Review of The American Side (2016) by Newmansown — 13 Sep 2016
I have no idea how some "professional critics" have given this a 75%. That is what lured me into watching this dreck in the first place. Yes, it harkens back to early noir with it's hard-boiled detective lingo and stereotypical characters, but it's not nearly as good as your average noir thriller.
It seems like it is trying too hard. The dialog is cliched and clunky. The acting is a mess for the most part with only a few of the actors being able to rise above the material. And for the record, Matthew Broderick is NOT one of them.
He's stiff as a board here and even looks bored. This was clearly a paycheck for him. Garofalo fares no better with her, what, 3 minutes of screen time? Of course, she's far from a top-shelf name these days.
The only way to view this film is to turn it into a drinking game. Extended foot chase scene? Drink. Stupid "hard-boiled detective" comment? Drink. An editing cut that has you scratching your head to where you are in the film now? Drink.
Beautiful woman trying to be plausible as a noted scientist? Drink. Beautiful woman coming on to detective with no discernible attractive qualities? Drink. At least you'll be nicely toasted by the time the credits roll.
This review of The American Side (2016) was written by Newmansown on 13 Sep 2016.
The American Side has generally received mixed reviews.
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