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imranahmedsg
Blog: imranwrites.blogspot.com
Instagram: @imranahmedsg or https://www.instagram.com/p/Be3GI5kB_LU/
Twitter: @grandmoofti
Email me at imran.ahmed.sg@gmail.com
Ratings
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Reviews
Bandida: A Número Um (2024)
Well made Brazilian gang movie
Outlaw, available on Netflix as I write this review (September 2024), is a Brazilian film chronicling the life of Rebecca from her childhood in a Rio de Janeiro favella to her adult days as a gangster in the same favella.
The film's story is believable and realistic. It depicts the struggles of life in the slums including the reality of of corruption and the drug trade. While the movie focuses on activities inside one favella, the movie is an indictment of corruption, poor governance and social inequality in contemporary Brazil (and many other societies).
Outlaw is a socially aware, entertaining film which can be viewed on many levels. Watch it for the action of gang warfare in a Brazilian favella or as a social commentary on modern society. Your choice.
Mano de hierro (2024)
Action, suspense and drug cartels but somehow misses the mark
Iron Reign is a watchable Spanish crime drama set in the criminal underbelly of the Barcelona port. The short eight episode long season one combines intrigue, drama, treachery, police, drugs and even a love triangle.
Unfortunately, the potential of the story is lost amidst flashbacks, confusing story twists, too many main characters and subplots within subplots.
The basic storyline concerns one family, the Manchados, who manage everything illegal at Barcelona port. The plot focuses on a cocaine drug deal with foreign sellers which, due to double dealing within the family, goes off the rails and efforts to stave off a disaster as a result of the failed deal. Meanwhile, Spanish authorities have set their sights on bringing down the Manchados by infiltrating the family.
Can't say anymore without giving away too much.
Iron Reign is an easy series to watch. It may not win critical acclaim but it's far from a waste of time. The ending may not be to one's liking but Netflix is setting viewers up for season two.
Ognennye vyorsty (1957)
Decent Soviet 1950s adventure film
An old fashioned, Soviet war flick. Like most films of its time - this was made in 1957 - the plot is somewhat predictable; the good guys win (though some die or sacrifice themselves along the way) in the end; a romance develops naturally but without much interaction.
The director is good at building up suspense at different parts of the movie. The music is good and adds to the atmosphere. The acting is strong, 1950s style.
If you enjoy films not only for their entertainment value but also as a way to gain insights into society then this film is watchable. There's patriotism, some glorified worker comrades and action all baked into this film ... And it's from a state, the USSR / Soviet Union, which no longer exists.
A little bit of cinematic history.
Kampen om Narvik (2022)
Sharp, shortish, human war film
It's been a while since a good war film has presented itself. Narvik, about the battle of Narvik city in Norway, breaks the drought.
The Norwegian film is well made with sound acting and good cinematography. The battle's story has been humanized well via the story of one family resident in the town.
As a war film, there is some action and a few battle scenes. However, the film also depicts the toll that war - and especially occupation - takes on ordinary civilians thrown helplessly into the war without their consent. These individuals are forced to take drastic measures and difficult decisions in order to outlast the war.
Narvik is a war film with soul. Viewers can expect more than simply battles, death and destruction.
Crooks (2024)
Entertaining thriller with action and suspense
Crooks is a complicated though we'll scripted action packed thriller series, as long as one overlooks the many small unrealistic plot events. (It's easy to look beyond them as the suspense captures the viewer!)
The eight episode season (one) - not sure if there will be additional seasons - also utilizes the different settings of Vienna, Berlin and Marseille well. The change in scenery and cuts to alternate locations adds to the show.
The characters are well crafted - even adding some near comic relief with the Algerian gang chief in Marseille. Joseph, the lovable teddy bear, is endearing.
Charly, the main man, is kind of a renaissance man among gangsters. He can fight, pick locks, use a gun and pretty much do anything else required to keep him and his family alive!
Crooks is a good crime, action show which lulls you into binge watching all eight episodes without much thought. Thoroughly enjoyable!
The Master (2012)
Slow, disjointed and missable...
Maybe my attention span is not what it used to be? Maybe I crave action, mystery and suspense to enjoy a movie? Not!
The Master is simply a poorly executed film. It's a great idea which could easily have become an intellectually sound, psychoanalysis type of film.
Instead, we get a slow, draggy film which takes too long to go anywhere. Indeed, at the end one is left wondering what was all that about? More importantly, why exactly did I sit through the entire movie?
No doubt, there are some high quality acting performances but not nearly good enought to warrant a better rating.
Good idea, great potential but not converted into a meaningful film with neither sufficient intellectual nor entertainment value. Look for a better movie.
Out of Time (2003)
Prototype Denzel Washington flick!
Out of Time is a prototype Denzel Washington film. Action, mystery, some fist fights, a few gunshots and a few pretty women. The Denzel Washington formula is tried and tested and proven to deliver results so who fix something which ain't broke?
Out of Time has Washington as a police chief in a small Florida town. Going through a divorce, he gets involved with a married woman. The affair, in turn, leads him into a bizarre murder and fraud plot.
Meanwhile, his wife (surprise, surprise!) appears as the homicide detective investigating the very same murder case. Washington must stay ahead of his wife and the local police force if he is to prove his innocence in the case.
Out of Time is an entertaining Denzel Washington movie. For Denzel fans, the movie has all the ingredients for which he is known. For the rest of us, it's still a seven out of ten - despite the coincidences and the occasional unrealistic event which viewers must overlook.
Walking Tall (2004)
Easy watching, feel good film
An easy to watch feel good film stated to be based on a true story.
An ex-special forces soldier returns to his hometown to find it has been overrun by bad guys operating a casino. In turn, the casino is a front for selling drugs. Consequently, the entire town is owned by the casino owner and his cronies.
The soldier, unhappy about the state of his town, decides to run for sheriff and clean up the town. Though this puts his family in danger, Sheriff Vaughn and his (former convicted felon) deputy are undeterred in their quest to reclaim the town for the food guys.
A few gunfights and some action packed scenes later - after the film's star is the Rock - you can guess what happens.
An easy film to watch to pass the time. And short too, less than an hour and twenty minutes excluding the credits.
Black Sheep (2016)
Decent Indie World War 2 film
This is a short film of less than an hour which I watched on YouTube. Much of the dialogue is in German but there are English subtitles.
Prima facie, the film depicts the activities of a German military unit fighting Yugoslavian resistance forces. However, the emotions of the young men involved in carrying out military operations are the focus of the film. The film depicts these emotions in a rather obvious 'in your face' manner but then there's nothing subtle about war.
The acting is acceptable - not Oscar winning stuff - but the settings are realistic. The camera work is intended to invoke the intense action of war but the motion and jerking goes to far at times.
A decent, short World War 2 film depicting the cost of war on young humans forced to fight each other in settings far removed from War Cabinet grand strategy rooms.
Wil (2023)
Surviving a brutal war
During war and conflict survival trumps all else. There are different ways to survive for ordinary civilians.
However, as a police officer in German occupied Antwerp, Belgium Wil's options are limited. Does he collaborate and watch other civilians die brutally at the hands of the German Gestapo? Does he join the resistance and fight the German occupation?
There are no easy answers in this - or in life. Sometimes it even becomes hard - or impossible - to change course midstream in the extreme circumstances precipated by war.
As a movie, Wil adroitly puts on screen the complexities of life and the choices required to survive during wartime. The film is well acted, realistic though slow - hence the seven stars.
Gangs of Oslo (Blodsbrødre) (2023)
Billed as crime but also a social drama
It's tough being an immigrant - even second generation - in European society. The Gangs of Oslo suggests exactly that. Even gifted kids with a bright future find themselves caught up in an environment which makes 'escape' into 'normal' society difficult.
The show revolves around a Pakistani immigrant police officer who can't shake off his childhood friendship with a present day gang leader. Despite his best effort the officer, Moaz, is caught up in the crime nexus.
As the series develops, flashbacks provide more context as does the predicament of a young 'runner' for the gang.
Ultimately, after some unexpected twists and tirndsy, there's a conclusion to the contradictions ... You'll have to watch to get the details!
Kaisan shiki (1967)
Nice insights into 1960s post war Japan 🇯🇵🎌
Nice, period piece set in late 1960s Japan. A story which provides insights into the era and a Japan still in the throes of reconstruction after World War Two.
A Yakuza group is disbanded and many of the group's members take to 'dishonorable' crime activities.
Enter the hero and main character after an eight year stint in jail. He tries to set things right but he's clearly swimming against the tide in new, capitalist Japan.
There are several subplots, including one involving the hero's love interest. An additional subplot revolves around the hero's family members and former Yakuza members who participate in the new Japan economy in various ways - including as CEOs of construction companies.
A good movie symbolically depicting the death of traditional Japan and the rise of a new, post war Japan.
Informa (2023)
Short episodes, easy to watch but iffy plot!
Short episodes with lots of fighting action. The plot is convoluted but that's doesn't seem to be the point of the show.
The action revolves around a former Yakuza member attempting to seek revenge for the killing of his close friend. Additional murders, including of politicians, muddy the waters and get the police involved too.
There are females and softer moments too. Indeed, some of the episodes can even be labelled sad!
The show shines a light on police corruption as well as the nexus between politicians and crime bosses in Japan. The relationship does seem cozy - though this is a television show and not reality.
With each episode at around 25 minutes, Informa is an easy watch if you don't have expectations of watching a drama.
The Continental (2023)
Great soundtrack; gratuitous violence
Lots - and I mean lots - of violence! But perhaps I'm used to films in which violence serves a purpose. Then again, The Continental is a prequel to the John Wick shows so violence is to be expected.
Forget the violence and focus on the soundtrack! Great choice of songs from the seventies - am I showing my age! - with epic classics from bands like Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd among others.
The series itself is watchable, especially if you like gratuitous violence (did I already mention that??!!). The plot storyline is acceptable and it uses the setting of New York in the late 1970s well to its advantage.
Watchable show but doesn't deserve the seven plus stars it currently has ... Though it's good to see Mel Gibson back in action.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2021)
Confusing, slow with mediocre acting
I'm not sure how I got through the entire season but I did. Other viewers need not make the same mistake.
There was nothing scary about the show. The acting was mediocre and the storyline hard to follow.
Characters kept dying. Before dying they were sleeping with each other. There were hints of conspiracy involving minor characters but it was still hard to keep the viewer's interest.
(I repeat, I'm not sure why or how I got through all episodes. To my credit, it did take several months so spared myself long term excruciating pain!)
It was all overwhelmingly confusing. Stick with the movie and let's be grateful the show was cancelled after this one season.
Je suis Karl (2021)
Slow moving but great story
Je Suis Karl may be cliched in many respects but the movie does represent the chaos, confusion and resultant dangers of our times.
A scared, young survivor of an attack becomes another victim of a radical, extremist group plotting to shift opinion through the savvy use of social media.
For some, the film will be an eye opener about the lengths to which some groups are willing - and able - to go to further their political agendas.
Je Suis Karl is a believable story set in the backdrop of the political polarization found not only in Europe but across many parts of the world.
The movie may move slowly initially but the story picks up pace as the plot unfolds. A worthwhile film for the politically inclined film goer.
La Révolution (2020)
A zombie tale with a (Marxist?!) revolutionary twist
The cinematography was great the story less so. Alright, La Revolution was good enough to watch and had its moments.
An old fashioned tale of rich vs poor; haves vs have nots leading to a (proletariat) revolution. A romanticized rehash of the French revolution, ie liberty, equality and brotherhood.
In between, however, the story has its fantastical moments consisting of flesh eating zombies, blue bloods (royalty?!) and those rich haves with a conscience who now support the underdog have nots.
An acceptable television series for those who enjoy fantasy / zombie shows but require a stronger plot than simply zombie killing.
A symbolic show on many levels - yup, even zombie shows can be intellectual in content! - if you have the time and patience to sit through all episodes.
Showdown at Boot Hill (1958)
If you like Western movies
If you like Western movies then Showdown at Boot Hill will not disappoint.
Yup, it's an old fashioned plot with the usual ingredients of gunfights, good guys, bad guys, sheriff and a love interest (no Indians here though!). That makes the movie predictable but then it was made in 1958, right?
The acting is above average with Charles Bronson delivering on his role. That the movie was filmed in black and white makes events a little more dramatic.
Ok, so it's an old film with a plot typical of its time. Nonetheless, if you enjoy the Western film genre then you can do a lot worse than the short (less than 80 minutes) Showdown at Boot Hill!
News of the World (2020)
Wonderful, heart tugging Western
Not a traditional Western of the cowboys and Indians sort produced some decades ago. Instead, the cowboys and Indians come wrapped as humans with feelings, emotions and the stuff of life to which we are all used.
News of the World is a beautiful story of affection developing between Captain Kidd - Tom Hanks - and a young 'Kiowa' Indian girl. Helena Zengel delivers a stellar performance as Johanna, the young Kiowa child.
To be sure, there are gunfights and tense moments as with any Western film. Nonetheless, the movie is more about a slow burn relationship between the two main characters and not about delivering excitement through gunfights.
A thoroughly enjoyable film which has broad appeal well beyond lovers of the Western movie genre.
Skyggen i mit øje (2021)
Tragic story but poor film
The film is overly dramatic and painfully slow. Undoubtedly, the incident is tragic and deserves a sober telling.
Movies, however, are not the right medium for retelling history. The Bombardment reconfirms the inability of films to narrate such historic tales in a manner which does justice to both the viewer and the filmmaker.
Booty Call (1997)
Brain dead humor of past decades
Barely funny and loaded with politically incorrect stereotyped humor. A film Jamie Foxx probably tries to forget .... Watch if you have absolutely nothing else to watch or you are researching Jamie Foxx's career!
The Italian Job (1969)
Feels dated
Decent film with lots of car racing action but it does feel dated given the sorts of 'Fast and Furious' contemporary car films being produced nowadays.
Nonetheless, film afficiniados will enjoy the experience.
Svart krabba (2022)
Russia invades Sweden?
Alright, so that's not exactly what's depicted in the movie. Nonetheless, the war depicts Sweden being overrun by a larger invading nation.
The war effort is doomed unless a small group of soldiers can deliver a mysterious package to a base after a treacherous journey - on ice skates! - through enemy territory.
Lots of holes in the plot but there are some decent moments even if the film could be fifteen minutes shorter.
Windfall (2022)
Modern existentialist film
The movie starts slowly but the pace quickens as the plot unfolds. It's a story Sartre or Camus would love. It is what it is and life is absurd and random.
A cerebral film with little or no action. For those who enjoy some mental stimulation.
Gringo (2018)
Light, entertaining crime comedy
A light and entertaining film. Not much to think about even though there are several subplots at play. They are rounded off nicely by the conclusion and come with the occasional comic act.
A nice, entertaining dark comedy.