Avenger (2006)
After his own daughter was killed in Panama in 1994, former CIA agent Calvin Dexter became a private 'specialist' in cases which wouldn't reach justice trough the regular legal channels. Two years later he accepts to find Richard 'Ricky' Edmunds for his pa, influential rich businessman Stephen Edmonds. Ricky for a private Canadian war victims charity in Bosnia and went missing. Dexter discovers Ricky was beaten to pulp and drowned for no other crime then helping street boys from the other side by Zoran Zilic and his Serbian paramilitary 'order'. He offers Steven to 'finish the job' as such war criminals don't go to trial. But deputy CIA director Paul Devereaux cares only for a nuclear arms project he wants to use Zilic for. So CIA troubleshooter Frank McBride is ordered to protect him and handle Dexter.
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Really Surprised!
Better Late Then Never
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
In sum: Read the book, skip the film --it will only make you angry.Warning: Spoilers may follow. The cast: Awful. Sam Elliot, Thimothy Hutton, Paul Deveraux are all great actors and I usually enjoy them. In this picture they are grossly miscast; Dexter is a guy in his fifties, Elliot is over sixty and looks seventy if a day. McBride is a crucial element of the book and is completely perverted both in appearance, importance and plot in the film.The plot: Why do some people feel compelled to make a lousy hamburger out of a fine sirloin? The book has great subplots; the daughter seduction assassination and subsequent vengeance is elementary for understanding Dexter. It's glossed over in a gross way. Even the actress that plays the daughter is completely out of context. The Vietnamese woman is completely unexplained in the film. Ditto the computer whiz kid. The subplot involving the kid assassinated in Bosnia is, in the book, superb. In the film is almost beyond comprehension unless you have previously read the book.Frankly, again, these kind of crappy films should warn the viewer before starting: "WARNING, persons having read the book this film is based upon will be seriously outraged. View at your own risk".
The idea of a retired Vietnam veteran becoming an avenger for reward, provided the targets are bad enough is often successful.However there is often a problem in winding the story up.In this case though the plot starts well with villainy in Bosnia deserving punishment and leads to the Avenger making some interesting voyages and the encounter of colourful underworld characters the plot kind of vanishes with the involvement of stereo type crooked Congressmen and CIA or FBI agents. In the end the Avenger finds his man but then conclusion leaves so many loose ends to th rest of the story that the viewer is bound to feel let down.A disappointing film not really worth watching.
Great action. Elliot funny guy. Hard-edged, heart of gold, troubled and driven by past. Gets results the Philip Marlowe way.Interesting story line for first episode. Blends recent history with political intrigue, attempts to appear realistic, cynical. Good location shooting. Solid acting from Hutton and Cromwell as shady power hungry covert corrupt government officials. Of course they are acting in the nations "best interest." Sound familiar? Clever plot twist prostitutes and plutonium, Islamic fundamentalists,desert survival,rock climbing, MacGyver-like ingenuity with Mad Max morality. You'll love it!
Nice to see Sam again. Much as I like watching his movies, I really hope this doesn't become just another series - maybe an infrequent series -like two or three a year. Its pretty obvious that there is a lot of background in this - and in order to keep up the production values, it needs to be treated like the Special Event that Sam is. It was just nice to see him looking like a regular person. But he still has that incredible voice (he's the voice of IBM and the Beef Council, too). There was lot of thought that went into this - lots of pre-production was very evident - it was well made - and worth the wait!!