cjbarrett

Remarkably disappointing. Robert De Niro does fine work.

Uninspired but hey the bar with De Niro is so high the average stuff is still pretty good. Wish I could say as much about Jesse Plemons. While I've never quite understood the fascination with Mr. Plemons he's done good work in the past I don't think this is some of his better work. The rest of the cast is fine, serviceable. The script is silly boarding on lazy. Just because you have a De Niro involved doesn't absolve you of the responsibility of a cogent story.

The director, Leslie Linda Galata, does good work. Sadly she doesn't have more to work with.

The West Wing remains one of my favorite episodic television series ever. For the first four seasons the writing was crisp, bright and engaging. The story played to a level of hope and optimism that made us anticipate each and every episode. Simultaneously these smart, credible characters remained so very human. They were fragile and fallible. Sadly we then crash into season five. With Aaron Sorkin's diminished participation the sparkling scripts became turgid and painfully overwrought. The direction alarmingly follows suit. Perhaps the brought in a show runner from Y&R? Heavy handed music scores and trite buttons on the scene. But oh those first four life affirming seasons.

I'm an Aaron Eckhart fan. Honest. I don't understand why he's not doing something more meaningful, more interesting or honest.

Like robbing a bank or scamming the elderly.

The "script" plays like a cut and paste collection of low budget action films from the 1990's. The acting has all the originality of the finest Steven Seagal work. I'll go with the idea that the director had something, almost anything better to do. I'm all for productions that come in under $20,000,000 and shoot for the fast, fun adventure flick.

Hopefully this will payoff whatever horrible obligations Mr. Eckhart has forcing him into this.