Nightcrawler (2014)

Are you bored with movies that call them thrillers but offer the same old formula of blood and gore over and over again? Are you sick of stereotype villains and over dramatic performances by the actors in them? Have you lost your faith on thrillers that all the time is so far fetched and has no real meaning by the end? Then to restore your faith on the true colors of a thriller movie and what makes a darn good dark character possible, watch Nightcrawler.

Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) used to be a jobless yet very enthusiastic man desperate to find his way out of the day-to-day petty thefts that makes him survive the day. But now he is a crime journalist doing his own pursuits for crime scenes at night and sells the footage to a local new broadcasting agency. But he is so desperate for a breakthrough story of his career finds an ideal opportunity one night. Lou draws a master plan to put him on the spot of a true crime scene and he is all set to get it on tape.

Nightcrawler’s plot is not common and unheard of. It peaks in to bitter yet very real circumstances of contemporary media culture.  And the movie brings in a very unique kind of a villain who is surprisingly the protagonist of the whole twisted plot. This character is very effectively and powerfully portrayed by the talented Jake Gyllenhaal, who is currently appearing in repeatedly challenging and better roles in his career. After last year’s less talked about yet one of the best of the years psychological thriller Enemy, his performance in Nighcrawler is indeed a plus point.

Nightcrawler has proper flow and very good cinematography. There is no moment where the movie unhooks the viewer from its grip. The plot rapidly grows with the main character and it builds the intensity at the correct phase. This movies is fine at its start middle and end. This is something very rare for a crime thriller and Nightcrawler is brilliant in its nature.

Genre: Crime | Thriller

Director: Dan Gilroy

Rating:  Genre 4.5/5 | Overall 3.5/5

New World (2013)

No matter what kind of an impression you had earlier regarding Asian action and gangster movies, New World will open your eyes to some thing so heart pounding that when it ends you will be hungry for more. With well-executed bloody action sequences and top of the line performances and with a  twisted  plot this movie just pulls you off the chair more than once.

Though some of Hollywood experts will call this a rip off of the great gangster flicks like the Godfather or Departed I solemnly disagree to that statement as for the fact that though this carries certain similarities it is brilliant and unique in mostly Asian way.

New World is a long movie that runs over 2 hours but it does not waste a minute. It has this elegance that the Asian crime movies commonly has with gangsters in dozens wearing clean suits and pitch-black and dustless cars that rolls on blood money. With that beauty of cinematography with panning and high angle shots New World creates a dramatically enjoyable crime thriller. And the music is so good it just swiftly blends in to the scenes and gives the viewer goose bumps.

The plot is not that complicated yet will take a while to make sense. It is twisty beware but some might be able to foresee the ending from far. But there is no solid assurance that thing will go as planned so viewer will stick to the end. Even at the end it gives some answer and leave the viewer with more questions perhaps. And all this thanks to the brilliant acting and direction.

Like I said at the start no matter what opinion you have around New World there is no doubt it is one of the finest of gangster crime movies you saw in a while.

Genre: Crime | Thriller

Original Title: "Sin-se-gae"

Country: South Korea

Language: Korean |Mandarine

Director: Hoon-jung Park

Rating : Genre 4/5 | Overall 3/5

-Priyantha Bandara

Fargo (2014)

If I phrase that Fargo is the most intensely satisfactory crime drama with a comedy twist in recent TV I don’t think my statement is wrong. With just 10 episodes it builds a brilliant plot, staggering performances, class A soundtrack that spread across the series right from the catchy first episode to the final show down. Created and written by Noah Hawley This show is inspired by the 1996 film of the same name written and directed by the Coen Brothers.

With clear similarities between the movie the TV show goes many steps ahead and roll out a larger and detailed plot given that TV has more space for being greater than a movie ‘if’ done right. I believe that Fargo (2014) is one of the best of that TV done right and no one can say otherwise. Fargo is brilliant from the start. You will not come across a single episode that slow things down or drags its overall progress backwards. This is very important especially for a mini series since there are only few episodes for the whole show and each episode has lot of weight. The director cannot afford to drop the ball in any episode as there will not be enough episodes to recover the damage. With Fargo the episode layout is fantastic no doubt.

Fargo has a gripping story line. It is based on crime and sometimes it’s gory yet the crime is based on a clever execution of criminal minds and police work alike. The viewers are given the opportunity to equally witness both sides of the blood trail and each side is equally interesting. To be honest there are times the dark characters seem to be winning and they appear to be more attractive. But ultimately the justice is served and the finishing is well knitted.

The quality of Fargo depends on many factors and performances are one of the key ones. Right away there are 2 good characters and 2 negative ones. All 4 of them pull off their roles with energy and persistence. With less dialogues as much as possible Fargo says a lot through action than with words. The actors make the journey a remarkable one.

Maybe the best thing about Fargo is its mood. The majority of the story takes place in the winter and there are a lot of whites and cold around. This atmosphere creates a challenging environment for the plot and as viewers we feel it. The feeling of isolation, abandons and insecurity are very well portrayed and they all fuel up this one of a kind story of hate crime. This is a must watch for TV lovers. 

Genre : Crime | Drama | Thriller

TV show

Rating 4.5/5

 

The Train (1965)

Maybe you are a fan of war movies or you are a keen locomotive enthusiast. Or you can be a classic movie lover. If you belong to either of those categories or few don’t look far The Train is the movie for you. This brilliantly executed gem of a movie will keep you at the edge of your seat and will expose you to one of the most wonderfully told story of heroism in the closing days of WW2.

The story takes place in France in the final days of German occupation. The German is in the process of leaving France while a colonel is in the process of removing valuable set of art pieces via train to Germany. The French resistance must give their lives to pull out a brilliant effort to stop this train from reaching Germany. Will they success or fail? The Train will give you the answers.

The Train is way ahead of its time in execution, story telling and performances. There are ample amounts of nail biting action and suspense and loads of heroism to go along with. I have not seeing them all but this could be the best movie based on Trains ever made! Bravo.

Rating: 5/5
Director: John Frankenheimer

These Final Hours (2013)

With a familiar looks to the often seeing apocalyptic genre sci-fi movies that has less heart but more adrenaline, These Final Hours is a completely different emotional ride to the end of the world. It runs with enough juice to keep the viewer gazing but ends with a staggering amount of emotional drama that the viewer may not be ready for. The last half hour is totally powerful that most high budget apocalyptic movies will fall down in front of this small time Australian production.

You will witness beautiful performances here. Especially the little girl (Angourie Rice) who will make you weep a little along with the other actors including the lead Nathan Phillips.

For being a movie that heads for an obvious ending it does a marvelous job in all aspects. These final Hours will make you stop breathing for a while when it ends. This is superb!

Rating: Genre 4/5, Overall 3.5/5

Genre: Drama | Thriller

Director:  Zak Hilditch

Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014) – 5/5

After 7 years of blazing glory Sons of Anarchy has now come to a steady stop. This crime loving outlaw biker club drama is rarely one of the unique shows the TV history have ever seeing and unquestionably cannot be compared with another show due to it’s own terms. While it is nearly impossible to go in to every detail of this brilliant show created by Kurt Sutter loosely based on the characters of Hamlet in a short review such as this, I’m trying my best to give credit to all the uniqueness it made us witness.

Being said that I have no doubt that this is the most violently dramatic TV show the world has seeing that actually made homage to outlaws, brotherhood, friends, big American motorbikes, people of all colors and races, guns, gangsters, prison mayhem, school shootings, eye popping like a pro with spoons, retribution without a regret, all kinds of love including transsexuals, burying up dead bodies and digging them up again, porno, baby snatchers from Ireland, body parts in boxes, crooked cops, random acts of violence, dragging handicapped people on streets tied to cars, mothers in laws killing daughter in laws, sons killing step fathers, kids injuring them selves to frame grandmothers and the list goes on. Though all this sounds so vicious and gory Sons of Anarchy is mind splittingly perfect in its script and performances that it was never felt neither irrelevant nor excessive.  This obviously makes this show to shrink to a certain set of devoted viewers and becomes completely inappropriate for the masses. Which is the reason we didn’t see internet braking hype for Sons of Anarchy in any year nor fans aggressively fought over it existence over a different show. But the Sons of Anarchy fans held up their end of the bargain and the creators gave their best to fans in return and it was wonderful.

Sons of Anarchy was brilliant in its story telling. While some may call some seasons silly and relatively uninteresting compared to a different season the flame never went out. Sons of Anarchy is not a show that evolves over the seasons in its drama. True it does up to a certain limit with it’s characters as they evolve but each season was full of equal drama and tension that every time one season ended it was almost like some great movie came to a holt giving the promise of a sequel. For me I was hooked to Sons from day one to the finale episode and boy it was a joy. Seeing all those gritty mind blowing performances by the cast and how the whole plot elevated from episode to episode was truly a wonderful experience. And the thing with Sons of Anarchy was that it was full of energy and full of surprises and at one point I decided that I will not guess what’s coming up but rather let the story take over me.

Sons of Anarchy has won many awards including the Golden Globe for best performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Katey Segal) which proves the quality of acting it was equipped with. The cast was brilliant and though most of them saw the other end of the barrel of a gun or the sharp side of a blade and went out in a split second (most in completely unexpected ways in unexpected moments) the body count didn’t mean that they were forgotten. We saw amazing performances up to the last episode and some of them were the best the recent TV has to offer. If the fans were haunted by the faces of the actors and dropped a tear at their despair it was nothing to be amused of.

And Sons of Anarchy will be largely memorable for it’s choice of music. Episode after episode and at right times the sound tracks were mixed in a way that they were completely aligned with the mood and story of the show. When I look back at the set of beautiful music throughout these 7 years I have no doubt that Sons of Anarchy delivered it so powerfully in par with the shows emotional chemistry. For me I cannot think of Sons of Anarchy without its sound tracks and I’m sure for many it will be equally memorable.

All in all with fantastic writing and direction of Kurt Sutter as the creator of the show Sons of Anarchy was one hell of a ride. These characters and the ideology they represent will always be remembered though how cruel and violent they were just because of the fact that this show made them all looked so great. But the final message Kurt Sutter sends out so loud is that there is no crime that goes unpunished and no lie that will not be revealed for it’s truth. And if you believe in it Sons of Anarchy is a modern day tale of Karma disguised in leather jackets. I will miss this show dearly and salute the creators for making such amazing TV time.

Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller

Creator : Kurt Sutter

The Maze Runner (2014) – Ratings Genre: 4/5, Overall 3/5

It is ok for me to admit that The Maze Runner delivered more than what I expected. After a brief glance over the plot I set my self to witness another Hunger Games movie but what I got was something more thrilling, gripping and a suspenseful experience. Being said that The Maze Runner is not a fresh approach to a plot or Sci Fi nature. And it is based on James Dashner's 2009 novel of the same name.

There has being many mind boggling cinema on certain mazes (or traps true or imagery) and escaping from it including Cube (1997), Inception (2010) and Pans Labyrinth (2006) to name a few and each delivered a very powerful cinema experience. Standing against great movies like what I have mentioned earlier The Maze Runner is still has a long way to go being this is the first of a sequel of movies we are about to see in the coming years. But talking of this one alone it had done a pretty decent job.

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Thomas our 16-year-old hero wakes up in a strange place without having any memory of his earlier life. He and another group of people who experienced the same are trapped in a glade surrounded by a giant concrete maze. Though finding the way out of the maze and getting back home sounds a good idea the maze comes with many lethal surprises. But it seems like Thomas has some answers and soon the gang realizes that he is different.

For a dystopian sci fi thriller The Maze Runner has some gripping ground to start off with. And the movie steadily evolves within the first hour from nowhere to somewhere and the viewers get to feel the strange and mysterious presence of the maze. There is no scene that I can call as dragging or irrelevant thought they seems slow or not filled with enough action and suspense. But the movie quickly hit a phase of action and adventure and from there the game plan completely changes.  What I really like about The Maze Runner is it’s overall mood. As the viewer just like the people who are trapped in the maze are kept in dark so the same mysteries boggle in every ones minds. It’s as if the viewers also has to find answers to the mysteries and we are left with no options but to try. And at times we are left to make tough choices.

Equipped with strong acting and brilliant CG The Maze Runner is a movie that will keep the viewer engaged every second. And when it finished it opens up a whole lot of new questions while answering only few of the burning ones that was laid out at the start. I guess we have to wait another year to find out what happens next.

Genre: Sci Fi | Thriller | Action | Mystery

Director: Wes Ball

-Priyantha Bandara

Predestination (2014) – Ratings: Genre 4.5/5, Overall 3.5/5

Reviewing this movie is really tricky. Because this movie is not the type that start from the start and end in the end (What am I even saying?). In fact Predestination has no start or an end but though at a glance it does not make any sense it makes a lot of sense once it’s done. Predestination could be one of the best science fiction movies based on time travel and predestination paradox theory and it is truly mind boggling shocking piece. To be honest white it feels like Inception (2010) for a while it is standing inch shorter with Primer (2004). And nothing comes close to the feeling this leave you with once your struck by some completely unexpected ending.

There is no easy way to explain the plot of Predestination. But let me try. An agent who works for a top secret time travelling agency has the challenge to stop a serial bomber who made devastating damage back in 1970s. In one of his crucial visits to the 70s he meets a man who has a very shocking yet interesting story to tell. While this story makes no sense to one person it makes perfect sense to the other.

Obviously the time travelling related theories are pretty complex. And movie makers have come up with lot simpler versions themselves in the name of entertainment. Whatever it is most time travel based movies are quite interesting to watch but hard to explain as such. Predestination is one of those hard to explain type and it is ok to say that it’s different to the usual bunch. Based on a short story “All You Zombies” back in 1958 the Spierig Brothers who directed Predestination has done a fascinating job at it. The sheer style of storytelling makes this movie somewhat unique for a sci fi and takes more of a dramatic approach for a good deal of time. Though more action could have being awesome I’m glad it doesn’t go gun happy like Looper (2012) which again is one of the successful mind bending time travel based sci fi action flick. But the sheer amount of suspense and twists in Predestination make you forget any action for that matter and takes you in a more serious journey through time.

My only worry is the lengthy scenes that take place in a bar that at times feel unfit to be in a sci fi viewing it as a fan of sci fi. But taking the movie as a whole if you managed to get through that phase you will realize that it has a crucial part in making the whole plot up so steady though some of it can be reduced to shorted sizes. It seems like directors were keeping the best for later so patience maybe a good idea.

Finally keeping a note about performances and cinematography both are very well made. Ethan Hawk who plays the time travelling agent does a fine job at it but the real talent is with Sarah Snook who plays the other character. You will not be impressed of both performances instantly but once the show goes knee deep things will looks different. All in all Predestination is a must watch for Sci Fi fans and certain psychological thriller hungry fans.

Genre: Sci Fi | Thriller

Directors: The Spierig Brothers

-Priyantha Bandara

The Purge Anarchy (2014): Ratings – Genre 3.5/5, Overall 2/5

For being a movie based on an utterly dismissible theory it’s something to ponder upon how this is actually pulled off. To be honest thought how dum it sounds I was hanging on to it and wanted to witness it till the end and even at the end it made some sense and it’s crazy. Maybe I should be purged!! And I must say that I have not seeing the predecessor of The Purge Anarchy there for I have no way of comparing it with this one. But strangely bit familiar in the same lines of The Hunger Games, this one does a decent job being more realistic and close to home.

In not so distant future the US government has found a mechanism to keep its population and crime rate in control. The annual purge that last a 12 hour period let the civilians to let out their rage and cleans themselves. And in this period all crimes including murder is accepted by low. The story of a former low enforcement agent looking for revenge from previous years purge and few civilians who he happen to tag alone and their combined effort of surviving through the purge night is what The Purge Anarchy is all about.

Like I mentioned at the start the whole plot seems absurd. Yet the whole time we are left to believe it so strongly and confidently after sometime it will sink right in. And from that point the viewer will go through the horrific journey of survival along with the characters and corner to corner there is some new experience wait. And unexpectedly The Purge Anarchy does not cross its limits with being too gory or violent. It operates within a certain discipline and this makes the journey somewhat pleasant than road paved with flesh and blood. And the good twists that comes out of nowhere does a decent job and spicing things up.

While The Purge Anarchy is a horrific thriller from the surface it does have an underlying message that is well put together. A certain hope of humanity is emerging from the brutal actions of the rulers and the story manages to shine it to give some hope for the god forbidden future.

Director: James DeMonaco

Genre: Horror | Crime | Thriller

-Priyantha Bandara

Two Faces of January (2014): Ratings – Genre 3/5, Overall 2.5/5

Though this movie has a promising plot and really good cinematography and twists built along, the uninteresting climax and the flat ending makes this a mediocre romantic thriller once over. However, due to the fact that it’s interesting point to point the fans will expect bigger things to come and hang on till the end. But the problem is most of those big things does not happen and it kind of leave you with a disappointment than satisfaction.

When an Athens based American tour guide gets to know a travelling couple from his home country he didn’t realize that they are fleeing from sins made back at home. To make things worse his interest towards the wife fuels his desire to help them in their needs and ultimately make him a part of a vicious crime.

The first half of the movie is quite interesting. The viewer is left to ponder often and the events gradually build with good confidence. The face of a thriller is quite well built and amidst of that signs of a romantic tale emerges. However when the movie passes half way it becomes little stagnant and the thrill take different directions. At one point it is hard to determine where the story goes with the romance as there is not enough prominence for it. And with some unexpected turn of events the romantic story is fully blown away and soon after it moves quickly to another zone. However all this is not entirely working against the taste of Two Faces of January, but it certainly ads some bitterness. 

I don’t think there is room for any actor to become exceptionally good here. All of them have a role to play but that role is limited in their scopes and nothing not seeing before. This movie will leave the viewer with certain emptiness.  While some of it is due to the mood the movie express and majority of it is because it let down a classy ending.

Director: Hossein Amini

Genre: Drama | Thriller

-Priyantha Bandara

Frontera (2014) : Ratings – Genre 3.5/5 , Overall 4/5

Frontera brings a story that more or less equally affects both sides of the US-Mexican border. Loss, lies, betrayal and pain has no borders and it does not favor a single color or a race. When illegal immigrants have reasons of their own to justify their actions the other sides justifies their actions too. This is a conflict and I believe that the movie has done fair for both ends. But the important message that Frontera brings is that humanity is at question and who will take responsibility to correct its path. 

The story evolve around two men one from Mexico who is illegally immigrating to America and the other who owns the land he trespasses through. When certain events take place where the Americans wife is collateral they both cross paths and lives change.  

Ed Harris who play the key role (Roy) in the American side and Michael Pena who is the Mexican end (Miguel) both brings in strong balance to the performances. Along with the acting and the fine cinematography and the flow Frontera brings in a different experience to different borders.

Beautifully acted and wonderfully directed Frontera by all means is a fine thriller with a taste of a drama. It strongly speaks of two sides of a same story and brings in a powerful conclusion yet still not biased. The director seems to have worked hard on the details and the flow as from start to end the movie is well gripping.

Genre: Drama | Thriller

Director: Michael Berry

-Priyantha Bandara

Cold in July (2014) – Ratings: Genre 4/5, Overall 3.5/5

This is the second time I’m seeing a thriller which has control in this year. After Blue Ruin, 2014 throws this movie which comes with a strong theme and elements of surprises written all over it. Cold in July has perfect flow, good performances and power to keep the viewer gazing till the end.

When a common man shoots and kills an intruder in his house the police quickly files for self-defense and close the case. But when the dead criminal’s father seeks revenge things takes a different route all together.  However the shooter and the criminals father discover some shocking truth about the whole trail of events that has taken place and realizes that the plot is deeper than what it seems.

What I like about Cold in July is its rapid evolving story line. The story moves from phase to phase fairly fast and with each step it brings in new bends to the story along with new characters. With each step the plot becomes stronger and makes the viewer guessing more for things to come. The surprising fact is that all these phases has a strength of its own and for the viewer its pretty much looks like its gonna be the ending phase. But the movie surprises the viewer yet again and moves another step towards a darker and unknown territory effectively.

I like Michael C. Halls performance quite much. We don’t see him often in movies to be honest but made some real mark with his striking TV performances as the gay funeral director in Six Feet Under and the serial killer with a code in Dexter. Here he plays a normal family man character who is calm and not heroic eventually turns in to someone who is driven by right emotions to take heavy risks. This is where I see the similarity between Blue Ruin (2014) and Cold in July. Both these movies have normal people characters in them yet come out with powerful story all together.

The weakness I see in Cold in July is its far-fetched action sequences especially in places where the main character appears. The phase where he goes from nobody to a killer seems to be too fast. But this fact does not weaken the movie too much as the other elements holds the plot strong enough.

-Priyantha Bandara

Night Moves (2013) – Ratings: Genre 4/5 | Overall 3.5/5

Soon as you start watching Night Moves the first things you will realize that it’s very slow. It takes a painful amount of time to get in to the plot and keeps the viewer guessing forever. By the time it hits a certain point where the plot starts to form solidly most viewers could have left the place. But if you manage to wait till that certain point the rest of the movie will be a delighting one. The thing is Night Moves doesn’t have a proper start or a proper ending. It is the mid section of a long story and we are left to decide on the way it started and how it would have ended. That’s a kind of risky movie making. 

Josh, Dena and Harmon (Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard) are three radical environmentalists. They believe that an extreme action would change the minds of others and send a strong message to the people who they want their voice heard. The trio carefully plans a certain activity which puts them in a tight situation and at the end of it they find out that they are not the only people who got affected by it. Post stress starts to build and they begin to lose the grip.

Though how slow Night Moves could be it is stitched with a very prominent and informative sequel of carefully chosen scenes. Once you’re done with the movie you will realize that every scene makes good sense and the viewer has become a part of the trio’s journey. There is good cinematography, effective score and dark mood all over the place, and definitely very good performances by all three main casts. 

Regarding the plot it is sound and extraordinary. Come to think of it it’s very simple in a way but deep and complicated on the other hand. Night Moves deserves the recognition it had got from the critics and fans alike. It’s a fine piece of dramatic cinema that’s woven wonderfully and powerfully character driven. 

Genre: Drama | Thriller

Director: Peter Sarsgaard

Godzilla (2014) Ratings: Genre 3/5 | Overall 2.5/5

Gareth Edwards who is the director of the latest edition of well-known Godzilla seems to be building his career with monsters, aliens and atomic bombs. His previous works give ample evidence for that fact and this time Godzilla comes with a combo of all of those. There are plenty of humongous monster action and earth shattering destruction. Seems to be like demolishing crew has hit the big city and they don’t know where to start or where to end.

I have mixed reactions toward this movie. On one side it is very good with CG and cinematography but on the other side there is nothing much to gain from the plot overall. Though the movie is supposedly centered on Godzilla in most scenes the monster takes a backseat. But that’s not entirely negative as maybe we are to see it in action in movies yet to be made. But for anyone who wanted to see lot of Godzilla in Godzilla will be somewhat disappointed. Maybe this time the movie is more concentrated on creating a Godzilla image in a different way and find its routes with the legendary Godzilla movie character  unless for hardcore fans of the comics and the previous movies for the rest it’s making little sense.

The story goes through several phases and they are not stitched perfectly to have the smoothest of flow. The movie is long and there are plenty of things happening yet we all see where it’s headed. It starts to build a solid plot concentrating on one character but suddenly the batten is handed over to someone else who seems to be less competent and enthusiastic. All of these little things make Godzilla this time quite different than previous ones. It is obvious that the director wanted to build a solid foundation from the point of humans than from the point of the monster itself. But the message will be communicated to different fans differently.

I’m not going to compare the previous Godzilla movies with this one as obviously at this age the industry has evolved quickly and more can be done on the screen. But to answer the question if the Godzilla 2014 has the same amount of heart as previous ones are up to the fans.

Genre: Action | Sci-fi | Thriller

Director: Gareth Edwards

Donnie Brasco (1997) Ratings: Genre 5/5 | Overall 4.5/5

Though there are ample amount of movies based on Mobsters and the Mafia led organized crime only very few that actually is mention worthy. As we all know while Godfather remains as the undisputed godfather of modern mob movies, the list gladly follows by movies like Goodfellas (1990), Scarface (1983), Heat (1995) and The Departed (2006). And Donnie Brasco is another fine jewel that so powerful and intense in revealing the underworld life of mobsters and their painfully loyal and ruthless culture. And it’s based on the true character Donnie Brasco (Joseph Pistone in real) who was an undercover FBI agent who spent 6 long years with the mob (1975 -81) that ultimately came very closely to losing his natural life in the name of duty.

FBI agent Pistone (Johnny Depp) goes undercover as Donnie Brasco making connections with the aging hit man Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero (Al Pacino).  After building trust with Lefty he manages to move in to big leagues and participate in mob activities and gather valuable information. But at the same time due to the work pressure and the overwhelming amount of crime he witness his perception towards certain things goes through a dramatic change. While Pistones wife and kids misses their man of the house he deeply engulfs in the mob and struggles to strike a balance.

One strong reason why Donnie Brasco sinks right in to the hearts of the viewers is that it has the right flavor and mix of crime and emotional drama. While it is entirely the solely expected mob crime movie it has a much unexpected value of feelings. Especially towards the end of the movie viewers get a heavy load of it and it fuels reaching a solid ending. The positive chemistry between the main leads Depp and Pacino is another winner. Both of them have big movies and scores under their belts and the director uses them to cleverly influence the viewers. While Pacino is a household name for mob movies I recall Depp appears seldom in them and another strong one being Public Enemies back in 2009.  In this role Depp depicts an emotionless face but underneath he finely portrays the ambition and at the same time the fear which he hides inside.

The majority of the movie runs on crime but does not show crime as such. However there is one scene which is brutal and overly gruesome for even the hardest of crime movie fans. But through that scene the director gives a clear message to the viewer about the filthy reality of the mob and what Donnie has to deal while performing his duty. And no crime and mob movie is completed without a gang murder. But Donnie Brasco goes beyond being a movie about loyal gangsters and murderers.

Genre: Crime | Thriller | Drama

Director: Mike Newell

Oculus (2013) Ratings: Genre 3.5/5 | Overall 2.5/5

 Oculus has a very clever and well laid out flow. And it does a decent job at being creepy. But it’s good stops at those and the rest is not very appealing. Especially the plot which has ample amount of spaces to slip makes it an unstructured piece of old school horror and nothing ground breaking.

The movie is based on two young siblings Tim and Kaylie who get together after 11 years to solve a mystery which they have left unsolved when they were kids. After their mother was brutally killed by their father and the father was murdered by the Tim in self-defense he has spent the next ten years in a mental institution. But Tim and Kaylie both knew that the story behind the horrible incident which took place in their home was guided by a mysterious supernatural force. And this time they hope to defeat it in its own playground.

Oculus starts with a strong promising grip. And up until a certain point the story line develops well and the viewer is left with terror that pops up very effectively in short intervals. There is no lagging nor any time wasted away from the main plot. Everything is neatly explained via the script and by the time the big showdown comes the viewer is well equipped to come to their own conclusions. But the twists are well thought out and they effectively prove that most of the viewer’s assumptions are wrong. But all this ends towards the latter part of the movie and the plot falls week. And the ending is quite sudden and kind of unfulfilling. It sure has potential to become another horror franchise but I’m not positive if it would really be eagerly awaited by the fans.

Almost the entire movie takes place in closed atmospheres. Which of course is not a problem as it doesn’t look cheap in anyway. There is nothing extraordinary about the cinematography or the props and the horror. On a final note Oculus is a good horror film. But it can be easily forgotten.

Genre: Horror | Thriller

Director: Mike Flanagan

Blue Ruin (2013) Ratings: Genre 4.5/5 | Overall 4/5

Blue Ruin runs on one of the most tested and classic movie plots in the history of mankind, revenge. But it is quite amazing to realize that this straightforward story of a man taking revenge from a bunch of people who have made wrong to his family in the past can be this well done. Everything goes by the book and there is no mind breaking twists or puzzles to be sorted at all. But still as a viewer I was struck and glued to the screen wondering what will happen next. Yet at times it was very predictable most of the time it took me by surprise.

Dwight (Macon Blair) seems to be a loner who’s living in an almost junk of a car and eating out of dumpsters. But his life makes a sudden turn when he realizes that the murderer who was responsible of making his life a nightmare will be a free man soon. Dwight decides that it’s time to go home and take care of business himself.

Macon Blair does a wonderful job portraying this amateur assassin. Through his eyes the viewer can feel his anger and the fear both at the same time. He is nothing closer to a criminal by looks and he has no skills of combat other than ambition and that ambition drives his adrenaline to deal with some very lethal situations. He gets beaten up pretty badly, gets physically injured and emotionally stressed yet maintain his balance and wits going against a family of criminals. This character is an everyday Joe who has nothing to lose but has everything to save.

Director Jeremy Saulnier keeps a very good flow the whole time. The movies brilliant cinematography creates a mood that builds the plot strongly surrounding the key character. There are very few words spoken and lot of acting that matters. Until things starts to become clear very slowly half way through the movie the whole plot remains a big mystery with only few hints to hang on to. But having such a simple plot to start with the directory has made a brilliant piece of cinema that viewers would talk about for years to come.

This is by far the best thriller of same sort I have seeing after the Swedish Headhunters (2011). And it’s not a movie to be missed thought it has quite a bit of excessive gore.

Genre: Thriller| Drama | Crime

Director: Jeremy Saulnier

Enemy (2013) Ratings: Genre 5/5 | Overall 4/5

In my opinion a good psychological thriller has to have 3 strong elements. 1. It should be a story that’s close to everyday situations where most viewers can relate to. 2. It should have the capacity to grab the viewer from the throat and squeeze in to their brains without much effort. 3. It should have and ending without an ending that’s so mysterious that different viewers should have different opinions about it. In short a good psychological thriller is a movie that some would despise and some would break their brains to get right. And Enemy has all those qualities and I was stricken by its force. After many days of watching it and reading ample material on the net about what it really is still I don’t know if I got it right or not.

Abad Bell (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a history professor who lives a mundane and a very routine life. He teaches in day time and has no interests of anything else as such. He has a girlfriend but her visits and time spent also part of his dull routine. But one day after recommended by someone he goes out of his routine and rents a movie. After watching the movie he realizes that there was a minor character actor that just looks exactly like him. Abad get obsessed with meeting this look alike actor.

Though the plot sounds neat and tidy the representation of it is mind scattering. There are skeptical twists that wraps the whole story and deeper it goes complicated it becomes. As there are only few words spoken and it seems like every line has its contribution towards a twisted meaning. And the peculiar cinematography always concentrates on cityscapes and shapes which are most of the time have less people and seemed isolated just like our main character. And when it’s combined with the eerie music the movie creates a mysterious atmosphere amongst the vastly seeing urban landscapes. All in all the look and feel of Enemy itself is a psychological mystery.

Performance wise Jake brings back his Donny Darko (2001) mood and it’s very good. His facial expressions contributes to his powerful character (or should I say characters) and his confusion over his own behavior is clearly shown. Jake makes Enemy even better. Enemy is directed by Denis Villeneuve who was recently well known for Incendies (2010) and Prisoners (2013). Being a big fan of both, Enemy is another valued addition to Denis’s high marks in my book.

Sadly the irony of writing a review about a psychologically thriller is that very less can be told about its plot unless you tend to reveal lot and spoil it for many. Therefore, other than saying Enemy is a piece of cinema that fried my brain cells more than ones and has one of the most twisted “WTF” endings I will not say anything further.

p.s If you have seeing this movie already and looking for some explanation this is a good place to look

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9AWkqRwd1I

Genre: Thriller | Mystery

Director: Denis Villeneuve