are horrendous, the lighting is murky, and the camera angles feel outdated. And let's not even get started on the laughable action choreography and shoddy camera work. It's a wonder how he managed to stretch 88 minutes into what felt like an eternity.

The lack of cinematic creativity is astounding. The overbearing and unfitting score constantly begs for attention, as if trying to cover up the glaring flaws of the movie. But believe me, there's no hiding the fact that "Confidential Informant" is an absolute trainwreck.

To sum it up, this film is a terrible collaboration of a lackluster script, amateurish direction, and wasted potential. The talented cast deserves better, especially given the abysmal material they had to work with. Perhaps Oblowitz should stick to short films and music videos, leaving filmmaking to those who possess the necessary knack. As much as I admire Gibson, Purcell, and the stunning Kate Bosworth, I urge you to save yourself the agony and skip this cringe-worthy production. It simply isn't worth your time.

In conclusion, "Confidential Informant" is the kind of movie that makes you question your life choices. It's a perfect storm of bad choices, horrendous editing, and a complete lack of believability. I can't help but wonder if this film was intended as a joke, but unfortunately, the only punchline here is the fact that it actually got made. Save yourself the agony and steer clear of this colossal misfire.

... who should not concern themselves with this kind of subject matter and Who means really well and had good ideas about what is fair and equitable in life

• but he does not as yet have the wherewithal to really put it across
• so yes the entire exercise feels childish to an adult viewer of average or above average intelligence

Usually you can say about a film it is good or it is bad; here you cannot as it is both

The ideas are sound and interesting the premise excellent and a critique of a system which is by design unfair

• the way it is put across tho is very sketchy like a blueprint of an effort with the details skimped over. No meat on those bones; just the skeleton. Was the budget really basic? It certainly feels it..

Gibson here is more than a cameo but not hugely so ... he is his usual mix of charm integrity and anarchic humourist; he does his job .... the others are adequate but not sterling

The overall feel is that of a TV movie ... watchable but no great shakes.

Is this a joke? Seriously, is this really a joke? Because honestly it was so beyond bad. From the bad color correction, to the poorly written dialogue and acting to the constant music overlapping trying to cover up a horrible movie.

What happened to Mel Gibson? He seems to be doing nothing but b-movies now.

I don't think I bought a single character in this film. And the distracting "music video" editing made it even worse, as if it couldn't get any worse.

There was NOTHING believable about this film, not a single thing.

How did this get green lit? Nick Stahl as a cop? I mean, maybe a drug addict, but not a cop.

This is a BIG NO from me..

This movie is stupefyingly dull. Monotonous delivery, dismal dialogue, a flatlined plot, and a complete void where any emotional impact should occur. Given all of that, it's absurd that the movie seems to take itself so seriously.

Some movies are so bad that they're good. Some are so bad that they're funny. This is neither. It is simply just bad. And boring. So very boring.

I tried my best, but lost interest within 20 minutes. I did some house chores instead, just listening over my shoulder to follow the storyline. That only made doing chores more boring. I turned off the movie and time passed quicker.

As I compose this review, screenwriters are going on strike. The level of writers, directors and producers of this gutter-calibre film don't deserve minimum wage.

"You made me miss my Yankees game"

Probably the worst cop movie I've ever seen and worst movie I've seen this year. This actually made Bruce Willis' Detective Knight trilogy that he did right before his retirement seem better in comparison and those movies are pretty awful so that's a big accomplishment. If I put this on my 2023 Ranked list it would go right at the bottom right next to Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey. Despite the three names on the poster none of them are the lead. The true lead of this is Nick Stahl and every scene he supposedly shares with Mel Gibson they're shot separately and are never actually shown to be in the same shot together which makes me think they never actually interacted when shooting this movie or the camerawork is just so awful that it looks like they weren't even in the same room together when they actually were.

A new low for everyone involved even Dominic Purcell who has been doing this type of garbage his whole career. Who I really feel bad for is both Nick Stahl and Mel Gibson who both deserve much better than this bottom of the barrel trash. If you enjoy crappy camerawork, murky lighting and a grating score Confidential Informant is the movie for you.