Réalisation:
Joe CarnahanScénario:
Joe CarnahanPhotographie:
Mauro FioreMusique:
Clint MansellActeurs·trices:
Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Alex Rocco, Wayne Newton, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Martin Henderson, Common, Andy Garcia, Mike Falkow (plus)Résumés(1)
Stanley Locke, directeur adjoint du FBI, envoie ses meilleurs agents, Richard Messner et Donald Carruthers, à Lake Tahoe. Ils ont pour mission de retrouver Buddy "Aces" Israel, un magicien louche de Las Vegas, et de le protéger de Primo Sparazza, un gros bonnet de la Mafia dont on dit qu'il a fait assassiner plus de 130 personnes. Buddy a en effet promis de donner à la justice des preuves contre Sparazza afin de sauver sa propre peau, et la Mafia offre un million de dollars pour le faire disparaître. Peu importe qui fait le boulot, du moment qu'il est abattu rapidement. Attirés par l'argent, mercenaires, assassins et tueurs à gages de tous horizons débarquent à Lake Tahoe. (texte officiel du distributeur)
(plus)Vidéo (3)
Critiques (8)
Essentiellement, juste une autre variation des films de crime vidéo dans le style de Guy Ritchie, qui ne vous surprendra pas avec rien de nouveau. Cependant, la dynamique adrénaline et l'exposition des méchants sont encore à un niveau exceptionnel et si le démarrage était un peu plus lent avec une présentation plus approfondie des personnages, le final massacrant aurait pu susciter de GRANDES ÉMOTIONS non seulement en les prétendant, mais en les réveillant réellement. Et puis il s'agirait d'une œuvre du goldén fond des films cultes gangsters. Ainsi, Joe Carnahan, avec une dramaturgie cachée, affaiblit la résonance du film dans son ensemble et se contente de la délicatesse des différentes scènes visuellement montées (quelque chose de similaire pourrait peut-être être dit du premier Kill Bill, mais cela joue en faveur du concept plus original de Tarantino).
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When someone tries to be above it all, inventive, and original, it doesn't always work out. Once a more capable screenwriter writes Joe Carnahan a good, action-packed script with lifelike characters, there will be a great chance of creating a fantastic action film (all hail The A-Team). However, as long as the director writes self-indulgent, intertwined stories with a disgusting excess of characters, the audience will only receive the divine action without a more meaningful plot. There are several major plotholes in the script that, even though I am usually tolerant of action crime movies, scream very loudly. The main one is undoubtedly the fact that although Buddy seemingly has reliable protection around him, he often remains alone and vulnerable. I also disliked the deliberately exaggerated endurance of the bullet-ridden heroes who keep breathing even with a magazine in their body. Despite countless characters in the movie, there is only one you can identify with better – the tough and determined agent portrayed by the fantastic and charismatic Ryan Reynolds. The rest are heartless bureaucrats, tough black women, or even perverted neo-Nazis. Reynolds is responsible for the best non-action moment of the film – a stylish and badass ending, thanks to which the taste of the film remains much better than it deserves.
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After a bit of time goes by that is diligently devoted to thinking, and after a second viewing, I finally came to like this film that is Carnahan's baby. It is true that the trailers promised something completely different, but the result is an entertaining stylistic film that is definitely currently above average (let's blame it on clever marketing this time). Mainly thanks to the perfect direction and excellent casting (Ryan Reynolds is great!), this rather disparate whole holds together quite well. Unfortunately, as is still apparent, Carnahan isn’t a great screenwriter (Buddy's existential drama), but he's more than adept as a craftsman (changing one cool camera unit after another, the actual shooting races). He definitely can’t be compared to Guy Ritchie because they are both playing on completely different fields. This film is a much crazier and at times twisted spectacle, which is certainly not boring, but it is true that when a director makes a pure action spectacle, those far beyond the borders of Hollywood will bow down to him.
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Watching the film, I felt like I was on a roller coaster - my sympathies alternated between 4 and 2 stars, meaning that this film is simply inconsistent. It was probably supposed to be a film in the style of Guy Ritchie's crazy gangster films, but it differs from his famous hits in that it doesn't stick to the style - simply put, the script fluctuates between crazy style with insanely cool characters and serious situations. The script is just such a strange mishmash, where a guy shot by automatic weapons, who looks like he'll be lying in the hospital for a few months, stands in front of a hotel with a bandaged hand in a few hours and is clearly inclined to have a stylish chat with his killer. That is exactly what doesn't sit well with me in films of this kind and why I eventually decided on a lower rating. However, the direction is stylishly energetic and quite skillful, which helps overshadow the problematic script. Overall impression: 45%.
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Director Carnahan beat screenwriter Carnahan in a short sprint by several lengths. The first two acts are an audiovisual ride with some fresh ideas, in the style of Ritchie's best flicks, but towards the end, the engine of the sports car stutters in such a way that it parks in a garage with a sign saying "Reynolds' Fateful Drama" and slowly dies there. If they had let the sports car go past the finish line and not stepped on the brake, it would have been worth four medals.
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Annonces