Le Chasseur de primes

I was excited when I first saw the previews of this movie. I am a HUGE Gerard Butler fan and I don't believe he's ever done a movie with Ms Anniston. The concept was fair enough...a romantic comedy with a little suspense thrown in. I left the theater feeling..."that's it?" Sure there were a couple cute things here and there, maybe a little suspense, but definitely not enough to carry a movie! The pace was much too slow for me, although I'm sure the actors did what they could with the script they were given. I loved seeing Gerard in Law Abiding Citizen, but this was truly disappointing! I am a big movie fan, but I wouldn't recommend seeing this to any of my friends :(

It is a well known fact that American comedies generally suffer from lackluster scripts, usually employed as vehicles for rising or established stars. The Bounty Hunter is no exception, as its charm lies solely in the joint presence of Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston, rather than in the fact that Andy Tennant (Hitch) is directing. Of course, even two fine actors such as those in this film are no good if the material is beneath their talent.

The story goes like this: Butler is an ex-cop who currently works as a bounty hunter. One day, he is given the opportunity to bring in his ex-wife (Aniston), who is wanted by the police after jumping bail. As he tracks her down and embarks on a hellish journey to take her back home, the two find themselves in the middle of a murky murder case, not to mention a series of situations that put their hatred for each other to the test.

On paper, there's plenty of potential for a moderately entertaining action comedy: think Midnight Run with a rom-com twist. Unfortunately, the film is an uneven mess, jumping from cringe-worthy "romantic" moments to OTT action scenes, complete with clichéd hotel room/strip club bits that have been out of fashion for quite some time. The tonal inconsistencies are reflected in the acting, as well: supporting performances range from passably straight (Jeff Garlin) to borderline ridiculous (Christine Baranski), whereas the leading duo does generally fine when they're together, less so separately, with Aniston being clearly more at ease with the less physically demanding stuff, while the opposite is true for Butler.

In short, The Bounty Hunter is an inconsistent picture that doesn't have enough laughs for a comedy, nor the appropriate direction for an action flick. The best option would be to ignore it altogether.

Well, I had expected more of a movie with a cast of this caliber.

It seemed like a toned down version of "Mr and Mrs Smith", except for lacking the comedy and in-you-face presence. Sure, the story in "The Bounty Hunter" was alright, it had enough action scenes and enough romance in it to keep most pleased, but it seriously lacked comedy. I, for one, had expected more laughs out of the movie.

Anyway, the cast and their performances were top notch. Good to see Butler in a role like this, to show his diversity as an actor.

Halfway through the movie I started to do other stuff while the movie kept on playing, it became that uninteresting actually.

But I am sure for fans of Butler and Aniston, then this movie is a must see. Personally, I didn't find it all that interesting though. For me, there are better and more compelling movies out there at the moment.

Sadly, I have to rate this movie as a flat 5 out of 10.

I really don't understand the harsh reviews here. Many are just not credible when they're overstating their dislike of the movie. What did they want? nudity, swearing, bathroom jokes? Jeez, not enough of that in Hollywood! This movie was exactly what I was expecting, so I liked it. This is not a Jim Carey movie so don't expect a silly, slapstick film. The script here is better than many movies I've seen lately that did better at the box office, so the only thing I can assume is that people went in with an expectation of a different type of film. If you don't go in with expectations of big laughs, but rather a nice movie about an ex in trouble and her slightly vindictive ex-husband taking pleasure in hauling her back for cash, you'll like this movie. That is, unless your more into just thinking what critics tell you to think. I'd like to see Butler do more of these movies.

If there's a bounty hunter to haul in "criminal" comedies, then The Bounty Hunter" should receive capital punishment for murdering the romantic comedy genre. So far this year When in Rome looks even better now by contrast, and, well, She's Out of My League looks even cute.

But this one is a killer. Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler) is the titular cop who tries to take his ex-wife Nicole Hurley (Jenifer Aniston) to jail because she's jumped bail. Everyone associated with this film except the talented Christine Baranski as Nicole's cabaret-singing, swinging mother should be locked up. I laughed not even once given that the film is paint by numbers plot about exes who still love each other and fight almost to the end to disprove that situation.

Aniston's only observable talent here is to display a well-tended body in tight short skirt (even though she plays a reporter, most of whom could not go the News Awards looking half as good), and Butler shows he still has his 300 abs, muscular arms, and seductive lisp. After those attributes, the stars are on their own with lines to blush over and set ups trite as could ever be conjured.

A bounty hunter is not a real cop, and The Bounty Hunter is not a real comedy. Both want to be much more than they are but will never be. "Book 'em, Danno!"