Fogo Cruzado

Grillo with a man bun like Tom Cruise in Last Samurai which nobody saw was epic.

The movie tried hard to be like Assault on Precinct 13 but the lack of atmosphere, tension n suspense prevented it.

In fact the low budget VFW starring Stephen Lang is a decent take on defending the 'Alamo'.

Copshop

This movie got off to a very good start and then about 45 minutes in the dialogue became stilted, the acting stiff, the plot repetitive, and the scenarios contrived.

To my mind Gerald Bultler sabotaged his own movie by being desperate to engrandize his role without sufficient substance and have the last word.

The female cop played by Alexis Louder did a fine job but you "can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear".

Overall this is 5 outta 10 at best, meaning watch it on TV if you are minded.

I was pleased with how this movie was written, I feel it had a great flow and the character building was strong and effective. Joe Carnahan did a great job keeping the watcher interested with both visual and verbal chemistry.

The movie flipped around kind of like Tarantino flips around.

Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo and Alexis Louder add did a great job portraying thier very complex characters. Toby Huss was an added bonus, he does "crazy" very well.

From the very start, the movie takes turns and creates complexity that you can't wait to figure out. When it finally all comes to play, you are in the middle of a roller coaster ride of action and violence comparable to Reservoir Dogs.

While the story didn't leave me guessing for too long, I feel the action, acting and plot were enough to warrant a strong watch.

Grillo, Butler and Louder gave outstanding performances, and although the satirical writing was entertaining, this would've been much better if the story were taken more serious.

Then there's the even bigger issue of the huge hole left in the story, the one which didn't explain any of the twists and turns. It's almost as if the dog ate pages from the middle of the screenplay.

For the 107 minute runtime, there wasn't enough substance. Either lots of minutes needed to be trimmed down, or preferably, more backstory/substance written in. It felt like the story was more about Louder's character, and we're supposed to ignore why the things that are happening to her, are happening.

It's a shame no one picked up on these huge issues, because the directing was excellent, as was the cinematography, score and gore effects. Its a good one-time watch, and thus a 7/10 from me.

This was an extremely fun movie, with quirky characters, and well designed action scenes. Overall, the gritty aesthetic and brutal violence was balanced with dark humor. Some of the twists can definitely be seen from a mile away, but in a genre film like this, it doesn't really matter as long as it's entertaining.

What truly elevates this movie and makes it a joy to watch is Alexis Louder, who goes toe to toe with Butler and Grillo as she steals scenes. The last time an actor caught my eye like this was Chadwick Boseman in Draft Day, and he turned out to be a massive star (RIP). I'm certainly hoping to see Louder and more films soon!