The Painter

I am not even finished watching the movie and had to write a review (which is not common at all for me). I wasn't expecting a great movie so am fine with the predictable plot and not great fight scenes. I love to watch Hallmark movies so am good with predictability! The one reason I may not finish watching it is because of the horrible acting by Marie Avgeropoulos. I can't imagine that anyone could do a worse job than her. Well maybe the other lady agent... Maria A. Completely ruins the movie. So, know that it is a fine movie - nothing special but okay except you will want to rip your eyes out when she is on screen!

Recently, I've observed a trend of many movies receiving unjustly low ratings. It's surprising to see this film rated below 4 stars. In my opinion, a movie should only get 1 or 2 stars if it's a major letdown, which certainly isn't the case here. This movie's storyline may have been explored by various producers before, but it stands out due to its engaging action and a unique take. The casting and action sequences are particularly commendable. There are plenty of movies out there that might deserve lower ratings, but this one clearly surpasses the 5-star mark for action enthusiasts. The first 15 minutes consist of a flashback, but once you get past that, the narrative really pulls you in. Admittedly, there are moments when the plot feels predictable, but it still keeps you hooked, eager to see how it unfolds. Yes other than lead characters other casting is flat.

Within the first 20 minutes of the start, I was thinking ,this would be a much better movie with better actors. Cases in point, Charlie Weber, Marie Avgeropoulos, and Leah Gibson (maybe not quite as bad as the others). No real emotion or even inflection when they're speaking. There were bright spots...Madison Bailey with the emotion and timing, very believable. And Max Montesi with the crazy, VERY BELIEVABLE. As highly predictable as the movie is, it is fast moving with decent action throughout, thank goodness. I don't know that I would actually recommend The Painter, but I did watch it to the end.

Aside from this being nothing new or original, it's a poorly written and directed effort with corny dialogue and laughable action scenes.

In the early stages, we are meant to believe that a criminal of some importance has a security team made entirely of imbeciles that can't fight. They're so bad in fact, that a single man who moves slowly can defeat them all. Perhaps part of the reason for this is that, when one of the bodyguards is fighting with the hero, all the others become paralysed and only regain the ability to move when it's their turn to throw a punch 3 yards from his head. Throw in the odd embarrassingly bad commando roll that wouldn't look out of place in a 4 year olds gymnastics class and there you have it.

But that isn't all this cinematic masterpiece has to offer. No, it also has highly trained operators armed with assault rifles that couldn't hit a barn from 5 yards away. If those are the people that are meant to keep us safe, then we are doomed as a child with a catapult would make a more effective fighting force.

Finally, we come to the twist and the last bit of dialogue, which is delivered with all the emotional intensity of someone reading their gas bill out loud.

Consider this my favour to you - I have watched it so that you don't have to.

Right before seeing this I watched another 2024 action movie: 60 Minutes. There was practically no plotting on that one, but for a realistic feel and some decent action I gave it a 5 on another website. I was a bit surprised by the negative reviews of this movie here on Imdb, so I'm gonna write one that's not so upfront and insulting, you know, one that's more informative.

OK, so I'll point out that I thought the protagonist's essential super hearing was a bit creative. Other than that, I'm not really seeing anything here that hasn't been done before. Even though the writer certainly tried to bring some depth to all the characters (and thankfully the plot relies on this), the actual plot progression has been done many times before. Lather, rinse, repeat. Even the relationships between characters could be seen in the next Spy Kids movie.

We've gotten quite a few action movies that follow a basic formula this year, but this movie is more of a knockoff of many other knockoffs than others. Having said that, the filmmaking itself is never really terrible or even "bad" for that matter, but the acting quality varies and the plot can often be guessed.