AVALIAÇÃO DA IMDb
5,5/10
1,9 mil
SUA AVALIAÇÃO
Adicionar um enredo no seu idiomaA Chicago cop quits the force and finds himself threatened by the Mafia.A Chicago cop quits the force and finds himself threatened by the Mafia.A Chicago cop quits the force and finds himself threatened by the Mafia.
Jon Farris
- Fagan
- (as John Farris)
Mo Gallini
- Laslov
- (as Matt Gallini)
Avaliações em destaque
6=G=
"A Better Way to Die" is a macho little testosterone rush "sleeper" which follows a square jawed, lean and cut, sissy-voiced ex-cop as he wades through more "heavies" than a Weight Watchers convention. With two firefights even before credits, this terse action jammed drama with a sense of humor has an ever increasing body count as its rather ordinary good guys vs bad guys plot unfolds with cops, FBI, and mobsters duking it out and our reluctant hero invariably caught in between. The viewer is given a personal score to settle when the mob prematurely robs us of more vistas of Henstridge skin and good guys turn bad, bad guys turn good, bullet casings pile up, and the film waxes bloodier all the way to its conclusion. "A Better Way to Die" is best served with a sixer and big bag of chips.
I can see how this film could be tossed into the Violent Action or confusingly written low budget categories, but I found it to be a cut or more above those types of films because of its feel. It seemed to me more like a long waking nightmare than an action yarn. It was personal. Where Dirty Harry or Arnold type films tend to try to inject societal relevance, this is about what is happening to one lone guy's little world. It seems to start the usual way in the big city, but the road trip begins immediately after the cops vs bad guy shootout. Then it is just him against the darker side of the world.
Odd to say it, but it had elements in it of a gentle, thoughtful road film like Wild Strawberries. But these gentle experiences were incessantly subverted by the nightmarish downward spiral that was this day or so in the life of the antihero lead. Dr. Borg could not find an experience or place that could distract him for long from his regrets. Boomer's problems were less existential. He could not find a safe place, even to sleep. One thing led to another and every time it couldn't get worse it did. Sustaining that through the length of the film in writing and directing is quite an accomplishment and it all goes to Wiper. The other actors did a sturdy to inspired job of playing it on the money and not ruining the vibe.
I think of it as a Film Noir and it reminds me of an Edmond O'Brien character running afoul of Communist spies and their thugs. Constantly on the run, both to and from, never knowing what is around the next corner.
Without giving anything away, the other element running through the film is an amazing tale of, ultimately, redemption involving Boomer and Cleveland. It is of course given the necessary weight by the usual brilliant performance by Andre Braugher.
Much of the film had a claustrophobic quality to it, another departure from a typical action film. I don't say this often, but being in black and white would have taken as much away from this film as it would have added. It is pretty darn good the way it is. And it does not remind me very much of any other film I have ever seen. It is coming from another place entirely.
Odd to say it, but it had elements in it of a gentle, thoughtful road film like Wild Strawberries. But these gentle experiences were incessantly subverted by the nightmarish downward spiral that was this day or so in the life of the antihero lead. Dr. Borg could not find an experience or place that could distract him for long from his regrets. Boomer's problems were less existential. He could not find a safe place, even to sleep. One thing led to another and every time it couldn't get worse it did. Sustaining that through the length of the film in writing and directing is quite an accomplishment and it all goes to Wiper. The other actors did a sturdy to inspired job of playing it on the money and not ruining the vibe.
I think of it as a Film Noir and it reminds me of an Edmond O'Brien character running afoul of Communist spies and their thugs. Constantly on the run, both to and from, never knowing what is around the next corner.
Without giving anything away, the other element running through the film is an amazing tale of, ultimately, redemption involving Boomer and Cleveland. It is of course given the necessary weight by the usual brilliant performance by Andre Braugher.
Much of the film had a claustrophobic quality to it, another departure from a typical action film. I don't say this often, but being in black and white would have taken as much away from this film as it would have added. It is pretty darn good the way it is. And it does not remind me very much of any other film I have ever seen. It is coming from another place entirely.
As a serious crime drama, this totally sucks. But if viewed as a spoof on the genre, it's quite amusing. Every cliche is squeezed into the plot; much of the action is over-the-top. If they were trying for a hard-core, gritty flick to be taken seriously, they flopped. But if seen as a less-slapstick variation on films like Clive Owens' underappreciated Shoot'Em Up, it plays a lot better.
A BETTER WAY TO DIE is hardly a B-movie gem, and yet it's certainly an entertaining time-waster, a star vehicle and labour of love for a director/writer/actor you've never heard of and a movie packed to the brim with chases and shoot-outs. In terms of pacing this is an unstoppable movie with all manner of crime clichés and violent events to propel the slim storyline.
In essence, star Scott Wiper plays a down-on-his-luck type who finds himself pursued by multiple bad guys, including gangsters, dealers and corrupt government agents. It feels a bit like a Tarantino flick, something like TRUE ROMANCE, in that there are multiple criminals and they're all battling against each other. Wiper is instantly forgettable as a leading man but I quite enjoyed his work as writer and director here.
Star actors are low on the ground, but viewers are treated to Lou Diamond Phillips giving a laidback turn as a corrupt cop, HOSTEL's Rick Hoffman as a thug, Natasha Henstridge (SPECIES) as the love interest and another decent role for Andre Braugher (THE MIST). The action comes thick and fast and I'll admit it, I had a ball with this one, even if it's not something you'd want to watch again once you know what happens.
In essence, star Scott Wiper plays a down-on-his-luck type who finds himself pursued by multiple bad guys, including gangsters, dealers and corrupt government agents. It feels a bit like a Tarantino flick, something like TRUE ROMANCE, in that there are multiple criminals and they're all battling against each other. Wiper is instantly forgettable as a leading man but I quite enjoyed his work as writer and director here.
Star actors are low on the ground, but viewers are treated to Lou Diamond Phillips giving a laidback turn as a corrupt cop, HOSTEL's Rick Hoffman as a thug, Natasha Henstridge (SPECIES) as the love interest and another decent role for Andre Braugher (THE MIST). The action comes thick and fast and I'll admit it, I had a ball with this one, even if it's not something you'd want to watch again once you know what happens.
A BETTER WAY TO DIE is an entertaining, albeit mindless, low-budget action film. Like many films in this direct-to-video niche, there's no rhyme or reason to why things happen in DIE, except simply to say that things happen because it leads to other things happening, such as the constant gunfights and other action-related sequences.
Basically a string of shootouts and violent deaths linked together by an afterthought of a story, A BETTER WAY TO DIE is still quite entertaining. That is, if you manage to turn off your brain and realize that the reason cops never show up is because it would ruin the next upcoming gunfight.
Of note is Lou Diamond Phillips, who continues his string of Cheesy Villains in these direct-to-video action films. What has happened, Lou?
5 out of 10.
Basically a string of shootouts and violent deaths linked together by an afterthought of a story, A BETTER WAY TO DIE is still quite entertaining. That is, if you manage to turn off your brain and realize that the reason cops never show up is because it would ruin the next upcoming gunfight.
Of note is Lou Diamond Phillips, who continues his string of Cheesy Villains in these direct-to-video action films. What has happened, Lou?
5 out of 10.
Você sabia?
- CuriosidadesDuring most of the filming of the shootout and chase in the beginning of the movie, temperatures were at and below zero.
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- How long is A Better Way to Die?Fornecido pela Alexa
Detalhes
Bilheteria
- Orçamento
- US$ 2.100.000 (estimativa)
- Tempo de duração
- 1 h 41 min(101 min)
- Cor
- Mixagem de som
- Proporção
- 1.85 : 1
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