StephW-0

Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance is yet another chapter in a franchise that refuses to know when to quit. What once had the energy of a raw, gritty crime saga has now devolved into a formulaic loop of recycled violence, cardboard characters, and painfully forced tough-guy dialogue.

The plot - if you can call it that - stumbles from pub brawls to revenge missions with all the narrative finesse of a YouTube highlight reel. Dialogue sounds like it was scribbled during a pub crawl, and the acting - with the exception of a few half-decent scowls - is as lifeless as the script.

Any sense of tension or stakes is buried under slow-mo beatdowns, growling voiceovers, and the same grey, washed-out tone that tries (and fails) to convince you it's still edgy. There's no evolution here - just repetition. It's a greatest-hits album with none of the hits.

If this is vengeance, then the real victim is the viewer's time.

The Last Heist squanders whatever potential it had within the first ten minutes. What should have been a tense, stylish thriller ends up being a cliché-riddled, painfully dull mess that plays like a knockoff of far better films.

The dialogue is wooden, the characters are paper-thin, and the plot - if you can call it that - stumbles from one predictable scene to another with all the urgency of a Sunday stroll. The so-called "twists" are telegraphed so far in advance that they land with a whimper, not a bang.

Even the action, which should've been the film's saving grace, is poorly choreographed and badly edited. Performances range from forgettable to outright embarrassing, with most of the cast seeming like they'd rather be anywhere else.

By the time the credits roll, the only thing you'll be stealing is your time back - if you're lucky enough to walk away before the end.

Ridley Scott's Napoleon is an epic, ambitious attempt to capture the life of one of history's most complex figures - and while it doesn't always hit its mark, it delivers plenty of spectacle along the way. Joaquin Phoenix gives a layered performance as the infamous French emperor, portraying him not just as a military genius, but as a deeply flawed, often insecure man driven by pride and obsession.

The battle scenes are some of the film's standout moments - brutal, chaotic, and beautifully choreographed. Scott is at his best here, capturing the scale and horror of 19th-century warfare. The film also explores Napoleon's volatile relationship with Josephine (Vanessa Kirby), bringing emotion and dysfunction to the personal side of his legend.

That said, the tone can shift unevenly between political drama, psychological study, and dark satire. Some historical liberties are taken, which may frustrate purists, and the pacing dips in the middle as the film struggles to balance the man with the myth.

Still, Napoleon is bold, visually grand, and filled with memorable moments. It may not be a definitive biography, but it's a captivating cinematic interpretation of an extraordinary life.