O Agente

I don't really know what I was expecting when I went into this. I usually don't waste my time with direct-to-video garbage, but I was sick and very bored. I'd just watched Snipes' earlier vehicle Fugindo do Passado (2004) which I thought was actually pretty decent, and in no way deserving of all the hate that's been heaped upon it. After seeing the very poor rating of that film, and liking it, I saw this film's lukewarm rating and thought it must be at least ok. I was wrong, and I want my time back.

Let me just say that I usually go into films with expectations. I learn about most movies through this or some other website, so I've usually read about a movie before seeing it, and I pick the ones I want to see. That said, I go into the ones I've picked really wanting to like them, so when they're not good, I'm disappointed, even to the point of being annoyed. Maybe i should change my approach, but this film just didn't meet my expectations.

The plot is wholly generic. A legendary, but retired, government assassin is called in for one last mission, which is to take out a ruthless dictator and terrorist. Once he completes the job, he attempts to leave the country, but is framed for another murder before he can. On the run, he must rely on his skills to survive. Sounds like "Bourne meets any Steven Seagal movie". It's very unoriginal, and it is just a rehashing of every other action movie you've ever seen.

The characters are all bland. I like Wesley Snipes, a lot actually, and I'd even go as far as to call myself a fan. He was the only reason I gave this film a second glance, and the only reason I pressed play. He was alright, even though he didn't have tons of dialogue. He's not as charismatic as he was in the roles of his prime, but he's nowhere near Seagal territory when it comes to wooden acting. He is onscreen a lot, but there's also a lot of time where he's not onscreen. When he is though, he's sitting and/or staring, and occasionally speaking. The other characters are all stock characters recycled from other films. Bleh.

Director Josef Rusnak, obviously an amateur, didn't do horribly. Most of the movie was at least watchable, but he went with shaky, frenetic camera work reminiscent of Tony Scott. Scott's newer, frenetic style, is most notable in Chamas da Vingança (2004), but at least there the style fit the mood. Here, Rusnak's obvious imitation is unnecessary, and just looks clumsy.

Now, I can forgive a generic plot and mediocre characters in this kind of film. It is a brainless B action movie after all, right? I've come for action, and a long as I get at least a fair amount of decent action scenes then I'll be good. Well this so-called "action movie" can't even deliver that. The trailer, which seemed to promise a good amount of action, gravely misled me. There are barely any action scenes, basically like, three or four small ones, in the movie, all of which are incredibly brief (the last one was ok), and poorly edited. Worst of all, Wesley Snipes has one fight scene. ONE FIGHT SCENE. We've come to see Wesley fight and don't get that at all. It seems like Snipes is starting to go the Seagal route of doing fewer and fewer action scenes in his movies, which is sad. Another scene with potential is stupidly obscured by strobe lighting, for no reason. Just why. Several more action scenes, and this would've been better.

The movie asked me to care about its story and characters, and attempted to privilege the story over the action. It's a risky move, one I can respect, but the problem is that it wasn't a great story and the characters weren't great. When there wasn't any action, I was left with the story, which was unsatisfying. The script could've used more action to keep the slow story moving, and at least make it more interesting. Maybe I should re-evaluate it, but my time is too valuable too me.

I wanted so badly to like the movie, but I have to be honest with myself. If you're a Snipes fan, then I guess you could watch it just to say you did. Otherwise, avoid it. It really is a waste of time.

It was clearly meant for UK market, incorporating two popular British actors that ended up working on Game of Thrones together just 4 years later. But ill tell you who else loves this stuff.... Latinos. My Latina wife barely speaks English and loves tf outta these types of story and action.

Not your typical Wesley Snipes kind of movie.(not really anyway) The acting isn't horrible. It was movie I watched it at mid evening with some popcorn, and it kept me entertained most of the time. It had a few good action scenes, but mostly it was a drama movie. The plot is by no means original either, but it plays out OK I guess. Snipes definitely wasn't at his best here. I haven't seen the other movie that is the same story, so I can't say which is better. Although I didn't feel the need to pause it for refills and pit-stops, So I gave it a 5/10. I wouldn't go to a theater to see it, but its good for a movie night when/if it gets released on cable/satellite. -P.F.

Thus far, Wesley Snipes output of DTV flicks has been somewhat poor in quality. That would be the polite way to describe dreck like The Detonator and The Marksman anyway. However, his last flick, Hard Luck, re-teaming with his New Jack City director, Mario Van Peebles, was at least watchable. It was a bit all over the place sure, but Snipes gave a performance of some interest. The Contractor is most certainly, Wes's finest DTV action flick so far. That's not to say it's particularly great, but on an overall scale, it's about on a par with Van Damme's, The Hard Corps.

The plot is in part similar to Mark Wahlberg's recent flick, The Shooter, and also Leon. It's the Leon part of the story that works best in this film, while the usual hokey espionage and agency double crossing is the main ingredient on the Shooter side of this film. Snipes is an ex-sniper called in to do a job and ends up being left to take the fall for his employers, who also want to dispose of Snipes now. Following his assignment and initial run in with the law, Wesley holes up in a safe house, where he meets Emily, a tenacious and troubled young girl, who is neighbours with the safe houses owner. She helps James Dial (Snipes) recuperate from a gunshot, while also helping him avoid capture. The relationship between Dial and Emily could have wrecked the movie with inconceivability, however it works.

This is where the film's main strength lies, the cast. Wesley for a start puts in the effort. He's not dialling this one in, like previous roles. He gives the role extra dimension. The cast, for a DTV film, is also blessed with recognisable names. Lena Headey is good, and hot, and Charles Dance and Ralph Brown also appear to add class. The real star here though is young actress Eliza Bennett, who plays Emily. It's so rare that young actors can really immerse themselves in a role, and be totally natural on screen. We've seen it countless times in even the biggest flicks, that young actors given important roles just cannot act. I give you Jake Lloyd as an example, or the Harry Potter kids (from the first two flicks at least, while even now they only border on competent). But Bennett is a real star in the making, oozing potential and an amazing amount of gravitas for someone so young. She is her character, and we never have to make account for her being a young actor playing a role out of her range. She has a good role that she not only does extremely well, but I imagine, created much of herself. We're talking on the same playing field as Haley Joel Osment, Dakota Fanning, Freddie Highmore. She'll be huge I predict. Indeed I think Wesley would have appreciated having someone with real, genuine talent to work off. It's a role that requires maturity and immersion, and because Bennett becomes her character so effectively, she and Snipes can work off each other so well. To think a DTV could have pulled a gem out the hat like this is quite something. By past occurrence, Snipes should have been acting opposite a lump of infantile, irksome, wood.

One failing of the film lies at the feet of director Josef Rusnak. His aping of Tony Scott is problematic. The constant hand-cranking of the camera and blitzkrieg editing, just gets painful, and the action is a mixture of competent, neat scenes, and real misfires, such as a strobe lighting shootout. As for hand to hand fisticuffs, Snipes has one brief fight, which is really well done. A bit more of that would have been better than the somewhat underfinanced gunfights. Still there's a few good foot and car chases here, while the UK locales make a change from the DTV norm of Eastern Europe (Though there's still some fairly blatant Bulgaria moments here). The score isn't too bad either. It's neither memorable, exciting, nor is it irritating or grating. Overall a decent DTV effort. Worth a watch if only to marvel at a shockingly decent cast for such a film. Look out for Bennett in the future too. **1/2

Wesley Snipes is an ex-killer for the CIA, living contentedly on a ranch. He's asked to come back to kill a bad, bad man.... and realizes it's a set-up to get him killed. He also needs to take care of 15-year-old Eliza Bennett because the writers must have seen THE PROFESSIONAL and said "I can do that!"

No they can't. It's a decently acted movie -- it's got Charles Dance and Lena Headley -- but it's so derivative that you'll watch it and wonder as it plods self-importantly through its plot points, why they stole this particular twist from that movie, instead of a different plot twist from another. Or any of ten others.

It went straight to video. Now it's on the higher-numbered cable channels.