Cold Blood

"Deadfall," is the story of a brother and sister, Addison (Eric Bana) and Liza (Olivia Wilde) ,that decide to split up and go their separate ways after a botched robbery and car accident. Through a chance meeting and a twist of fate, the brother and sister are again reunited on Thansgiving day, one that turns out to be anything but a great Holiday for all parties (the siblings, a young police woman, a husband and wife, and Liza's new love interest, a former Olympic medalist boxer that has just got out of prison.

The Good: The acting all around was solid. Eric Bana pulls this one off well especially considering he had to kill his Australian accent in favor of a southern U.S. one. Olivia Wilde also pulled off her role, but it's hard to tell, and I am definitely biased as she is great eye candy, and has such beautiful sexy eyes. Charlie Hunnam who plays an ex-Olympic Boxer turned ex-con, shows some skill as well and proves why everyone loves the "Son's of Anarchy" series.

The writing was well done, and the setting and scenery does nothing to hurt a good movie. There are a few action scenes that keep you from losing interest through the drama. Once again having the distraction of the delicious Olivia Wilde also does the trick as well. The intertwining stories which sometimes can be overused and cliché these days was done in a rather good fashion that made it a worthy way of making a movie. The character's themselves were well built so that you find yourself not really hating any of them, and then again don't love any of them either, which is a real credit and not easy to do without making people lose interest and feel indifferent altogether.

The Bad: I would have liked at some point to have seen a lot more of the actual robbery. Kris Kristofferson , although supposed to be playing a hardened ex-detective, still comes off a little too wooden. I also, personally anyway, can't stand Treat Williams, who is a B-movie guy at best.

Like my reviews? Hate them? Questions, comments, or have a DVD you want reviewed? Feel free to send an e-mail to: subiminal.lithium@gmail.com

This movie I saw at the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth, NH and it was my favorite of the weekend. The writing was excellent and Bana gave yet another great performance as a violent man who was crazy and funny and charming and human. Writer Zach Dean combined the Western, crime, thriller, sports and family genres to tell a story about three dysfunctional families that are brought together by the trauma of childhood abuse. I knew where the story was going and yet in the end Dean was able to surprise me with how he got there. He did a masterful job pulling together his threads in a way that reminded me of Paul Haggis's work in Crash. Dean's story set in the modern West even included an Indian chief in what was one of my favorite scenes. Afterwards I reflected on Bana's work and wondered if he will ever reach the pinnacle of achievement we saw in the fantastic Australian film Chopper. That role allowed Bana to use all of his gifts in a way that I will never forget and which makes him for me one of the greatest actors working today.

Deadfall – CATCH IT (B)

Siblings Addison (Eric Bana) and Liza (Olivia Wilde) are on the run from a casino heist gone wrong. When a car accident leaves their wheel man and a state trooper dead, they split up and make a run for the Canadian border in the worst of circumstances, a near whiteout blizzard. While Addison heads cross-country, creating mayhem in his wake, Liza is picked up by ex-boxer Jay (Charlie Hunnam), en-route for a Thanksgiving homecoming with his parents, June (Sissy Spacek) and retired sheriff Chet (Kris Kristofferson). It's there the siblings are reunited in a terse and thrilling showdown that pushes the bonds of family to the limit.

Eric Bana did his job nicely, watching him doing incest jealous/obsesses/protective brother/lover was indeed bizarre. Olivia Wilde is stunningly gorgeous and at times creepy too. Charlie Hunnam is fun to watch, he is smart and never looks bad in what he does. Kate Mara is fine as always. Sissy Spacek and Kris Krsitoppher are good.

In the end, there is nothing much to expect from a movie besides that it's a B class thriller with gorgeous faces. I found movie quite entertaining, it may not have the most lovable characters but they sure are pretty. Good Time pass.

Deadfall (2012)

** (out of 4)

On the eve of Thanksgiving, brother and sister Addison (Eric Bana) and Liza (Olivia Wilde) head off into different directions in blizzard conditions after a failed robbery. While he's running around causing more mayhem, Liza meets a boxer (Charlie Hunnam) recently released from prison. The two strike up a friendship and head off to his parent's (Sissy Spacek, Kris Kristofferson) house where the brother has also found his way to. DEADFALL is a thriller from director Stefan Ruzowitzky but one really has to wonder what went so wrong with this thing. There aren't any thrills, the story itself is downright boring and the so-called character development is rather laughable. I'm really not certain what they were trying to do with this thing but in the end it's just a complete waste of talent and the viewer's time. The biggest problem is without question the screenplay that just never comes to life as we're introduced to characters that we've seen way too many times before and this film doesn't do anything new with them. Every twist and turn in this picture is something you'll see coming from a mile a way and it all leads to a rather embarrassing and laughable ending. Several subplots are introduced to the film but these here just seem to happen for no reason and they're never explained or revisited later in the film. The interesting cast is the only thing that keeps this from being a complete disaster. Bana is actually very good as the cold-blooded killer but it's too bad they didn't write a better role for him. Wilde is also very good in her supporting role as the sister. Kate Mara is also good as a deputy being abused by her sheriff father, although this here is another subplot that makes no sense. Both Spacek and Kristofferson are pretty much wasted but it's nice seeing them. DEADFALL lacks any tension, lacks any development and in the end it's just a complete mess that's really not worth sitting through.

"It's a good sign when you feel a little bad." Brother and sister Addison (Bana) and Liza (Wilde) have just robbed a casino and are making their getaway when they get into an accident. Jay (Hunnam) is fresh out of jail and is looking for answers as to why he took the fall. When all their paths cross things turn for the worse. This is a movie I was looking forward too. The cast had me interested right away. The movie started off fast and never really slowed down. It is a movie where you seem to be one step ahead of what is going on though and that kind of hurts the overall enjoyment. When you can predict 90% of what is going to happen before it does you start to lose interest, at least I do. I did like the movie and I would recommend it but don't expect a lot of twists. The movie was good and entertaining though and the cast was great but a few twists could have made it better. Overall, an enjoyable movie that could have been better if it wasn't so predictable. I give it a B.