Grand Isle

When I see that Nicolas Cage appears in the cast of a movie I wonder what it's going to be this time. Nicolas Cage is a good actor, everybody knows him and he hasn't to prove anything anymore, but the truth is that he accepts a lot of roles in bad movies. I don't know any actor that played in really good movies and also real stinkers so it's always a guess what it will be the next time. Grand Isle is interesting, a story with some suspense and decent acting from the whole cast. It all begins promising and that remains like that for most of the movie but towards the end it feels a bit unfinished and stupid. But it's not the worst movie with Nicolas Cage, so that's already something.

This film unravelled a story, without any twists or turns, which means that everything the viewer anticipates to happen, happens. Unfortunately, in a sad and sinister way, I had hoped this film was based on some true events which in turn would have made this movie twice as entertaining, or not half as bad as the final product. The actors all played their part well, Nicholas Cage a little slow minded but a role which suits him. Kadee Strickland a seductive wife of Nicolas Cage and Luke Benward as a main suspect in a murder case, that of which is the narrative of the story. All in all a long one and half hours.

I enjoyed it simply because it didn't take place anywhere in California or NYC, and also because it had a real ending with a conclusion. I'm so tired of new movies just ending in the air like someone forgot to write the last act.

I'm a fan of neo-noir thrillers, and since the trailer sold me, I decided to give this B-grade film a chance. What started off surprisingly interesting and suspenseful, turned bland after the fist half.

Novice director Stephen S. Campanelli was great behind the camera, and ok directing his cast. But the screenplay by amateur writers Iver William Jallah and Rich Ronat, needed a seasoned writer to look it over and make some major edits. I get this is a low budget B-grade film, but what started off so good, could've easily ended just as good or even great. Sadly, once it sets up its naughty and wild formulaic plot, it stops delivering.

Casting was decent with Kelsey Grammer, KaDee Strickland and the lovely Zulay Henao, but as a long-time fan of Cage's, I wanted more "Cage-iness". Cinematography and production sets were on point, as was the score.

For a B-grade low budget film, I've seen much worse, and still enjoyed the most part of the film. It's a generous 7/10 from me.

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The movie starts alright, after 20-30 minutes it becomes quite good, after 40 it becomes interesting, and then around an hour or so, it does complete 180 and turns into....Nick Cage movie :)

It seems as if they had no money to pay the original writer to the fullest, so after 75% completion of screenplay, they fired the original writer, and then gave it to their children to do the rest.

All in all very tense, very interesting....and very typical and pointless in the end.