Criminal

Criminal, 2016

Directed by Ariel Vromen, 113 minutes

Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, Gal Gadot,

Review by Katherine Scheetz

Operative Bill Pope (Reynolds) winds up dead after an excruciating torture scene marked by electric shock to the teeth, with valuable anti-terrorist information in his head about asylum-seeking tech genius, “The Dutchman.” Experimental neurosurgeon Dr. Franks (Jones) is called to transplant Bill Pope into the head of Jericho (Costner) – who has a frontal lobe condition, making his brain the perfect blank slate to imprint Pope’s data onto. He also happens to be on death row.

Central Intelligence’s goal is to allow Jericho to get the anonymous “Dutchman” to safety, but both volatile characters go rogue and make more than a few uncalculated decisions. Jericho’s recall inevitably pulls Pope’s wife (Gadot) and daughter (newcomer Lara Decaro) into the race against time – and   a nuclear deal with the Russians. 

The CIA London office is HQ for this pseudo-sci-fi thriller, giving cinematographer Dana Gonzales the chance to paint a gritty picture of London with aerials of urban bustle.

However, this is a movie carried by its cast, particularly Costner’s enigmatic performance. He straddles the dichotomy of Pope and Jericho with gravelly grace, unadulterated rage against polished CIA training. Gadot is a willowy breath of emotion opposite him, haunted by her husband’s expressions that shadow Jericho’s face. It’s a moving duet of a performance, bulking up Gadot’s 2016 resumé of releases (Triple 9 and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice).

              The script is as accommodating as Costner’s fluidity – springing us from fluent French to ‘I’m speaking Spanish mother-effer’ in under 10 seconds. While Vromen’s thiller isn’t breaking any box office records, it’s a solid reminder that Costner hasn’t lost his touch.

             

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Deadpool

Deadpool, 2016

Directed by Tim Miller, 108 minutes

Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, TJ Miller, Ed Skrein

Review by Katherine Scheetz

              Ryan Reynolds’ self-deprecating brainchild, Deadpool, is a lesson in patience. Eleven years in the making, he can sleep easy after a $135M opening weekend.

              In case you missed the marketing of Deadpool, which involved poop emojis on billboards and “touch yourself” campaigns for early detection of cancer, then settle back for the opening credits, where “produced by: some asshole,” and “written by: the real heroes here” are set to the sounds of Angel of the Morning by Juice Newton. At that point you understand what you just paid $11.50 for, plus a popcorn and two drinks if you’re a good Valentine’s date.

             

Ex-special forces freelancer Wade Wilson (Reynolds) spends a year falling for equally-as-sardonic Vanessa (Baccarin) when, after proposing with a Ring Pop pulled out of his perfectly-formed ass, he collapses and is diagnosed with terminal cancer. In desperation, he agrees to undergo treatment that will cure the cancer and bonus: give him superhero powers. After months of torture that leave him horribly disfigured, Wilson breaks out of the facility and, thanks to Ajax’s (Skein) threshold mutation therapy, is virtually indestructible and out for revenge under his new pseudonym: Deadpool.

              Director Miller has achieved something groundbreaking with Deadpool - he has preserved the history of a comic book without compromise. His use of slow-motion and 4th wall breaks are just a few of the risks that have paid off.

              TJ Miller, as best friend Weasel, adlibs lines like “You are haunting. You look like an avocado had sex with an older avocado” and that is about as kosher as it gets. Cab driver Dopinder (Karan Soni) is as innocent as daffodil daydreams in his exchanges with Wilson. Rounding off the circle of misfits is Emmy winner Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Wilson’s blind (no shit, right?), cocaine-loving roommate who assembles IKEA furniture all day long.

Between fat Gandalf, Taken nightmares and the jabs at Marvel, it is a meta-movie reference climax. But do your research, this film is reinventing the R-rated comedy for a reason. If you’re looking for subtly, look elsewhere. That is not Deadpool’s MO.           

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