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Created Jan 10, 2009 11:07PM PST • Edited Jan 10, 2009 11:09PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Really Great 4.5

   Boy howdy this one is a doozy. This movie flies along at 100 mph and takes you on a heck of a ride. It is filled with government detective work, shoot em up action and the craziest cast of characters you could hope for. There is a lot of stuff going on and its easy to get lost because it all happens so quick. I just say relax and enjoy the ride the first time through. There is more story than there appears to be, but it may fly by you the first time.

   Its a basic story of a hit being put out on a mobster turned FBI informant. Its about what kind of killers come out of the woodwork for that kind of cash and how the FBI is going to get to him first. Nothing terribly original on that part. The cast of characters is what will keep you captivated and entertained. Each assassin (or group thereof) has such a unique flavor. No one is just as the next. Some want to collect money. Some want to build up some street cred. Some just want to kill and cause mayhem because its fun to do. The money is just an added bonus. There is a serious dramatic side to it, but it can get lost in the craziness if you let it. If you want a gun filled action flick that is just that and nothing more, then go see Shoot Em Up. If you want your gun filled action flick to have a little more depth and heart to it, then this one is for you.

4. Acting

   Great 4.0

   There is so much in this movie that there is not much time to develop characters. What you see needs to be quick and get to the point. This requires a lot out of actors to pull off that kind of depth in a short amount of time. No small task for the writer to begin with, but its really up to the actors to deliver. I feel like they did a hell of a job overall and there’s really not any performance that I disliked. They weren’t all perfect, but across the board were enjoyable.

5. Male Stars Really Great 4.5

   If you’re a regular reader of my reviews, then you know of my bromance with Ryan Reynolds. So I’ll just say that this isn’t Reynolds from Just Friends, but more along the lines of Blade:Trinity and the Amityville Horror.

   Jeremy Piven is great when he is in the right role. VERY awkward if not. This, however, was a fantastic role for him. This is a guy who needs to be important. Yeah, he’s got some clout behind him, but he’s not as big as he thinks he is. He is where he is only due to his connections. Deep down he knows this. He doesn’t want to throw his friends under the bus, but he knows that he’s nobody and in the end he’s got nothing. Good, sympathetic character. Fun to watch.

   Andy Garcia is. . . . the same guy he was in Ocean’s Eleven. Only this time he’s on the side of the law. He’s the boss you don’t like, but what are you going to do?

6. Female Stars Very Good 3.5

   Alicia Keyes was decent. The emotional depth for her, though, comes completely from here partner. Alicia is a bit dead when it comes to acting. But she’s pretty and a good contrast to her partner.

   Taraji Henson as Keyes partner comes off a bit as a stereotyped loud black woman filled with attitude, but her relationship with Keyes is what sets her apart. There is a love there that is not returned and at one point that love turns into one of the most intense bullet blazing scenes in the flick.

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

8. Male Costars Very Good 3.5

   The Tremor brothers are great. They introduce a bit of chaos to the hitman world and throws everyone for a loop. They’re off the wall, over the top and funny as hell to watch. Chris Pine (who will be Kirk in the upcoming Star Trek) is the lead brother and plays just a little mentally off very well. The scene where he mouths a conversation with Ben Affleck’s lifeless body is both funny and a little bit disturbing.

   I’m not a huge fan of Common. I don’t really dislike him, but to me he’s just kind of there. He has some great lines that push some development with Piven’s character, but overall he (like Keyes) comes off a bit dead.

   Ben Affleck gets killed. As does Matthew Fox. I think that’s fantastic.

10. Film

    Really Great 4.5

    Fantastic action sequences and gun fights. Things do move very quickly, but you’re able to follow all of it pretty decently. There are a few parts that move by too quickly, but its nothing awful. With a movie that has so many things happening and so many characters, its really hard to keep it all straight, but I think its done very well here.

11. Direction Really Great 4.5

12. Play Really Great 4.5

13. Music Really Great 4.5

14. Visuals Really Great 4.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Horrid 4.2

    Lots of language, violence and some nudity.

17. Sex Erotic 3.0

    Some nudity, but nothing too graphic. Girls gathering their clothes up the morning after.

18. Violence Savage 4.5

    One of the Tremor brothers sits on a chainsaw. That’s about as bad as it gets, but there are a few other scenes that are kinda graphic.

19. Rudeness Vile 5.0

    Lots of language throughout. Some done casually, some done in anger, some done as a punchline. Its all there.

21. Reality

    Glib 2.0

    When people get shot here, they die. Or they are unable to move and have to be carried down the stairs by Common. Or they lose fingers and almost go into shock from hypothermia. It seems like a lot to happen – a bit too much. But when you break it down, I can’t think of where it steps over the line. The characters are over the top, but possible. If those characters did show up, that is what they would do. No superpowers or magic or what not. Just lots of guns and people.

22. Circumstantial Glib 2.0

23. Biological Glib 2.0

24. Physical Glib 2.0