White Elephant

This is not just another B-movie. And it aint another Bruce Willis flop either. Seriously. I have been watching ALL of Bruce Willis' movies lately and this one is actually not too bad. Not great either...but enjoyable enough for the Bruce Willis fans.

Director Jesse V Johnson has proven to be able to make lots of solid, tough and enjoyable B-movies throughout the last years and this is another decent one.

Excellent acting performance by Michael Rooker, who performs a leading role (baddie AND good guy in one), sharing a leading credit with Olga Kurlyenko, who is a highly skilled soldier.

The story: Bruce Willis is a mobster boss who orders a cop (Olga Kurylenko) to be killed. All hell breaks loose after that, WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF SHOOTOUTS.

This movie stands a bit out (in a good way) from other B-movies, because of the attention for detail, with good photography, a decent soundtrack and a story about family bonds.

Any bad? It it a bit slow now and then. And there are some credibility issues in the story and direction. But I am nitpicking, because in the end this is simply a mindless action B-movie, with great actors starring in it. It'll do...

At an important end note: This is one of Bruce Willis' LAST movies he will EVER make, because Bruce is retiring from acting, due to severe bad health, because he is suffering from a neurological disease which affects his speech and facial expressions. Really tragic!

Let us not forget WHY we are watching Bruce Willis movies to begin with. We watch Bruce Willis movies because of DIE HARD (1988). THE ONE AND ONLY BIGGEST ACTION AMERICAN ACTION CLASSIC OF THE CENTURY.

This classic is still standing strong after more than 30 years. Millions of people still REwatch it during every Christmas holiday. Recently a petition was launched to rename Nakatomi Plaza into DIE HARD plaza.

A life time achievement award for Bruce Willis is in the making as well, so I have heard...

DIE HARD (1988) NEVER DIES but is still ALIVE AND KICKING in 2022.

Let's celebrate that...

I suspect this was actually written by a 12-year-old and some of his buddies. It was comically bad from the start. I never saw so many people get wasted while standing around jabbering with someone with a gun while they themselves had guns hanging at their sides as if they had no idea what was about to happen. And then there were the gunfights in the middle of the night in residential areas that apparently had been evacuated.

You never really know what the motivation is for any of it, and poor Bruce Willis is so stiff it's sad to see. I guess they got him for the name recognition, but they could have used literally any older actor for his part - or merely grabbed someone off the street and fed him lines the way they likely fed them to Bruce.

Malkovich has become one of those actors whose movies you want to avoid, as I haven't seen him in anything good for some time, and he pretty much plays the same part in all of his later films. Olga K. Is also an actress who, while nice to look at, typically only plays in dogs.

But I did give this a four because I think it has some entertainment value as a comedy, as I was laughing out loud through parts, and it definitely isn't short on action. It's nothing more than a time waster, but I've wasted time watching worse.

The villains in this movie are the dumbest ones ever. They act so stupid that it's impossible for them to survive till that age in their own movie realm. I don't know how and why people give green light to such movies. It's one of those 'traps' with 'Bruce Willis' and 'John Malkovich' written with caps to lure innocent film freaks.

White Elephant (2022) is a Heartfelt Send Off For Bruce Willis. After announcing earlier this year that Bruce Willis would be stepping away from acting, due to his Aphasia diagnosis, it is hard not the watch White Elephant with that in mind. However, White Elephant is much more than a swan song to this beloved action star, it is a very good action romp.

The film is the long delayed brain child of former stunt man, writer, and Director Jesse V. Johnson. The plot is simple-"When two cops witness an assassination attempt, a ruthless crime boss orders Gabriel Tancredi, an ex-Marine turned mob enforcer, to eliminate any and all threats." However, like many Johnson films the plot is just the pretext for showcasing the rich characters and launching point for great action and violence.

Johnson has a penchant for broken characters with characteristics that make it hards not to look past their awful deeds, and be romanced by them in their quasi-redemption. This is true whether he is is the writer and Director of his own material like Savage Dog, Accident Man, or the brilliant Debt Collector films; or whether he is Directing someone else's story, like Nina Bergman in the masterful, Hell Hath No Fury. Michael Rooker has the distinction of filling these shoes in White Elephant as the nearly retired, mob enforcer faced with a dramatic choice to do what he was hired to do, or do what he believes is right. This is his best performance, by far. He is very memorable in this role.

Olga Kuryenko is equally broken as the subject of the mob's pursuit, and she does a good job holding her own as the tough cop fighting to survive. While not a true buddy film, she is a good compliment to Rooker.

The supporting characters are well supported by a strong cast, many that afficionados of Johnson's films might recognize. Vadhir Derbez is very watchable as the young upstart looking to make a name for himself in the mob world. I couldn't help being reminded of Ross McCall's performance as another Gabriel Tancredi in Johnson's The Beautiful Ones, a very underrated film. John Malkovich has a small role as a mob lawyer, but not one second he is on the screen is wasted-this is Malkovich in top form.

As for Willis-you can not un-know what you know about his medical condition while making this film. I read a lot of speculation and commentary about his performance in light of it. As for me I will refer to a prior review of a "B" rated, straight to video performance by Willis; "When Bruce Willis is in the movie you almost always know what you are going to get and even when the film is bad there is still Bruce Willis." Nothing has changed my opinion in this good film about Willis's performance.

The cinematography, action, and violence is at the level you can expect from a Jesse V. Johnson film. No modern filmmaker can do more with a modest film budget (reported at $15 million) than Johnson. His films are fun to watch and White Elephant is no exception. Violence, gun play, and bloodshed abound, and is well placed.

While I have been fortunate enough to interview Johnson twice I am still amazed at how deep his appreciation and homage to good film runs. This film has homage to other great films, old and newer, classics, and even to Johnson's prior films. Derbez's character opines, late in the film, that it "is like a f@cking Western." Yes, I would agree, White Elephant (2022) is a modern western, or, at least, a tribute to Westerns.

I love Johnson films. I recommend White Elephant.

White Elephant premiered on AMC+ and is streaming on multiple PPV services.

My guess is that some of these reviewers are not very informed movie people. I dont think they have heard the news regarding Bruce Willis health.(Quite a while ago) The announcement of his stepping away from acting due to health reasons (Aphasia) . Which directly affecting his ability to perform to his highest level. A lot of actors have contracts even before a movie is made. He stuck it through and fulfilled that. Thats honorable...give him a break a already & be informed before you judge.