Fuego cruzado por Navidad

Disjointed, horrible acting, dialogue, etc., etc. It doesn't fully sync with any genre, while also being promo-ed as "Christmas-related" on Netflix.

Christmas Crossfire is also sexist, misogynistic male-fantasy trash. Yay.

I went into this with no expectations, and was very pleasantly surprised. This made me think of Shane black mixed with In Bruges . Character development is great. the story unfolds at a measured, suspenseful and entertaining pace. After a million cheesy holiday movies this sharp, fun film was a breath of fresh air.

This movie is like a painting where you just cannot grab the meaning the painter intended to show. Filmmaking is art and so is this movie, but the film is like a painting that is made with great technique by a master and nonetheless lacks substance of what the painter wants us to see. So like in a museum in front of a paining that I do not understand I sit here and wonder what all this was about. I am at a loss, confused, and I was in this state most of the time watching this film. And this is what this movie tells us about the writer and director: he obviously was at a loss and confused. Nice views, nice acting, but a diffuse story that pulls the whole film into the dirt.

What a pity!

A German film without a specific genre. It's about a couple who meet in a bar and decide to spend the weekend in the forest of her town, when they are there someone calls for help and things get out of control. It's not a comedy, not a drama, not a thriller, it just is. Quality. It does not develop the characters, it does not matter if they kill one or the other, you do not click with any. Situations happen just because, they never give you a reason for anything, vaguely they raise things but nothing develops. There is never a crossfire, only a hunt. Irrelevant performances. No jokes or comedy. Good shots and blood scenes are fine, light nudes. The ending is absurd and consistent at the same time since it does not develop anything in the characters, it does not tell you what they are like, why they are there, their motivations, nothing. Avoidable.

I guess you can call this a Christmas movie. And I do understand that after you've probably watched every other Hallmark movie (they exist for a reason and I am not it, though if you like them, that's more than ok for you and me too), that this may feel like a breath of fresh air. Seeing this independently and without being in an extreme mood ... you may be able to recognize its shortcommings though.

And it is a bit of shame, because the movie itself isn't really that bad. It is kind of fun and has some interesting ideas ...no matter what you think about the main character getting involved with people that have guns for no good reason (is it the right thing to do? Or is it just plain stupid?). That inciting incident does not remain the only thing I would consider a flaw or an inconsistency throughou the movie. The tone changes from funny to serious do not work as well as the movie would like them to.

For some that may be nitpicking and they might enjoy this way more (maybe even without the Hallmark pre-experience) ... if that is the case: good for you. Everyone else should take the whole thing with a grain of salt ... at least