King of Thieves (2018) - 2/5

This movie was slow and boring, an especially egregious fault in a heist movie. It combines a drama about aging and recapturing spent youth with a jewel heist but doesn’t bother to blend the two genres, leaving the final product disjointed and stodgy. The impressive list of acting talent is undercut by flaccid dialogue and weak stakes. There’s no reason to waste time on this film when there are so many better alternatives for whatever you were hoping to get out of it.

Closest comparison: It’s like Going In Style (2017) by way of The Irishman.

Setting: Heist
Plot: Heist
Tone: Drama

Tenet - 4/5

This movie is bonkers. It’s very good, but it has its flaws as well. Some of the dialog is difficult to understand and the film moves at a breakneck pace which leaves the audience and characters trying to keep up. Mostly you’re just going to have to accept what you’re seeing and analyze it on a second viewing, but surprisingly the movie doesn’t suffer for that and instead uses it to its advantage. If you’re willing to go along for the ride, it’s a fantastic film, and pairs with Memento as Nolan’s most daring and avant-garde films. This movie is intense and may be hard to wrap your mind around at first.

Closest comparison: It’s like Memento by way of Inception, wrapped in a cold war thriller.

Setting: Cold War Thriller / Romantic Drama / Sci-Fi War
Plot: Heist / Sci-Fi Action / Romantic Thriller
Tone: Pop Action / Slick Thriller / Romantic Tragedy

The Jigsaw Man (1983) - 2/5

This is a cold war thriller whose primary sin is being boring, which is a death knell to the genre. The plot is basically fine, a standard cold war espionage story, and the acting is fine, standard British fare of the era. There isn’t anything special about it, and I may have been unfortunate to recently review Funeral in Berlin but there’s nothing here that Funeral in Berlin didn’t do better.

Closest comparison: It’s like Face/Off made by the BBC.

Setting: Political Thriller
Plot: Political Thriller
Tone: Drama

Funeral in Berlin - 3/5

This movie is a lighthearted approach to the cold war spy genre that maintains a sense of humor through all the chicanery and multi-cross goings-on. It’s competently made and a refreshing return to the cold war defector assistance plots that have become less relevant after 1989, but whose stories are still compelling in their own right. It’s interesting enough to keep the audience’s attention but it’s also shallow enough to quickly become forgettable.

Closest comparison: It’s like Munich (2005) by way of The Italian Job (1969)

Setting: Spy
Plot: Thriller
Tone: Dry Comedy

The Prestige - 5/5

What Shayamalan did for plot twists in cinema Nolan did for mind-bending narratives, and here he brings that treatment to the late 19th century illusionist genre. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman bring a profound subtlety to their characters that make repeat viewings of this film very rewarding. The intricately compelling of the plot is riveting to the point that it eclipses outstanding performances from Andy Serkis and the late great David Bowie.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Illusionist (2006) by way of Memento.

Setting: Mystery
Plot: Rivalry Tragedy
Tone: Thriller