Dead Man Down (2013)

Genre: Thriller

Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev

Starring: Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Dominic Cooper, Terrence Howard

Running time: 117 minutes

After the murder of his wife and daughter, Victor decides to infiltrate the criminal organization of kingpin Alphonse Hoyt, the man responsible for the crime. As he works towards his ultimate goal to bring that criminal empire down, his French neighbor Beatrice gets in his way. She witnesses him killing a man, and she threatens to tell the cops if he does not help her seek revenge on the man who caused her car accident, which left her severely disfigured and ruined her life.

The storyline of Dead Man Down is interesting enough and most of the international cast delivering the lines is doing it efficiently, but something is amiss. The storytelling is so very much uninspired. There are too many illogical plot twists and the film drags on and on for much too long. I found myself looking over and over again to see how much time was left; that is never a good sign. Then, the denouement comes and it is not as satisfying as it should be.

Dead Man Down is the first movie directed by Niels Arden Oplev after The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. With such an international ensemble cast and a good story, he should have made a much better movie. There were some good elements, but many faults make this film a non essential on any cinephile’s list.   

Rating: ««