Desert Gun

With the premise of this being a crime thriller, I must admit that I had very little expectations to the movie, especially since that particular genre is flooded with a lot of very generic movies.

However, it turned out that "The Hollow Point" was actually quite an entertaining and interesting movie to watch. Especially so, since the story was well-constructed and the acting performances really promoted the story quite well in transition from script to on-screen.

It was perhaps the brutality of the storyline that appealed to me. Because this was not your average cops against criminals story. And the storyline was really helped nicely along the way by some interesting and detailed characters.

The movie was really nicely carried by Patrick Wilson, and it was a nice surprise to see him excel at a genre like this, and that proves that he is actually quite a diverse actor. Furthermore, it was also really nice to see Ian McShane, John Leguizamo and Jim Belushi in the movie as well. It was a shame, though, that John Leguizamo didn't have a bigger role, because his character could really have been so interesting to get to see more of. There were some good acting performances from everyone in the movie, which really added to the overall enjoyment of the movie.

"The Hollow Point" was indeed an entertaining movie, and it was a good surprise how nice the movie actually turned out to be.

However, while this movie is entertaining, I doubt that the movie is one that I will watch a second time, because it just didn't have enough contents to support more than a single viewing. That doesn't make it a poor movie, just that once you have seen this the first time, there is nothing to support additional viewings.

My rating for "The Hollow Point" is a solid 6 out of 10 stars.

"The Hollow Point" is a movie that feels lazily and cynically assembled by a committee. It looks good, has some really violent moments, and some dependable stars. Who cares if it doesn't make sense, or you don't care about any of the characters?

It becomes clear early on that you don't need to make any investment into the characters not only because the movie doesn't adequately explain who they are or what they want, but also because you know they are going to get maimed and mutilated in some pretty gruesome and graphic ways, that only the special effects people seem to understand the repercussions of.

Case in point: early on, our hero, if that's who he is, is attacked by a madman wielding a machete, who hacks off one of his limbs. This is depicted every bit as violently as you might expect. Does he go into shock, pass out from blood loss, and die? Does he manage to get help, go to hospital, recover, learn to live without the limb, quit the police force, because I'm pretty sure a one-armed-man would be ineligible for service, and live out his days on disability?

No.

He apparently drags himself to the house of his partner - if that's who he is - bleeds on the guy's walls, and waits politely until sun up.

When he finally goes to hospital, he asks wryly about the chance of the limb being found and reattached, to which the doctor or nurse makes an almost cruelly flippant response.

It's a grim-dark, bleak, nihilistic thriller, see?

See?

Except you couldn't really blame her, because it was an idiotic question, but nowhere near the idiocy he showed by not going to a hospital right away. She should have found the limb and slapped him with it.

The illegal arms trade between the USA and Mexico is the basis for the story in this crime-thriller. It involves world weary policemen, a shady local businessman, a professional killer and the dusty environs of a small town in the American South. It put me in mind of the recent Cold in July (2014) in its tone, feel and setting. Both films share quite well drawn characters and sudden scenes of strong violence. This one benefits quite a bit from a very fine cast, where we have Patrick Wilson and Ian McShane as a couple of police officers, both of whom have their own internal demons. McShane in particular seems to be having a lot of fun here and gives a very lively performance that is very good value. We also have John Leguizamo and James Belushi as the bad guys of the piece; the former doesn't perhaps get to do much more than exert an ominous physical presence (although he does it well), while Belushi is given his most interesting role in years in which he makes the most of.

The story-line is fairly complex at times, with a variety of characters interconnecting with each other in different ways. But I don't think the story is really the main selling point in this one. It does have some thrilling visceral moments for sure but this one ultimately is best enjoyed as a character-driven genre effort. A very solid and well-executed genre piece on the whole.

'The Hollow Point (2016)', a relatively low-budget and non-descript neo-western, includes a couple of riskily ballsy surprises, relies on a few entertainingly scene-chewing performances and is absolutely beautifully shot (I seriously can't stress how staggeringly good the flick looks considering its size and stature). However, its narrative is so haphazardly constructed and lacking in almost any form of thematic through-line that it's actually quite a challenge to even understand how each element of the plot ties together, let alone become invested in any of the story's events or the characters caught up in them. Seriously, there are several core players whose importance doesn't become apparent until very late in the game. For example, the lead love interest isn't established as such before the third act and, even then, her connection with the protagonist isn't ever explored. There are also times when people are introduced in the very same scene during which they play a major part in a plot-point that asks you to either care about or previously know them. It's really this fragmented feel that kills the piece's pacing and reduces audience engagement, as it transforms the affair into an utterly passive and, at times, frankly frustratingly confusing experience. It ultimately lacks a point and is generally pretty hollow. 4/10.

6/19/18. I thought it would be all right because Patrick Wilson was in it. But, I guess everyone is entitled to making a dud every once in awhile. Could have been better.