The Hitman's Bodyguard - 殺手保鑣

The Hitman's Bodyguard (殺手保鑣) is an 2017 film. The movie stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. The supporting cast include Élodie Yung, Gary Oldman, and Salma Hayek.

Ryan Reynolds plays a triple certified bodyguard, Michael Bryce. Samuel L. Jackson plays Darius Kincaid, the world's most well known assassin. Kincaid is captured one day and agrees to testify against a warlord for a reduced sentence for his wife. Along the way, the warlord's inside people get to Kincaid, but he escapes and Bryce is enlisted to bring him to the trial or the warlord goes free due to no witnesses. Let the fun begin as they have to go through Europe to get Kincaid to the trial court and the warlord's men are very resourceful and keep finding them.

This movie was made for Ryan Reynolds. Deadpool without the super powers. The addition of Samuel L. Jackson shakes up the formula a little, but not by much. If you like Reynolds and his movies, you will most likely enjoy this one too.

Darkest Hour - 最黑暗的時刻

Darkest Hour (最黑暗的時刻) is an 2017 film. The movie stars Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of the UK during World War II. The supporting cast include Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn, Stephen Dillane, and Ronald Pickup. The events of the film were based on true events but took many fictional liberties.

The movie deplicts the first month of Winston Churchill's appointment to the Prime Minister of the UK during World War II (WWII), May 1940. It starts the day before he is appointed all the way to right before the events of Dunkirk.

That's about as much of a summary as the movie needs. The legends of Churchill's impact on WWII where on film as I grew up and in some of the history books. As is the custom in current times, the heroes of yester-year are now depicted as flawed, egotistical, but still heroes. This is the case for Churchill. They present him as a man who had many political failures and someone who should not have taken the seat as prime minister. The customs of the past are not present as repressive and barbaric, as something to not romanticize.

As a movie, high drama and a great behind the scenes look into a critical time in history. The acting was all around great, with good performance by Oldman and James. I was engaged throughout and would recommend a watch. Will I be watching this again? Most likely not. This is one of those watch once type of movies. But still worth the one watch.

Lawless - 法外之地

Lawless (法外之地) is an 2012 film. The movie stars Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy. The supporting cast include Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, Jason Clarke, and Guy Pearce. The movie is based on an novel based on the Bondurant moonshine business of the Prohibition era.

As Prohibition kicks into swing, the moonshine business becomes big business for the folks of the Appalachian mountains. Fast forward to the 1931, the Bondurant family is at the head of the class. The Bondurant borthers of Forrest, Howard and Jack have it good. Forrest is the brians, Howard is the muscle, and Jack is the youngest, seen the least and starts to mess things up. The law has shown up town and tries to take everyone down. Not out of business if you play nice with them.

The movie was pretty low key. I am on the fence of recommending this movie. It does present a slice 1930s prohibition era madness. And it does have Jessica Chastain. But besides that, it's not much of a compiling story. It is unique, but it may be subject matter that isn't all that mainstream.

The Dark Knight Rises - 黑暗騎士:黎明昇起

The Dark Knight Rises (黑暗騎士:黎明昇起) is an 2012 film. The movie stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The supporting cast include Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, and Morgan Freeman. The film is based on the comic book character of the same name. The movie is the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.

The movie starts roughly 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight. Harvey Dent was a good guy turned bad by the Joker. Harvey's legacy has been good for peace and bad for crime. Crime is at an all time low and Gotham has forgotten its crime-ridden past. However, in the shadows lurks a mysterious villain. However, since Harvey's death, the need for a vigilante crime was no longer needed and Batman was retired. We come to find out that Bruce Wayne has injured his leg and seems crippled. Satisfied with the way things are, Wayne has given up on life. But the mysterious villain forces The Dark Knight to rise and fight crime again.



The movie was good. The Dark Knight was probably great. This movie was good. Good story. Well characterized heroes and villains and those in-between. Great production value and great acting. Put it all together, you get a film worth seeing and something to talk about after. The Dark Knight Rises is a bit of "more of the same", but The Dark Knight spurned more discussion in terms of who's right, wrong, and those in-between. The Dark Knight Rises tells you who's right, wrong, and those in-between. The extreme nature of some subplots rang hallow, but the story was suspenseful and kept me wanting more.

The Book of Eli - 奪天書

The Book of Eli (奪天書) is a 2010 film out of the USA. The movie stars Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, and Jennifer Beals.

Set in the future, the world was bombed 30 years prior. Now, the United States is an apocalyptic wasteland. Denzel plays Eli, who has the goal of going west. Eli also has in his possession a very special book. As Eli travels west, we see his interaction with those in the wasteland. In essence, humans now feed off each other. Cannibalism. A sign of this is that people will shake. Eli lands in a town run by Gary Oldman as Carnegie. Carnegie rules the town because he can supply the water. Eli befriends Solara, played by Mila Kunis. Solara reveals to Carnegie that Eli has the book he's been waiting for. Eli makes it out of town, but not before a gun fight. Carnegie and company make chase and try to track Eli down. Solara decides to tag along with Eli. Will Eli and Solara make it out alive?



The movie was pretty awesome. One of the best of the year. The pacing, the "world", and the actors and actresses make this a pretty entertaining watch. You can't just make another Mad Max type movie without a great plot and story. In this case, they had a great cast with a great premise.

Asians in the film? I didn't see or notice any. Must have all been wiped out by the nuclear bombs.