This movie may be slightly better than you think…but only slightly.
What Works: At the center is a pretty generic thriller that feels more like a 90’s movie than one in 2012 (the pretty blonde female lead, the basic plot, generic villains, a slightly-damaged hero who’s not really that damaged, the plodding plot, the jokey tone, and uninspired DA-character always one-step behind), but all around the center are flashes of style and ingenuity that really work. I particularly enjoyed the sequence explaining the shooter’s motives, Robert Duvall’s cameo, and a car chase that plays out like back-alley bumper cars.
What Doesn’t Work: If a reviewer were to call this, say, “a disposable, generic action movie that you can live without seeing” they wouldn’t be wrong. Rosamund Pike (blonde female lawyer, which I’m pretty sure is her character’s name) sure is pretty, and she fits the bill for one of those great Hitchcock blondes, but I wondered if she was too wide-eyed with fear.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Tell Pike to tone it down, tell Werner Herzog (as the chief villain) to crank it up to create a deliriously nutso villain, and maybe create a few more standout suspense sequences (like the opening massacre, cleverly staged) to make the whole thing feel less predictable.