The Baker

The Baker

We had a blistering start to the movie, what a beginning. Ron Perlman just oozed menace and Joel David Moore (Norm from Avatar) turned out a class act, albeit brief.

As a movie this was a page turner, it was script light and heavy on the action. In short it was a great thriller and yes, we had a few scenes that stretched credulity, but overall it was gripping.

I am not sure why some "critics" on here can't see the simple joy in this story about a grandfather protecting his family that was very well done, not to mention the great direction and great music.

I'm giving this a firm 6 outta 10 for a strong entertaining movie.

I'm a fan of Ron Pearlman. I've seen him in so many movies and love him in Sons of Anarchy. I'm glad to see him get a leading movie role, and his performance does not disappoint. The more surprising development is child actress Emma Ho somehow matching his performance, especially when much of this movie rides on her shoulders.

The Baker is mostly well-made and does a good job investing you in the characters. They add in little details, moments, and actions that may seem inconsequential to the story but make both lead characters so endearing. And it doesn't feel randomly inserted, but rather a natural part of the story and characters.

The fight scenes are the only thing holding this back from crossing the threshold between good and great; from being something I rewatch. And I don't think it's the fault of the director. I don't know how to say this without sounding mean, but Ron Pearlman is too old to perform convincing fight scenes. It's the Liam Neeson effect.

The reason I don't think it's the directors fault is a fight scene early on that doesn't involve Pearlman. It's a good scene and got me excited. When Pearlman has a fight scene, there are five cuts per second (no exaggeration) to mask the unconvincing choreography. It's hard to watch, metaphorically and literally.

In another fight scene involving Pearlman, there are no cuts for about two minutes. But the scene is intentionally shadowy and never once shows Pearlman's face. It's clearly a stunt double the entire time. And because it's so dark, it's difficult to see the fight itself. It could have been a cool one-take scene if they didn't have to film it in the dark.

I still had a good time with this movie but I doubt I'd watch it again. I think most people will enjoy it, at least mildly. It's definitely better than most streaming movie garbage. (1 viewing, opening Thursday 7/27/2023)

"The Baker" centers on a quiet, lonely man , Pappi (Ron Perlman) whose estranged son (Joel David Moore) suddenly comes back into his life with a granddaughter (Emma Ho). He never knew existed, then he must do everything he can to protect her from the mob hitman, Vic (Elias Koteas), sent by ruthless mobster chief Merchant (Harvey Keitel) to find her. When his son disappears on a shady business opportunity, the solitary baker must do everything he can to find his son, and he'll stop at nothing and at whatever price. Together, the baker and the little girl must avoid corrupt people, contract killers and the mob to survive and at all costs.

Thrilling and nail-biting movie with noisy action, shootouts , spectacular scenes, strong fights, violence and amazing finale . Action thriller loaded with violence in which Ron Perlman plays a baker tormented by his past who sees his life change when his missing son disappears due to a nasty business, now the baker must do everything possible to find him and protect his granddaughter from the mafia hitmen sent to look for him. It pits a dark, sinister, explosively violent world, filled with murders, against the gravitational forces of long forgotten loved ones. There is a beautiful relationship between the grandfather and the mute granddaughter -that bears remarkable resemblance to ¨Luc Besson's The Professional¨- the latter notably played by Emma Ho, despite her novice in interpretive art.

In addition to Ron Perlman who gives a stunning interpretation making its reluctant hero do anything to protect the innocent , the cast includes two heavyweights such as Harvey Keitel (¨Pulp Fiction¨) , Elias Koteas, (¨Angels and Demons¨, ¨Chicago P. D.¨) and adding Joel David Moore (¨Avatar¨). This slow-moving and some boring motion picture was professionally directed by Jonathan Sobol, though with no originality, because the matter of the story, we had already seen it before and better in other films. Sobol has directed a few movies with uneven success, such as: ¨A Beginner's Guide to Endings¨, ¨The Art of the Steal¨, ¨Young Drunk Punk¨ and ¨The Padre¨. Rating: 5.5/10. Average but acceptable and passable.

Thoroughly enjoyed the movie from start to finish. All the actors were believable and the action kept me glued to the screen. The relationship of the grandfather and granddaughter serves to give the grandfather a chance at making a past memory with his son a chance for redemption. It was engaging from the beginning and the characters had dimensions. A bit of fighting action and plenty of violence, too! Don't let that scare you away, just concentrate on the story. The story has been done before, but with Ron Perlman's and the supporting cast's acting, it' is still entertaining and satisfying. If you're looking for a movie which will definitely be underseen and underrated, see The Baker! You' ll be glad you did!

When the movie started, I was thinking to myself that it kind of felt familiar. It was almost like somebody had binged watched some early Steven Seagal movies like Nico (1988) and Échec et mort (1990), and then thought up this story. Wasn't bad, just a little slow. The action wasn't that bad, Ron Perlman aka The Baker, did a reasonable job portraying his character. Old school baddie, Harvey Keitel was his usual self and matched his character too. Vic (Elias Koteas) played the tortured number two. If you are expecting a movie similar to Taken (2008) or the fast action of Liam Neeson, you won't find it here.

Overall, a solid above average movie. I would recommend at least one watch.