This movie is a great back-and-forth thriller, full of backstabs and turnarounds to keep the audience guessing. It has excellent production value, as is at this point expected of Steven Soderbergh, and the acting and script do not disappoint.
Closest comparison: It’s like Jackie Brown mixed with Mad Men and Uncut Gems.
Setting: Gangster
Plot: Crime
Tone: Thriller
This movie makes the classic sequel blunder: it has less of what made its predecessor great and more of what brought it down. There is only one good action scene here, instead of the three to four in Rush Hour 1, and they’ve ramped up the stupid humor to give Chris Tucker more of a driving force in the narrative than before. They’ve also introduced a whole theme of ogling women in their underwear, bringing down the quality of the film making even further. The martial arts scene is really well done, but the rest of this movie is pablum.
Closest comparison: It’s like the martial arts of The Medallion pasted over with the raunchiness (but not the humor) of History of the World part 1.
Setting: Buddy Cop
Plot: Buddy Cop
Tone: Brash Comedy
This movie is fantastic, but introduces too many metaphors to pay off by the end. Director Joss Whedon stated in an interview that he challenged himself to make it shorter than The Avengers (2012), and it shows. This movie tries to do more in less time, and although it does an incredible job with what it has, an extra 10-20 minutes could have made this a 5/5. That being said the action is dazzling, the concept is solid, and they even managed to squeeze in three new characters that went on to appear in other MCU movies. With so much crammed into one movie, it definitely improves with multiple viewings.
Closest comparison: It’s the troubled middle child of the Avengers franchise.
Setting: Super hero
Plot: Super hero
Tone: Super hero
This movie has some of my favorite moments in all of the Iron Man movies, but huge plot holes and convoluted retrospective character motivations unravel what could have been an amazing movie. The creators definitely seem to be having a lot more fun with this one over previous installments, sometimes getting caught up in their own enjoyment and forgetting to tie everything together at the end. This movie’s biggest strength is how it contrasts Tony Stark with Iron Man. This movie’s biggest flaw is introducing plot points, characters, and very powerful abilities, then forgetting about them. And this movie’s biggest sin is creating a central bait-and-switch, but making the switch far less interesting than the bait.
Closest comparison: It’s the troubled third child in the Iron Man series.
Setting: Geopolitical thriller
Plot: Underdog adventure
Tone: Action
This movie does social sparring very well. Most of the time when characters are talking they are continually vying for social dominance, thrusting and parrying not so much with words as with emotions. Mickey Rourke is fantastic as Whiplash, and while his fight scenes are spectacular they always end in more of a fizzle than a crescendo. The biggest flaw with this movie is giving Tony Stark little to do except aimlessly act out, though Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal is pitch perfect as always. Sam Rockwell also captures all of the subtlety of being an off-brand Tony Stark, but in true reflection his character also has little to do, aimlessly wandering around the plot like a lost, sassy child.
Closest comparison: It’s the gentle sequel to Iron Man (2008)
Setting: Super hero
Plot: Super hero
Tone: Action
This is a classic and for good reason. It’s one of the most fun heist films out there and it keeps the action snappy by pairing it with an incredible soundtrack. And it boasts some classic lines like “gaudy monstrosity” that rank right up there with other all-time greats like “you were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off”. That being said, it has its flaws. Julia Robert’s character arc is rushed and even thought the heist itself is witty there are aspects that don’t make sense upon close inspection. None of that is enough to keep this from being one of the most fun heist movies ever put to film.
Closest comparison: It’s the casino heist movie by which all others are measured.
Setting: Heist
Plot: Heist
Tone: Comedy
