The Courier (2012)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

... you can't be bothered to write a review. This is one of those films. and now I have to fill out 10 lines of text for the minimum review length. Sometimes I sort of wish I never started doing something, so I guess in a way writing this review is very much like The Courier, essentially pointless and a complete waste of my time and not even getting to the level of 'so bad it's good'. It's actually amazing that I've managed to write this much to be honest, I only finished watching The Courier 10 minutes ago and it's already slipping out of my brain to the extent that I'm not entirely sure what actually happened at the end anymore (the first half has gone already). Normally this would be good as valuable brain space isn't being taken up by The Courier but I expect by the end of the day all memory of this very forgettable film will be erased from my memory which leaves the very real possibility that one day in the future I might see it's title when I'm looking for some rubbish action film to watch and actually waste my time by watching it again with a nagging sense of déjà vu and I won't be sure if it's because I've watched the courier before or that it's just generic rubbish.So that's 10 lines of text done (in fact more than 10 lines which is a lot more than The Courier deserves) so I'm going to do something more interesting than watching The Courier such as watching paint dry or sitting in a dark empty room.

As a Rourke Fan (especially Angel Heart !!!) i found the new film from Director Hany Abu Assad quite amusing. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was refreshing and most sympathetic, while our Star Til Schweiger was not as bad as i usually remember him. Most impressing were a couple of good action sequences ( hard core torture with Miguel Ferrer) and the most hilarious scene I've ever seen Mickey in...him doing a rather short Elvis impersonation...as I said: hilarious.The Storyline lacks here and there an it does indeed remind one of "The Transporter" (I heard they had this movie already a couple of years in the pipeline, hence the "old" story) and "Angel Heart". On the other Hand it is strict and forward,no big misleading story lines, which of course means that you know rather quickly, where the train is going...unless you have never seen Angel Heart, that is.One thing stroke me odd though, the End is a bit ...let's say unusual, or maybe I did not understand the film at all ;-)Do not expect a great action thriller - because it is not ! Do not expect anything and I bet you'll be surprised.

The spoilers will only appear in the last paragraph, so feel free to read until then, if you want to. Actually the spoiler will contain a comparison to another movie, just so you know. But lets look at the movies cast for second first. You have Jeffrey Dean Morgan who made a name of himself with the Watchmen (and his appearance in the Shutter Island I guess). Now he either missed out on opportunities after that or didn't get offered better roles I suppose.Whatever it is, he is not alone in this movie. Miguel Ferrer, whom most might remember from the TV show 24, but some might remember from his straight to video days in the 90s is there with some other familiar faces (more of that later on). And while they're all pretty decent and the pace is strolling along quite nice, this is not a revelation. Not really bad by any standards either.And here come the spoilers: The main bad guy who isn't revealed until the end, is easy to spot. I recognized his voice instantly. We are talking about ... Mickey Rourke of course. But when I say main bad guy, you obviously having seen the movie (or not caring), should know that he actually isn't. The Keyser Soze moment isn't really bad, but it doesn't really elevate the movie either.

Like a previous review mentioned, this movie actually started out fairly promising. The first 20-30 minutes were exciting enough to stay interested, despite the fact that you've seen the clichéd premise before. I have no problem with clichéd premises provided that it's done well with a few original sequences and even partially compelling characters. Though it seemed to be a lower budget and weaker scripted version of The Transporter, at least it had some credibility with favored actors like Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Til Schweiger, not to mention Mickey Rourke, and the action was fast paced and fun.Unfortunately, by the time Micky Rourke even shows the back of his head, I no longer cared. After 30 minutes, the movie starts to fall apart. A character or two whom you've never seen before or even heard referenced start showing up, and are ascribed importance for no fathomable reason. The action sequences, though not terrible, no longer hold any weight due to the confusion caused by the messy script, and plot holes and character inconsistencies abound.Til Schweiger is totally wasted here, and Mickey Rourke is practically non-existent, though I can't say I blame him. Josie Ho as the love interest(what?) seemed very miscast, and I found her hairstyle distractingly ugly. At the end of the movie they try to wrap up all the many confusing loose ends with what was no doubt supposed to be a shocking reveal-all diatribe prior to the "boss battle", but I couldn't have cared less even if I wanted to understand. I found myself getting angrier that I was still watching this mess as the minutes rolled by.The end could not have been worse. It's like it ended in the middle of a scene, though it's hard to say. I was busy watching condensation roll down my glass by this time, then was startled back to the screen by the movie ending abruptly.So all in all, not good. I give it a 3 for the first 30 minutes, and for Jeffrey Dean Morgan who did his best with what he had.