Review of Brick Mansions (2014) by Martyn M — 13 Feb 2016

An action/thriller that is full of Hollywood Stereo-type Tough Guys, implausible action sequences and bereft of a decent plot. Maverick Cop (Paul Walker) is out for "Revenge, not justice" on the Mr. Big and his cannon fodder of an army of bad guys who can't hit a barn door from the inside with a wealth of heavy weapons, yet will often be dispatched with 1 gunshot or Kung-Fu kick in return.

Mr. Big in the meantime has stolen a nuclear device, having hoiked it from an armoured army vehicle that was being driven around un-escorted, and without any satelite navigation system. - Yep, the plot is that bad. He then demands a $30M ransom not to unleash it on the city. Tremaine (Mr.Big) will ruthlessly kill his own staff for the most minute of slight, but will happily spare and incarserate Walker and his compeers from death, until they can miraculously escape and win the day.

Throw in a few corrupt officials, tratorious cops etc and that is the film.

Some decent acting, particularly by The Rza, as Tremaine.

Ayisha Issa is very admirable as the evil and lustful lesbian psycopath Rayzah. The problem is that her character is not allowed to develop until the later part of the film, and then briefly. It is a case of to little too late. Decent acting is marred by the idea we've seen it all before, time and time over again.