Everly

"I will make sure I die tonight and I don't want to give any of them the satisfaction." After assassins are sent by her ex to kill her, Everly (Hayak) must fight them off alone. After her mother and daughter show up things start to get personal. There are many action movies that start off slow, they have almost a half hour of character development and story to get you invested in the movie, then end with the action to keep you watching. This is one that forgoes all that. It starts off in what seems like the middle of the movie and never lets up. Wall to wall action. The movie is very graphic and intense, much like the original Oldboy, the movie is hard to watch in some parts. Selma Hayak hasn't been in a movie in awhile and its strange that this is the one she came back for. When I think bad ass females she isn't the first name I think of, but she does hold her own. Overall, exciting and full of action but be prepared for what you will experience. I give this a C+.

This is extremely gory and mindless. Not nearly as glorious as Kill Bill (of which one can't help but think).

This is just an excuse for lots of blood and shooting and cuts etc.

Can't figure out why the heroin doesn't just kill them all straight out (as she seems so good at it) instead of just waiting for the next team of useless violent jerks to turn up. Scenario-wise this is really poor. Do not expect any real twist, any intelligent decision, any verisimilitude.

For those of you who like stylised violence for the sake of it, you might spend the time, others just go straight to Kill Bill and don't waste any time on this unless you are really a Salma Hayek fan of course...

I'd put this movie on the same list as things like, Smoking Aces or Shoot em Up. The effects really aren't too bad, some pretty decent gore effects and more than copious amounts of blood, but all the gun play was surprisingly well done. Throw in a few unexpectedly touching moments, some rather clever lines, and you have a rather enjoyable movie. As long as you don't expect any kind of real plot at least. The most impressive thing about the movie is that 95% of it is all done in the same room, and not many movies can pull that off without having it get boring, but this one did.

As I said in the summary, it's a brainless bloodbath with a strong, sexy female lead. If you don't mind the gore and you just want something to watch, this one isn't a total waste of time.

Everly (Salma Hayek) is an overworked woman who has had it with her boss and her job. Unfortunately, her employer doesn't have much of a retirement plan so when he wants her terminated, he really means it. Having not seen her family in four years and wanting a better work/life balance, she takes her frustrations out on her co-workers who are also angry at not getting a Christmas bonus. Her family also gets treated poorly when they visit her at work. The special effects crew worked overtime on what starts out as an action/thriller but soon morphs into a very, very dark comedy that'll make you appreciate having the opportunity to work from home. The beautiful Hayek shows off her acting chops whether it's taking a stand against workplace sexual harassment or using a machine gun against the HR department. Die Hard and It's A Wonderful Life both take a back seat to this Christmas gem. You'll have to watch it to see if everyone lives happily ever(ly) after.

This is officially the most sadistic Christmas movie I've ever seen. ...So far. I mean, I haven't seen Black Christmas yet. So maybe that'll change once I see those movies.

My dad likes to ask me sometimes regarding action movies: "Is there a purpose to all this?" There IS no purpose. The whole movie is one big, fat excuse to slam a bunch of crazy action scenes at you. As an exercise in brutal violence, it succeeds. It's got style, and it's even got some genuinely funny moments of black humour to go along with it. The movie's premise is absolutely ridiculous and stupid, and laughably insane, but it plows through it with an almost completely straight face. In that respect, the movie is a deadpan masterpiece.

Anyway. Salma Hayek's acting, along with Joe Lynch's neat direction, are both too good for this type of movie. This is a modern-day exploitation film at its most blatant. This is Die Hard with Salma Hayek and the Yakuza. It's limited to one floor of an apartment building as a setting, and it's set during Christmas, and the main character is trapped in one room. Only unlike Die Hard, this movie has some truly cruel material to make you squirm in it. I mean wow.

Despite its flaws (and it has a lot of them) it was an entertaining movie. It's shallow, it's not all too smart, and for people with weak stomachs, it's pretty much unwatchable. Its low-budgetness isn't all that obvious unless you REALLY look for it, and most of its effects are refreshingly practical. It's nice to see blood squibs in action movies this day and age, instead of the regular old CGI clouds we're stuck with eighty (or ninety?) percent of the time. Salma Hayek hasn't been this good since Desperado, and that was freaking 1995.

I recommend any action fans to seek it out--unless, of course, you like some brains to go with your bullets, and/or you're not too keen on seeing the effects of swallowing battery acid. The rest of you should have a good time. Good times all around.