Stretch

Director Joe Carnahan returns to the big screen after a long stint away, showing he's still got a great sense of gritty action, and dirty storytelling.

I was really impressed with this film about L.A limousine driver, who after a life of making bad luck and even worse decisions, ends up on the receiving end of Fate after an absolutely insane night of depravity, criminal actions, and violence. All for the better mind you. I didn't know what to expect (and didn't expect much), but man was I ever surprised.

Patrick Wilson (Fargo) is joined by a whole barrage of famous cameos from around the Hollywood scene. Norman Reedus (The Boondock Saints) as... well himself, Ed Helms (The Hangover) adds his flavor as the ever present critic, and possibly the greatest moment of David Hasselhoff's (The Hoff) acting career. I was laughing the whole way through, and not a single scene detracts from the overall insanity of the events that unfold. If anything they simply snowball and and more flavor to this wild run. It's like watching a plane crash or a car accident; you just can't peel your eyes away from it. Oh and Chris Pine... actually not bad in this movie. He has possibly one of the best entries in a scene that has ever been filmed. Very Hunter S. Thompson but with more hair.

Anyway, if you have seen "Smoking Aces", or "The A-Team", then you know the director's style, but this is possibly my favorite work of his.

6/10

I registered just to review this underrated film. Another reviewer summed this film up so perfectly I have to restate it: the film begins exactly as it should, and continues exactly the way you want it to right to the end. It is the sort of movie that would have been at home in 1985--down on his luck protagonist has an increasingly awful night that turns into a rampage through LA. It is funny without ever being stupid or gross, which probably explains its ranking. In a time when big name stars are putting out such comedic, big screen "gems" as the bizarrely unfunny toilet-humored "A Million Ways to Die in the West," it is a flashback to films that were funny without being dumb.

I just don't get the mediocre ratings I'm seeing for this one. I thought it was a perfect action-comedy - right up there with 'The (original) Hangover', 'Horrible Bosses' and the like.

Here's how it hit me..

Story: Tight, to-the-point, succinct and actually, pretty plausible. Pace: Fast from the first few seconds, then damn-near unrelenting. Stunts, Effects, Makeup & Camera-Work: Top-shelf. Characters: Believable and uncomplicated by too much 'back story'. Acting: Each-n-EVERY actor in this film displayed their awesomeness. Predictability: You NEVER knew what was coming next. LOTS of surprises. Oh - and nice ending, too.

Viewer discretion: This is definitely a film for grown-ups. LOTS of drug use and some mild nudity.

My head's still spinning down. What a fun flick. Not familiar with much of the director's work, but this was cool.

This is definitely very much in line with the 21 Jump Street films, if only because they're the last two real comedies I've seen from this year. This one's definitely crazier, reminding me a bit of Filth. Patrick Wilson is having a blast here, allowing to be all kinds of fun and energetic in a way he never really is. Chris Pine is the best in show though, really playing with his character in such tremendously amusing ways. I always loved him in the Star Trek films and he's one to watch out for. Overall, this isn't wildly original but it plays on a scene-to-scene basis and in that respect it works tremendously, even if slight. Definitely fun.

It's the story of a limo driver whose life has recently fallen apart, again. The majority of the movie taking place over the course of about 24 hours.

The story is frenetic for the most part which is its blessing and its curse. They really need to trim the movie down or add more back story for Stretch's adversaries. Only two of the characters are really fleshed out, everyone else is just a prop for that scene's action or punchline. You could remove some scenes with little to no effect on the story at all.

The cast and the look of the film was great. There still are some really good moments but the story doesn't have a clear idea of what it wants to be.

Well worth the watch, just don't go in expecting something fantastic.