toastedalmond

Well made action/thrillers don't come along very often these days. Most of them are B-movies or predictable rehashings of heist/revenge plots that I got bored of in the 80's. I appreciated the expense, acting, and editing of Criminal. The story was far fetched but something different (Ryan Reynold's other memory switching movie aside). I enjoyed it more than Heist, American Heist, Takers, The Score, and most every movie of that formula since Heat set the bar. Critics were eager to trash it. The premise is unrealistic and the ending kind of funny but it was well made. SPOILER: I would definitely watch a sequel in which the protagonist works for Gary Oldman on missions while struggling with the residual wildness of his host brain. And even better, watching his wife and daughter get used to life with a husband/father who is older than their dad/grandpa. Sounds amusing and entertaining.

Pleasantly surprised. Something different. I watch too many movies and this one was refreshing for the flawlessly real performances, the extreme plausibility, and the breakage from the mold of common movies. The characters and situations were easy to identify with. When I read the negative reviews it makes me think the critics have some baseline formula for how movies are supposed to proceed and judge a movie for deviating from the prescription. I greatly appreciate how the story lines tied to together without colliding as almost any other American movie would have--with a big exciting action packed finish that would leave us mildly satisfied. I thank the makers of this movie for doing something uncommon and surprising me. Well done.

An excellent movie with fantastic performances that challenges puritan-based sexual taboos that maybe are not ready to be challenged in the USA yet. Katherine Watson is great in this film. The whole cast is solid. It is an entertaining, sexually daring, drama that is thoroughly enjoyable. I think it would have gained from more stylistic direction but I am glad this movie was made. While it is not surprising that most critics felt they had to condemn the content it is interesting to see which values are acceptable to shatter in any given decade. Anyway, some of us thoroughly enjoy watching films that break rules. This is a good movie.