Review of Dead Man Down (2013) by Rob P — 21 Feb 2014
Dead Man Down (2013) Dir. Niels Arden Oplev.
This crime thriller is directed by Arden Oplev and is his first film since the brilliant original take on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which starred Noomi Rapace, as does this. The film concerns itself with Colin Farrell duplicitous actions within a gang led by head honcho Terence Howard but Farrell is no more than average and after all the subtle (and many not so-subtle) plot twists and complexities, the film becomes a Scarface-esque action shoot out in the last reel for no apparent reason. Unsure of what it really wants to be (dark brooding noir, gun-toting actionner) it succeeds in being neither and therefore comes across as a a bit of a confused mess. Nothing close to Oplev's Dragon Tattoo it suggests that the script (as plodding as quicksand) is the thing truly at fault here and whilst Farrell & co do the best with the material, it brings the movie down to amiable failure. 6/10 Midlands Movies Mike.
This review of Dead Man Down (2013) was written by Rob P on 21 Feb 2014.
Dead Man Down has generally received mixed reviews.
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