Kaka

It's not the film of the year, but it's still the best combat or military thing since Miami Vice, which, by the way, also had a mafia bosses, drugs, money and fights for territory, but thanks to the masterfully crafted and incorporated love story it said something more; it was closer to the viewer, more tangible, more fateful. Sicario, in contrast is cold, almost emotionless – at times its nature is more like a documentary. Fantastically filmed, of course, but it won't be a legend.

Testament of Youth is, as the posters suggest, a typically romantic (big) film that assaults all the viewer's senses. It is not as sophisticated and emotional as Atonement, nor as classically old-school raw as Cold Mountain. But cinematographer Rob Hardy does some pretty decent magic (truly impressive shots of nature, lighting, editing, details, etc.), and Alicia Vikander is a very talented actress. It's not going to pick up Oscars or make millions, it's ironically more of an intimate film that doesn't have a single war scene. It is, however, interesting in its portrayal of the characters and especially in the key and rather devastating role war plays in this melodramatic story. Subliminal, emotional, without a direct display of expressive violence. Definitely a major surprise that is worth watching.

Serious themes of an interesting era in the chronicle of humanity, the beauty of Victorian England (exteriors/interiors, aesthetics), and a lead cast of two. These are the three main assets in this formally meticulously done film, which lacks pull and a good dose of emotion. The sparkle is not enough. If Tom Hooper wasn't just a good craftsman, but a progressive innovator who could put his own distinctive spin on things (and there was a ton of room for that here), this would be downright great. Academics have lost their minds over something that isn’t nearly that great.

The rawest western in years. Slowly flowing, focusing mainly on character development and the careful and detailed building of the psychological minutiae of each twisted character. Tommy Lee Jones has this incredibly well in hand. This is also why I don't understand the lapses in editing and the unnecessary skipping of individual scenes, which were often clunky and distracting – though probably intentional. Similarly, the overly plodding pace is a shame. Watching two hours of sunsets is fine, but it's not enough, and it can have all the innovative depth and power with the typical western atmosphere of the uncompromising wild west it wants and it still is not enough. Hilary Swank, as always, rocks with her immediacy, and the twist towards the end of the film is quite shocking in a good way.

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.