L.A. Rush

I went into this one not exactly sure what I was going to get, considering Bruce Willis has churned out a phenomenal amount of bad movies at an astounding pace in recent years.

What I watched was, to myself at least, a movie that kept me laughing throughout as things just kept getting more and more complicated for Willis' character.

I must warn that if you are to watch this, don't expect the action star Bruce Willis, go in expecting something akin to Hudson Hawk, which is a guilty pleasure of mine that always gets me mocked by my friends.

Good comedic moments and fairly good acting for what it is.

Recommended.

80s action icon Bruce Willis makes an average of four films a year. That is twice more than what buddy Stallone does yearly. Trouble is, these films are either poorly marketed or badly written or Willis is tasked with supporting roles opposite new actors in lead roles. Which is why Once Upon a Time in Venice has potential but how well it performs will be anyone's guess. There are lots of established actors along with Willis in an interesting setup that resembles a cross between a Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino film. Playing a retired cop turned private investigator (Moonlighting anyone?), Willis plays a loner whose dog is kidnapped by petty criminals. To get his dog back, Willis' Steve Ford must navigate through a series of heists and dodgy characters, including loan sharks and dimwitted gangsters.

It's a film that sounds very familiar and doesn't require a whole lot of thinking to sit through. But as an action-comedy, Once Upon a Time in Venice is a misfire that should have gone straight to streaming video, or the type of film you watch in a hotel room before a flight. There are moments that are supposed to be funny, like Ford's best friend (John Goodman) going through a divorce, or Ford trying to infiltrate a gangster hideout (inaudible mumbling from Jason Momoa), but there's something missing. There are other popular actors too, albeit shoehorned in bit roles that never add up to the overall story.

Debut director Mark Cullen has a long history writing for TV and it shows. Most scenes in the film feel disjointed or like skits at best. At worst it feels like the script was filmed soon after first draft. That's a shame because this film had all the juicy ingredients for a fun crime caper along the likes of Snatch or Jackie Brown. Instead, the film is weighed down by dull-as-lead directing that even John McClane wouldn't shoot his way through. Speaking of Willis, and at 62, there are still plenty of good films he can make as long as the choice is right. Let's just hope Willis doesn't disappear down the rabbit hole like Nic Cage.

Star power is not what it used to be, I guess.

Little surprised this movie did not get a bigger released. Bruce Willis stars with a few other well-known folks, well known enough to get a bigger release than it did. The movie is OK at best granted, but I've seen worse films with a similar set of names get a bigger release.

Loved Bruce Willis in it. Very fun and vibrant not phoning it in even though this is a phone it in Movie. Jason Momoa is in it, and it feels like you'd want to see Momoa and Willis in an action movie together (Even though it could turn out like Mona in a film with Stallone(Bullet to the Head ), but Momoa was attempting more comedy in this action comedy. He wanted to do something funny and he was funny, or rather had a lot of funny moments. Oh and I should mention John Goodman is in this. Cause who wouldn't want to see a flick with Goodman in it right?

Overall, saying it's a good movie is too much. It's OK. I'd expect more from a movie Willis actually put some effort into rather than just making an over gloried cameo for a check like I've seen him do in movies of this stature before, but I did love him in it and it is very good for some solid laughs.

So, not a waste of time at all.

http://cinemagardens.com

Man, the critics are so full of crap...I don't understand what's wrong with them. Whatever crawled up their ass and destroyed any sense of humour they might have had must have been pretty bad...Personally I found this to be an enjoyable and really quite funny movie. It made me chuckle several times. It also distinctly has some of the same feel to it as some classic 90's movies, which I also very much enjoyed. Rent it or something if you're unsure, but I recommend watching this movie on a relaxing evening when you don't have anything special to do. It's not a complex or intricate movie that requires you to use your brain, and won't win any awards, it's just good old simple fun. Don't expect too much action though. There's very little. This isn't Die Hard. This is, first and foremost, a comedy. One that I, personally, enjoyed.

Pure shtick that reminded me of the old "Airplane" movies. Bruce Willis does comedy well and has a great supporting cast: - a thin and bi-polar John Goodman - Famke Janssen in a much lighter role that her Blacklist espionage - a little bit of Kal Penn playing a 3rd world bodega clerk.

Willis has to jump through a web of interconnected heists in hope of recovering his stolen dog. The bits are klutzy and brilliant to the end. While I was amused, I cannot recommend over all the other greater movies.