User reviews

"Nick Wild" (Jason Statham) is a bodyguard who lives and works in Las Vegas because he is essentially down on his luck and doesn't have the money to start life anew. At least he doesn't think so. Then one night when a female friend named "Holly" (Dominik García-Lorido) is brutally raped and beaten he decides to help her get revenge--even though he knows it is going cause him big trouble once everything is said and done. Even worse, this particular problem also spills over onto an innocent client by the name of "Cyrus Kinnick" (Michael Angarano) who has hired Nick in order to avoid trouble. Now, rather than reveal any more I will just say that I happened to like this film because it had a decent plot, nice action and a couple of likable characters who happen to be mired in a dismal situation and are struggling with their own insecurities and inner demons. At least, that is how it seemed to me. In any case, I thought this was an enjoyable film and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

What works : 1. Jason Statham : Intense Performance 2. Good...no excellent and innovative fights, great action

What doesn't : 1. Plot - They seem to have lost focus on the plot. Could have been so much better, intense, interesting. 2. Unrealistic - The movement of cash, comes goes comes again and how! You have to watch to and even then you wont believe it. 3. Not enough development/space for any other character. 4. Sophia Vergara had a guest appearance.Barely 5 minutes. Seriously guys! How could you?

Overall, for Statham fan or action move fans. Decide what you are looking for before you decide to go.

This film sees Jason Statham playing Nick Wild, a body guard working in Las Vegas. The jobs he gets are nothing special and he dreams of saving up enough money so that he can live on a yacht in Corsica for five years... unfortunately he also gambles. One day he gets a call from his friend Holly; she has been brutally assaulted and raped by a man staying in a suite with two body guards. She says she wants to track him down so she can sue him but clearly she wants revenge. Nick asks a few questions and it turns out the man is Danny DeMarco, the son of a powerful east coast mob boss. Holly has her revenge and DeMarco is humiliated. Nick knows that he will have to leave town fast; he just has to raise $500,000 first!

This film is darker in town than most of Jason Statham's flicks; there may be less fighting than most of his films but what there is feels less stylised and more brutal... there is also the small matter of Holly threatening to remove DeMarco's manhood with a pair of gardening sheers... he may be a totally unsympathetic character but the scene had me wincing... and surprised that it happened in a UK-15 rated film! There is some humour in the film; notably when it becomes apparent why Nick lost an early fight and some of his interaction with the rich but scared client Cyrus Kinnick. On the down side the gambling scene does drag a bit. Jason Statham is on good form in the lead role; being solid in the 'acting scenes' and great in the action. The rest of the cast are solid enough. Overall this is a good film which fans of Jason Statham will want to see.

When i saw the users review i lost my interest in the movie. But because of the fact that Jason Statham plays in it, i gave the movie a chance.

In all honesty this movie has no story whatsoever. It's just a multiple occurrences of different things happening, following Jason Statham's character. It's like the writers managed to create the script for this movie in a couple hours. And that's why it got a lower rating...

The movie is enjoyable because of the fight scenes portrait in it. Jason Statham shows some real lethal skills and that's why i loved the movie.

Watch this movie without any expectation. But do expect some sick skills from Jason Statham, when fighting.

It's sad that someone like Jason Statham, so talented accepts roles in movies like this. A star like him should be doing something bigger than this. Even seeing Jason in a movie like The raid, would be better than movies like this (wild card).

I gave it a 6/10 because i enjoyed it, only because of the fight scenes.

It had been over a year since Jason Statham released a solo film. Which feels like a long time considering he comes out with about 5 films a year. Being a fan of his films, I was looking forward to sitting back on a Friday night and enjoying watching Statham do what he does best and thats kick ass. I was disappointed because the movie didn't really deliver on what I had expected. I do like his non pure action films like Snatch, Lock Stock, Bank Job, Redemption, but this film doesn't have anything to stand out in terms of story or action. The cast also looked promising and acting from Statham isn't bad either but doesn't save it from being just plain old boring and average. Overall,ranks as one of his average/mediocre movies like Chaos and Killer Elite. although the first half of the movie has promise and admitingly has some good fight scenes. It falls off by the middle and by the end doesn't hold your interest and isn't a satisfying action film or drama. If your a fan of his films and are looking for action, you'd be better off watching Safe, Expendables I/II, Transporter,Crank Homefront or many of his other better movies.

5/10

Great movie. Admittedly, I'm a big Jason Statham fan, since he's about the only action star worth watching anymore, but what makes this work is the director doesn't ask too much of him. No big demands on his acting, just let him be himself and show off his martial arts skills -- which, after all, is what we watch him for.

Statham plays a compulsive gambler who earns his living in Las Vegas by providing his unique services to people who need help. When a prostitute gets beat up by a "made" man, he sets out to act as a go-between in order to seek compensation. Complications ensue and he has to fight his way out of trouble.

You might complain that the action doesn't really rev up until the last thirty minutes or so and the ending is kind of a cop out, but what does it matter? It's great to see Statham doing what he does best. Jason, take some advice: you're not much of an actor. Accept it and stick to scripts like this that recognize your limitations and work around them.

The trailer for Wild Card is very misleading, the film is not just a revenge movie staring Martial Art expert, ass-kicking, lethal weapon Jason Statham. It's actually surprising, well though-out, and more about Nick Wild's character than mindless fight scenes.

Well, the problem might not just be the trailer. There are a lot of side stories in this one film, the stories give you context, a get better sense of who Nick Wild (Statham) is, but in this case it's a little bit much. Because if you pick any of the side stories and make trailer of it, you'll have a completely different film, which is why the movie feels like a draft, jumbled, messy. I am aware that I'm saying this about a film written by an academy award winning screenwriter but that's how it is.

In way it reflects Nick Wild's state of mind and where he's at in his life. The deeper you get into the movie the more layers you find and realize what he's struggling with but as the movie start to scratch the surface it ends. I like Wild Card for one thing because it shown Jason Statham in a new light. He talks as much as he fights in this film and if you like Statham throwing fits and handling knives you'll be pleasantly surprise to him talk.

Wild Card is a better movie than I expected, don't get me wrong it's not movie of the year, but it's kind of good and entertaining.

This movie does revolve around the gambling addiction of the main character and there is a line where he helps a molested girlfriend. The first action scene is 40 minutes into the movie and at the end there are 2 more scenes. These scenes are very short and all combined makes this movie quite a struggle to get through.

'WILD CARD': Four Stars (Out of Five)

Remake of the 1986 crime thriller 'HEAT'; about a recovering gambler, working as a bodyguard in Las Vegas, who gets into trouble with the mob there. Both films are based on the 1985 novel 'Heat', written by William Goldman; Goldman also wrote the screenplay adaptations for both movies (as well as such other popular books, and screenplays, as 'THE PRINCESS BRIDE', 'MARATHON MAN' and many others). Jason Statham takes over the lead role, from Burt Reynolds, and the movie costars Michael Angarano, Milo Ventimiglia, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Hope Davis, Sofia Vergara, Anne Heche, Jason Alexander and Stanley Tucci. It was directed by Simon West; who also recently directed Statham in the action films 'THE EXPENDABLES 2' and 'THE MECHANIC'. I loved the movie, and think it's one of Statham's best!

Statham plays Nick Wild; a bodyguard working in Las Vegas, who's also trying to get over a compulsive gambling problem. When a lady friend of his (Garcia-Lorido) is brutally beaten and raped, Nick helps her get revenge. He later finds out that the rapist, he helped her humiliate (Ventimiglia), is also the son of a very powerful mobster. Nick resorts to his biggest weakness, gambling, in order to try and earn enough money to escape Vegas for good. He has help from a young rich kid (Angarano), who recently hired him for protection.

The movie is very dialogue heavy, for a Jason Statham movie, and it's brilliantly written, by the great William Goldman! Simon West also does an excellent job directing the flick; which has some of the best fight scenes I've ever seen in a Statham film! I'm a fan of Statham, but I had come to expect a lot less from him, in recent years. He's great in the movie as well, and he has a lot of good support from the rest of the cast (I wish Vergara was in it a lot more, though). The film pretty much has everything you could want, in a cool crime thriller; especially if you're a Jason Statham fan!

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There was absolutely nothing wrong with this film. It had some funny lines, cartoon good guys and bad guys, payback and well choreographed fight scenes only Statham could pull off and a great soundtrack. If you didn't like it stick to same old same old no story, zero characterisation nonsense that starts in the second act, because the writers and filmmakers have no craft and no confidence in the pap they pile out.

"Well, I've been knocked down, blown up, lied to, sh*t on, and shot at. So nothing surprises me much anymore, except the things that people do to each other.I'm a licensed pilot, took karate in Tokyo.I lectured on economics at Yale.I can memorize the front pages of the New York Times in five minutes and repeat it back to you in five weeks.I was the National Golden Gloves champion three years in a row. I'm fluent in four languages and can wrestle with a menu in five more. Jesus! Don't interrupt me. There's more. More ? Yeah. I lie a lot. "

A film with Statham always guarantees a few solid brawls that usually end up pretty painful for his opponents. In the meantime he's commenting on everything with his juicy dialect. After testing his dramatic skills in the engaging film "Hummingbird" and getting his act together again in "Homefront" after the reasonable disappointing films "Parker" and "Safe", he is now back with a straightforward hardcore action movie. Unfortunately, the action scenes can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Nick Wild (Jason Statham) is a kind of bodyguard offering his services to wealthy gamblers as they are trying their luck at the gaming tables in the casinos of Las Vegas. And on the side he also takes some small jobs like for instance acting as a punch-bag for losers who want to impress their girlfriend. A woman called Holly (Dominik Garcia-Londo) asks for help one day because she's treated in a rather bad by a local tough guy. And there's also a very young multi millionaire asking for protection. Those are the two central themes of this film, together with the simple fact that Nick also has some personal problems notably a drinking and gambling problem.

The first storyline with tough guy Danny (Milo Ventimiglia) is responsible for the brutal part of the film. Not very original and on several occasions this was used in other revenge movies. The villain mistreats someone. The "good guy" mediates. The end result is a series of fights. And those fights are fierce with Statham defending himself with anything he can get his hands on. Highly original action moments which are very painful for his opponents. The moment I start handing out pseudo punches myself, means to me that the action is entertaining enough. You can expect Statham going nuts again and kicking some ass.

The second story is the more serious part in which the weaknesses of Nick Wild take center stage. His drinking and gambling is what keeps him in Las Vegas. His reputation in this dissolute city and the company of bar girls and croupiers won't stop him from dreaming about a more exotic place. This is represented in the form of an idyllic spot with a boat. His ultimate plan is therefore to save up enough money to clear off and leave all that misery behind him.

My final conclusion is a bit split after watching this popcorn movie. You can't call it a real action movie because they are a bit too skimpy. And the serious drama isn't developed in such a way that you are impressed by it. Statham is simply Statham as we know him from all his films. That's a fact that Statham fans can be certain of. And besides Stanley Tucci (who remains engraved in my memory as the strict airport manager in "The Terminal") as the comic casino boss Baby and the very limited contribution of Jason "Seinfeld" Alexander as Pinky, a lawyer joining the same office as Nick, there are further no other significant roles. For me this average movie could be turned into an abbreviated version with all the action fragments assembled in succession.

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...If you can make it to the last 1/2 hour, then it gets good. I'm a Statham fan, so had to see it. It's a little slow, but it was worth watching. Not too many fight scenes, but when they happen, they're good! Kinda 'The Gambler' meets 'The Equalizer' movie. Milo Ventimiglia best known from Heroes as Peter Petrelli does a great job as the bad guy in this film. Wish he had more roles in mainstream movies. Not a huge blockbuster but worth the watch if you can wait until the story gets going. I cant think of much more to write but i have to have ten lines to submit my review so here they are. ( i think short reviews will get better responses. It was great; it was bad, don't see it, etc..) Why do we need such a long review? I myself don't like to read long reviews, just tell me if the movie was good or not!

Wild Card has been a passion project of Jason Statham's for several years, the actor having even secured Brian De Palma for the director's chair at one point. With De Palma stepping away, Statham enlisted the competent but much less exciting Simon West with whom he'd already collaborated on The Mechanic and The Expendables 2.

West was excited to work with legendary screenwriter William Goldman again after The General's Daughter and assembled an impressive supporting cast around Statham, the likes of Stanley Tucci, Anne Heche, Jason Alexander and many more. A vastly underrated actor, Statham easily holds his own among these and gives a fine performance as Nick Wild, first played in the 1986 original by Burt Reynolds.

That picture was a notoriously troubled production that left a sour taste in William Goldman's mouth, but he obviously thought highly of his screenplay, as story-wise, Wild Card plays almost exactly like the original, beat-by-beat. However, watching the on-screen proceedings it is hard to believe this is the same man responsible for such classics as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride and so many others.

From its top notch cast to its look and pacing, Wild Card feels like it wants to a gritty drama, a moody character piece with bursts of action in the vein of Michael Mann's Collateral, a film with which it shares quite a few characteristics. Unfortunately it never quite reaches the heights of its ambitions, the film being unable to conjure up something special, unexpected, original enough to put it over the top.

That is not to say it doesn't deliver. Without saying much, the film draws you into this world easily and convincingly. The acting is very strong and the characters pretty appealing. The writing is sharp. Cinematographer Shelly Johnson gives the film a distinctive look and the editing is excellent. The score is composed by the ultra-talented Dario Marianelli. And then there's the action.

While there are only but a few of them, the action scenes, handled by Hong Kong legend and frequent Statham collaborator Cor(e)y Yuen, are incredible, exhilarating and eminently memorable. Even more to the film's credit, each one is very different, both through their visual and musical presentations.

All this makes for a perfectly serviceable film but one unfortunately stuck between two worlds. Which makes it quite a shame that Brian De Palma backed out of the project as his style would have no doubt elevated Wild Card to something pretty fascinating.

For anyone who likes Jason Statham, this is a must see. Nothing really new here, but what Statham does - he does well. As long as the story/plot doesn't suck horribly in the movies he does, he always delivers.

It's amazing just how many movies this guy does - and consistently provides a performance that's pleasing. Not in a Richard Burton kind of way, but in a "Jason Statham" kind of way. He's unique in a genre that's "been there and done that". That's saying a lot! Simply put - Statham is fun to watch for a couple hours. Anybody who appreciates his films are not looking for a deeper understanding of life. They want action, revenge - and a great story that includes both! Beyond all the usual elements present in a Statham movie, this movie has a couple nice twists that had a bit of color to the overall story. These twists help make it that much more enjoyable. And what's interesting is that these twists (one being the kooky millionaire kid) would really seem stupid if done with anybody but Statham. The guy just oozes COOL.

If you like Jason Statham you'll enjoy this movie. He delivers on all cylinders - and there's a nice back-story to accompany. Well worth the 100 minutes or so of film.

That was either the best bad movie I've ever seen or the worst good movie.

For a movie that has Jason Staham and Sofia Vergara(even though she just appeared at the begging) it could be a lot better. The story is in Las Vegas, which is a great city for movies, and for this one in particular it's suits it. The story is about a guy named Nick Wild(Jason Staham) that is a hired man to protect you whenever you want, his goal is to reach 500000$ so that he can go on vacation's in Corsega for 5 years.But something is going to speed up his ''dream''. He is not normal bodyguard has he does not use guns, his only weapons are his fists, and objects that he finds. As I said the movie could be a lot better, that because, even though the part where he doesn't use guns is quite interesting, the storyline isn't I rate this movie a 5 out of 10, i recommend you to see it if there is not anything more appealing in the cinema(My case). It is not bad but it is not good, so, that's the reason why i rate this movie a 5.

I don't know how "good" this movie is, but I found it interesting because I felt it was different. At first glance, I thought this was going to be one of those hard to follow Las Vegas action movies like "Smokin' Aces" (2006). It turns out the plot of this movie is really quite simple, and the movie is almost more of a character study which is unusual for an action movie of this type. Nick Wild (Jason Statham) is a bodyguard and recovering gambling addict living in Las Vegas, Nevada. His dream is to one day be wealthy enough to leave Las Vegas and sail the Mediterranean. The movie focuses on two main stories. One: Nick helps to avenge a rape victim, and two: he is hired as a bodyguard by a scrappy self made millionaire during his stay in Vegas. The movie is about Nick struggling to achieve his dream, while fighting the demons of his addiction. It also has some elements of the Aesop fable "The Mouse and the Lion." Jason Statham keeps a heavy English accent for this character, although there is no explanation as to how the character ended up from Britain to Las Vegas. What I found odd was that the most prominent songs in the soundtrack are Christmas songs. Although there are several other songs, "Blue Christmas" by Dean Martin and "White Christmas" by The Drifters are played loudly and in entirety. They are just not the types of songs one would expect to be in the background of the scenes in this movie. I think the reason the film has received negative reviews is because one goes into this movie looking for a Vegas action movie, and they get a character study which are movies that many people find boring—particularly someone looking for a movie like "21" (2008). I thought it was good storytelling.

Hm, some times it is hard to understand why movies get such bad reviews and low ratings. OK, it is not that action filled, and the plot may not be the most original (what plot is anyway?), but I really enjoyed this movie.

Jason Statham makes one of his best performances here, I have to say. He doesn't reinvent the wheel or anything, but I really liked him. Another reviewer compared this movie to "The Equalizer", and it does share some similarities. I liked this one better, tho.

This is a Statham flick, so we are expecting some action, right? Well, the action scenes are few, and rather far apart, but when they come, they hit you like a ton of Statham-fists right in your face! Damn! And no wonder, the incredible Corey Yuen is the friggin' action choreographer! Corey Yuen, co-director of The Transporter, director of several Jet Li-movies, also fighting choreographer on (among about a billion other movies) my favorite fighting movie ever: Kiss of the Dragon. Great to see him back working with Statham, the fight-scenes are really just very, very cool.. Brutal, hard hitting. Just awesome. I had to re-watch the longest one like, three times immediately after the credits rolled.

Go into this expecting an easily digestible thriller/drama with a couple, two, three great action/fight sequences and you are golden!

If you were to split Wild Card into parts of ten minutes each, every part would be enjoyable. It's when you stitch the parts together, however, that it becomes evident that the movie doesn't completely hang together. It seems to me that some important bits were left in the editing room, and that the story was rushed along, instead of being given room to breathe. To my mind, there were enough ideas for three or four decent noir-ish Stratham movies: the woman wronged; the gambling addiction; the "kid"; and the hotelier.

Also, I want to put in a good word for Stanley Tucci. He has a small role but he filled it completely, and he was another reason that I was regretting the movie was not expanded into more parts, following the tradition of "The Hobbit".

Overall, if you're a Stratham fan, this is not his best work, but it is still well worth a watch.

Las Vegas bodyguard Nick Wild (Jason Statham) has a gambling problem and gets in bad with the Mob. Oh, oh.

Seems like the script for this Jason Statham movie was done in a matter of minutes, but the reason we watch a Jason Statham movie is to watch his fight scenes. So sit back and watch about 3-fight scenes that are probably some of the most brutal scenes you will ever see. I had to duck often.

Of course it would have been nice to see a well-rounded story but this is what it is. For some unknown reason we see Nick gambling for a longer time that we would have liked, and did we care? No.

There are CRINGE Worthy moments when we see Holly (Dominik Garcia-Lorido) take some revenge with a pair of grass clippers on the son of a Mob boss who raped her, and had her beat up later on. Truth be told I had to FF thru this scene. Really brutal. (hey, it's only movie magic)

Since the story was lacking, I was surprised to see the notables herein: Jason Alexander, Sofia Vergara, Anne Heche, and Stanley Tucci as Baby who probably had the best role within as he is always good even if we don't recognize him at first with a newer toupee.

Except for the fight scenes which were choreographed to perfection, this was disappointing, but watchable for a Jason Statham movie. (5/10) Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: Yes, briefly Language: Yes.