The Cold Light of Day

Well I wasn't expecting much from this film to begin with and I certainly wasn't wrong with how the film panned out. When I arrived in the theatre there was background music playing over the trailers and adverts. This even continued into the start of the film! Therefore I couldn't actually hear what was going on for the first 3 or 4 minutes. I should have known what my experience was going to be like after that. I thought the film had a promising start with Willis being about the only semblance of my enjoyment. But it all went downhill after the first 25 minutes or so. I thought the script was dire and the action sequences were poorly directed. In some of the scenes I could plainly tell an effort was being made by the director to imitate some classic action scenes in the Bourne series. The whole business with the briefcase also left a lot to be desired.

Weaver's performance was puzzling. She appears as a ruthless agency operative but at points in the film I was wondering if she thought she was starring in a comedy with her outrageous behaviour in some of the end scenes. Overall I'd say save your money for a better film that doesn't try to rip off other films in its genre.

The story line is pathetic and weak, with nonsensical script and a very basic lead actor. Sad to see some great 90's actors scraping the barrel. Sorry to be so harsh.

The film is not bad and not excellent - it straddles the average line sort of. Not to give much away, i was quite surprised by the film on a whole. Every time i watch a Bruce Willis film i expect to see him in the lead role but he was not the star today - i guess Henry Cavill is steadily been built up to become an A-lister (don't forget he is playing Superman in the 'Man if Steel') The script is OK but does need work in certain areas (watch and find out) Sigourney Weaver played an unconvincing baddie and 'unknown'Verónica Echegui character could have been more involving. I could go on and on but i will leave it there.

My score: 6.5/10 which is decent

"In the Cold Light of Day" is no "Bourne Identity". It has something of a made-for-TV look to it. At one point while watching, I was reminded of the 80s action/espionage type films sometimes directed by the likes of Lucio Fulci (Contraband, 1980) or Ruggero Deodato (Cut & Run, 1985). I suspect "In the Cold Light of Day" will look as bad in 20-odd years as those earlier films look today. OK, this film is somewhat better production values-wise (but lighter on the Italians' trademark violence), but it still has that Euro-American co-production 'el cheapo' look to it.

Nonetheless, it is, as my review heading states, quite entertaining. It plods along amiably enough for much of its length until the film's highlight, around 16 minutes from the end: a very well executed and imaginative car chase sequence. It's pretty long, well-shot (as is much of the film, incidentally), includes several creative elements, and is fast-paced and pays off well. It's one of the best car chases this reviewer recalls seeing in quite a while.

I suppose a score of 6 out of 10 is quite generous for a mediocre film such as this, but it does reflect the entertainment value this reviewer enjoyed.

If you've seen the Bourne Trilogy, and then you go and see this - you're going to be severely disappointed. It's like a poor man's version! This film tries to be everything that the Bourne series was - but fails spectacularly. Every element of this film that comes together to make the whole - is worthy of criticism. The storyline is amateurish. When you get to the end of the film, you recollect what you've just seen and think to yourself - man there were so many far fetched scenes and wholly unnecessary ones - but then again, if plot didn't contain them, there'd be no film! I'm sorry to be so vague, but this film was put together like a recipe. The writer must have asked himself - what do I need to put into an action/thriller to make it worthy of that genre? Got all the elements together, and mashed them together hastily to produce this utter waste of time. You're left devoid of any satisfaction by the time you reach the end. Just don't watch it and save yourself some money. Rent it on DVD, you'll thank me later.