Kaka

Michael Douglas as we like him best, a smarmy, self-centered millionaire financier. Only that, instead of Gwyneth Paltrow, this time he has a no less charming big-ass Mercedes, but otherwise this attempt at genre survival is rather a train wreck. Jeremy Irvine's character is often odd – or rather, his actions are severely illogical, and there are more scenes that occasionally fail to make sense than the classic viewer expecting an entertaining game of cat and mouse would be willing to forgive.

Too bad about the idiotic script and zero character motivation. The reason to watch the Wachowskis' films, besides the many clever ideas and often interesting innovations in various aspects, is the visuals, and unfortunately that's also the only thing that really works reliably here. But what to do when all those aesthetically intoxicating, almost bizarrely Victorian sets and worlds look so stunning and yet the film is such crap? Surprisingly, the Tatum & Kunis chemistry works above average but it’s cheesy.

An aesthetically bland gangster flick with boring characters and a generic script, where you basically don't care about anything, not even the order of who's going to kill who. And just when you're looking forward to at least some action, you find out that despite the digital effects like from the first half of the 90s, there's not even any proper action to be seen. It's a shame, because it’s not too long and it could have been a relatively clean, well-paced affair. But that would have required the cast to be put together a little differently. And the Irish machismo of the protagonist doesn't really work.

Interesting opinions and attitudes, well sketched characters and an even deeper study of Mesrine than the opening volume, which was much more engaging and plot-driven. The only thing that really grips and resonates in the epilogue is the finale itself, but we know the basics of that from the second minute of the first episode.

An amazing French creation. Fresh, incisive and precise in craft. Never mind that we don't really get to know the characters due to the stilted script. Vince Cassel is riveting whenever he's on screen, the action is top-notch, and this whole story about the French Public Enemy #1 is told with the refinement of the best that France has given to cinema – gritty old crime dramas.

Brian Helgeland should stick to writing scripts, because when he's behind the camera, his films have no drive and the result is bland. And that is doubly unfortunate for a retro gangster movie like this, as the form is OK, there aren’t life wisdom and truths, and there’s even less Chazz Palminteri, and the film's plot structure is just there because it has to be. Otherwise, it's Tom Hardy's one-man-show, and a very brilliant one at that. If I wanted to watch an appetiser and a main course in one night, I'd go with Legend and maybe Goodfellas.

An interesting post apocalyptic relationship drama where Margot Robbie acts as if for dear life and the director makes do with a minimalist atmosphere, a few shots of wooded mountains, and a script that has a lot to offer and thankfully doesn't half-ass any of its plot premises. This approach to the viewer is not usual and is certainly worth appreciating. Pity about the slower pace and a few unnecessarily dead passages.

A pretty decent production by Czech standards, but lacking a clearer script, a more vigorous directorial hand and drive. At times, the attempt to be as naturally cool as possible and throw one thing after another at the viewer is too obvious and doesn't work. And it also feels too much like a TV movie. But all things considered, it's a quite entertaining parody and Hynek Čermák downright enjoys the lead role. But only Vlastina Svátková reminds us of Hollywood with her charm.

In Rush, it doesn't really matter which character you sympathise with, because you understand the attitudes, opinions and motivations of both, they just take different paths. With Man on a Rope, you sympathise with no one, or rather you don't understand the motivations of the main or secondary characters (comparissons are warranted given the strong will of the protagonists to prove "something" at any cost). Thus, the viewer cannot get into them and finds them completely flat and uninteresting. With the film's concept and cheap means of expression (for today's times), Robert Zemeckis is stuck somewhere 20 years back, only he didn't understand that times are moving inexorably forward and there have been plenty of attempts like this, though in a less visually sophisticated way. So much untapped acting potential (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley), and so many unnecessarily obvious screenwriting crutches and underdevelopment – the biggest failure of A-list Hollywood this year. Forrest Gump was heartfelt, this may be just about heartfelt for the Yanks, but for the normally minded viewer it's just a showcase for effects masters. Otherwise it's a load of bullshit, unnecessary tears and pathos.

A duel of filmmaking aces and a terrific portrayal of the relationship entanglements of a lower-middle-class family with all the downsides you can imagine. Fortunately, Michael Caton-Jones is also a solid craftsman, but that's not really the point here. He works with the actors on a couple of meters, and handles that admirably. As the film progresses, the characters become more and more likeable and emotional; they are are unusually plastic and not only the main ones!