The Accountant (2016)

 Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Gavin O’Connor
Cast: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons
Running Time: 128 minutes

 

A man going under the assumed named of Christian Wolff is a high functioning autistic man who does forensic accounting work for various criminal organizations. His work has him followed by various people, either looking to arrest him or to kill him. In the process, Christian, who is well trained to fight, also must protect a young fellow accountant who found the same issues he did and who is in grave danger too.

I was hooked by The Accountant from beginning to end. Great storytelling and good acting. I loved how the filmmakers established the background for the mean character. It make you care about him. This film had more of a human touch than many other action films out there. And that ending, I never saw that coming. Cannot wait to see the sequel.

Rating: «««««

Drop (2025)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Christopher Landon
Cast: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane
Running Time: 95 minutes

 

Widowed therapist Violet Gates is going on a first date in a long time after surviving an abusing relationship. She leaves her young son with her sister and goes to a fancy restaurant with a photographer she met on a dating app. Shortly after arriving to the restaurant, she starts receiving threatening messages on her phones that are getting darker and darker.

Drop is a fun thrill ride. Some plot twists do not make a lot of sense, but, as far as entertainment value is, it is highly pleasing.

Rating: ««««

Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Don Siegel
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Fred Ward, Jack Thibeau
Time: 112 minutes

 

Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by J. Campbell Bruce, this film recounts the 1962 prisoner escape from the maximum-security prison of Alcatraz. After years of planning, Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin, who had all been sent to Alcatraz after escaping other prisons, made their way out and disappeared. Nobody knows for sure if they survived, but their bodies were never found.

I was curious about this film since I will be visiting the site of Alcatraz soon. This film is really well done. It pulls you into the story and you stick by it all the way through. Clint Eastwood really shined here in the role of Frank Morris. He did a good job making the intelligent criminal that inspired the film look real.

Rating: ««««

The Sixth Sense (1999)

 Genre: Thriller
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
Time: 108 minutes

 

Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe does consultations with a 9-year-old boy named Cole Sear, who claims to be getting visits from the dead. This case reminds Malcolm of another young man who used be treated by him.

This is such a brilliant movie. Shyamalan wrote a marvelous piece of art here and directed it brilliantly. Willis and Osment have such great chemistry on screen. Some of the mystique is lost with this particular title once you know the punch line, so the movie ages not as well as other classics, but it is still a great film.

Rating: ««««

The Warriors (1979)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Walter Hill
Cast: Michael Beck, James Remar, Deborah Van Valkenburgh
Running Time: 115 minutes

 

A street gang known as The Warriors has to travel by various means from The Bronx to their home turf of Coney Island after getting framed for the murder of a popular gang leader named Cyrus. With a lot of angry gangs on their tale, and the cops, the Warriors have to find their way home.

This film is based on Sol Yurich’s novel of the same name. While it is a bit cartoonish and unrealistic, The Warriors have gained a cult following over the years, and with good reason. It is an entertaining flick. It is kept short. It is action packed. Some of the fight scenes are cool. Not bad.

Rating: «««

Conclave (2024)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Edward Berger
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow
Running Time: 120 minutes

 

After the death of the Pope, the College of Cardinals has to go into seclusion for the papal conclave. Cardinal-Dean Thomas Lawrence is put in charge of the proceedings, and, as the process wears on, he finds himself having to look into scandals and secrets, as personal ambitions are rampant among these men of faith.

This is a very smart film inspired by the 2016 novel of the same name by Robert Harris. The pace is slow and deliberate, but the film pulls you in if you let it. I loved how, with little cinematic touches, the filmmakers made these men of God feel so human.

Absolute kudos to Ralph Fiennes on his performance as Cardinal-Dean Lawrence. From his physiognomy to his posture, to his whole performance, he brought this character to life and made it feel real. A brilliant film that I loved very much.

 

Rating: «««««

Dressed to Kill (1980)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Cast: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen
Time: 104 minutes

 

Kate Miller is a sexually frustrated housewife who visits psychiatrist Dr. Robert Elliott, flirting with him in the process. Later, after having an affair with a complete stranger, she gets murdered in the elevator of her apartment building by a mysterious woman wielding a straight razor. Liz Blake, a high-priced call girl, witnesses the murder and becomes the target of the killer. Teaming with Kate Miller’s teenage son, she tries to figure out who did it.

This film created a lot of controversy back in the day, for its exploitative nature. By today’s standards, it is not so bad. There are a few graphic scenes, I will admit. Some of the acting, especially by Dickinson and Allen, is somewhat over-the-top. That being said, stylistically, this is a very entertaining whodunit kind of movie. De Palma did a good job with the genre, setting some cool atmospheres throughout.

Rating: ««««

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Troy Duffy
Cast: Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Julie Benz, Peter Fonda, Billy Connolly
Time: 117 minutes

 

Eight years after the events of the first film, fraternal twin brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus are living a quiet life in Ireland with their father Noah. After a hired assassin attempts to frame them with the murder of a priest, the brothers return to Boston, where they team with a Mexican underground fighter to settle the issue.

While not completely uninteresting, I feel like the original should have been left alone. This extension to the story was not necessary. There were some good battles and some funny lines, but it dragged on way too long. They are talking of a third installment in the franchise. Personally, I think they should not bother.

Rating: ««

Lucy Grizzli Sophie (2024)

Genre: Franco / Thriller
Réalisation: Anne Émond
Distribution: Catherine-Anne Toupin, Guillaume Cyr, Lise Roy
Durée: 89 minutes

 

Après avoir quitté Montréal, consommé une dose considérable d’alcool et roulé une bonne partie de la nuit, Sophie se retrouve fatigué au gîte de Louise. Elle y est accueillie par Martin, le neveu de la propriétaire. Sophie et Martin développent une complicité assez troublante, alors que la vérité s’apprête à éclater au grand jour.

Ce film est basé sur la pièce de théâtre La Meute, écrite par Catherine-Anne Toupin. Je me souviens que, durant la tournée de promotion autour du film, les descriptions de l’histoire étaient assez vagues. Je comprends maintenant pourquoi il en était ainsi : En tant que spectateur, on ne comprend tout qu’au dernier acte. C’est alors que nous avons toutes les informations en main.

Lucy Grizzli Sophie raconte une histoire fort actuelle, avec des personnages complexes, sur le pouvoir des mots, surtout lorsque vient le temps de faire du mal. C’est très facile de s’investir émotivement dans ce film. Le jeu des acteurs et actrices est fort efficace. On y croit sans jamais douter. Ce film est excellent. C’est cru, c’est dur, c’est lourd, mais on ne décroche pas du début à la fin.

Rating: «««««

Twisters (2024)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Lee Isaac Chung
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos
Time: 122 minutes

 

Kate Carter gives up storm chasing in Oklahoma after losing most of her team, including her boyfriend, in an EF5. She moves to New York and gets a job at the NOAA office. Five years later, the only other surviving member of her former team tracks her down. He is working for a mobile tornado radar company called Storm Par and he convinces Kate to join them for a week to investigate a tornado outbreak back in Oklahoma. On site, Kate finds out that storm chasing is now big business, as multiple groups are clashing.

As a standalone sequel to the 1996 film called Twister, Twisters clearly improves upon the original. The story is a lot more fleshed out, the acting is better, and the visuals are amazing. Some of the stuff is a little predictable, but, overall, I was greatly entertained. The story felt very actual, rooted in a reality we can all relate to.

Rating: ««««

Blink Twice (2024)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Zoë Kravitz
Cast: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex
Time: 102 minutes

 

Frida and her best friend Jess are working as waitresses for an exclusive cocktail party, where they encounter controversial billionaire tech mogul Slater King, who invites them to join him and a group of people to party on a private island. Some time after her arrival there, Frida starts to realize that things might very well not be as they appear to be there.

Considering that, even before the movie starts, the producers shared a “trigger warning”, I was expected to be shocked or at the very least surprised by the content of Blink Twice. I had forgotten that this is 2024. The violence and the sordid matters are suggested much more than they are seen. There are a few rough flashes here and there, but it is not that bad. I get that the viewer sees the memories of the victims as they come to them. That is a choice that can easily be defended, but the warning was a bit much in my book, since it is clearly not usual.

Blink Twice offers a slow burn story-wise. Things are slow to get going to the point that I almost got bored, but, once it kicks into high gear, it gets better. I can clearly see the feminine prints on the story, as the moral of the whole thing is in bold and underlined a few times. Blink Twice is neither bad nor great. It is a decent movie about some bad people doing bad things. The acting is a little over-the-top at times, but it was mostly okay.

Rating: «««

The Brave One (2007)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Neil Jordan
Cast: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveem Andrews
Time: 122 minutes

 

Erica Bain is radio host who gets savagely attacked when she is walking in a New York City park at night with her fiancé. She survives the attack, but her lover dies. Afraid for her safety as she recuperates from her injuries, Erica buys a gun, and then turns to vigilantism to rid the city of some of its criminals that the law does not catch. Detective Sean Mercer, who is investigating these news murders happening around the city, gets closer and closer to Erica. 

This was a new twist on the Death Wish / Vigilante genre, where it is now a woman seeking justice to avenge a lost loved one. In the process, I find that the filmmakers did a solid job giving more depth to the character. More work is put into establishing motivations, without going overboard with it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The chemistry between Foster and Horward, and the well laid-out story, hooked me from beginning to end. Some places dragged a bit, but really good.

Rating: ««««

Killshot (2008)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: John Madden
Cast: Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Time: 95 minutes

 

Wayne and Carmen Colson have recently separated. After crossing paths with a couple of hitmen, they are placed together in witness protection, but that does not stop the two bad men from coming around trying to eliminate them from circulation.

This action thriller is based on the 1989 Elmore Leonard novel of the same name. The premise is compelling enough, but the acting feels very uninspired and the characters are pretty one dimensional.

Rating: ««

Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: John Herzfeld
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Max Zhang, Dave Bautista, Devon Sawa
Time: 96 minutes

 

Security expert Ray Breslin gathers a team to counter the son of a former ally-turned-enemy, Lester Clark Jr. Clark Jr. and his group of terrorists have abducted a delegation from Hong Kong based company, Zhang Innovations, and Breslin’s girlfriend.

This is the third installment in the Escape Plan franchise. While not a great movie, it is a clear improvement upon the previous offering. The action is fun and the fight scenes are well done. The story is better structured, though there still are a few plot holes. The acting is decent overall. All things considered, okay entertainment.

Rating: «««

The Boondock Saints (1999)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Troy Duffy
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus
Time: 108 minutes

 

After beating two Russian mobsters to death in an altercation, Irish American fraternal twin brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus get an epiphany and decide to turn to vigilantism as a mean to rid their city, Boston, of the people doing wrong deeds. In their cavalcade, they are pursued by FBI Special Agent Paul Smecker.

In terms of action and thrills, The Boondock Saints is a fun film. There is a good dose of dark humor and you can see that the filmmaker, writer and director Troy Duffy, does not take himself too seriously here. The aim clearly seems to be entertainment. The main issue here is that plot-wise, it is a very thin offering. Nonetheless, I was entertained while it lasted.

Rating: «««

Trap (2024)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Night Shyamalan
Time: 105 minutes

 

Cooper Adams is a firefighter, but, unbeknownst to his family, he is also a serial killer the authorities call The Butcher. As they try to catch the dangerous criminal whose identity they are unsure of, they set a trap at a concert where he will be with his teenage daughter. Now, Cooper has to find a way to leave the arena where the concert is held, with his daughter and without being caught by the cops.

This psychological thriller rests heavily on the shoulders of Josh Hartnett, who is excellent in the lead role. Unfortunately, most of the supporting cast is not as solid. The premise itself is cool, but a little bit gets lost in the delivery, through plot holes and a desire to be too cool for school. Some of the tongue-in-cheek humor made me laugh, but it felt like Shyamalan was trying a little too hard at times.

Rating: «««

Longlegs (2024)

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Directed by: Osgood Perkins
Cast: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood
Running Time: 101 minutes

 

Lee Harker is a young FBI agent who is tasked to help solve the case of a series of murder-suicides that have been happening for decades within families in the
Oregon area. An occultist is suspected to be involved in the crimes without being present at the scene, and the case brings Lee Harker back to her own childhood.

First off, kudos to Nicolas Cage for the comeback role. He is amazing here. He is almost unrecognizable at first. Maika Monroe is also very good. Osgood Perkins was also very efficient in creating an atmosphere that surrounds you and never lets you out until the movie is done.

The only fault I can find here is in the promotion. Many sold this film as the scariest thing ever made. I mean, it is creepy and very entertaining. But, the scariest thing ever made? Not so much.

Rating: ««««

Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Steven C. Miller
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista, Huang Xiaoming
Time: 96 minutes

 

Ray Breslin is still operating his security company, with a team of men working under him. He must go back into action to save a few of his men, who are now locked up in this high-tech prison. In the process, Breslin has to face off with a former employee he had to let go for not following the rules.

This is such a mess of a film. Stallone and Bautista did a good job, but the rest of the characters are so weak and uninteresting, I doubt it is really the actor’s fault. The story itself is a mish-mash of nonsensical business. It is just so convoluted. Business picks up in the end when Breslin gets involved a little more in the story, but it is not enough to save the movie from being avoidable.

Rating: ««

Con Air (1997)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Simon West
Cast: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich
Running Time: 115 minutes

 

Cameron Poe is a former Army Ranger who was sent to jail for accidently killing a man in self defense during a fight with a few drunken men. Eight years later, he is set for release and he is being transported by plane to get back to his wife and the young daughter he never met. During the flight, the plane is overtaken by the high-risk convicts inside. While keeping a low profile and seeming cooperative with the dangerous criminals, Poe has to spring into action in an attempt to finally make it home.

This is such a good action film. The story is compelling and the cast is filled with talented folks playing their roles quite well. Sure, believability was not a priority. Sure, this film was never destined to win awards. But, it never took itself seriously, which can be so charming. There is some good action, some funny lines and a satisfying conclusion. Overall, a very good thrill-ride of a flick!

Rating: ««««

Escape Plan (2013)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Mikael Hafstrom
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel
Time: 115 minutes

 

Ray Breslin is a former prosecutor who now operates a business where he tests the security in various prisons by getting himself locked in under a fake identity and then trying to escape. He is recruited to test the security in a super secretive prison for very dangerous criminals. Once inside, he realizes that he has been trapped and lied to. He solicits the help of another inmate, Emil Rottmayer, to help plan his escape this prison located on a boat in the middle of the ocean.

The main attraction here is seeing Stallone and Schwarzenneger together in lead roles. This is a decent action film. It is nothing too original, but it does the job on entertaining while it lasts. I must admit the ending was less than satisfying.

Rating: «««