Dead Man Down

Victor (Colin Farrell) is a henchman in the organized crime world of New York City.  His boss Alphonse (Terrance Howard) is getting ominous letters and when people who work for Alphonse start dying, he begins to search for the culprit.  Other than the occasional shoot-out at work, Victor lives a quiet and empty life.  Beatrice (Noomi Repace) lives in the same building with a balcony facing Victor’s.  When she witnesses him murder a man in his apartment, Beatrice decides it is time to meet Victor with a proposition.  Even before they meet, the two have a strong connection and that connection creates problems for them both as each moves closer to their personal goals. 

This movie was marketed as a shoot-em-up film, but turned out to be something very different.  If you are looking for a non-stop action flick, this is not the movie for you.  But if you are looking for a dramatic thriller with strong characters and good performances, then this is the film for you!  The mood of this film is very dark and quiet.  Long periods of time will go by with little or no talking, but there is never a moment where something is not being said.  Even when there is no dialog, the actor’s performance or the director’s choice of shot is telling you something about the characters or their story.  This movie is directed by Niels Arden Oplev.  This is his first big American film, but he directed the original Scandinavian version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which also starred Noomi Repace.  I am definitely looking forward to his next project.

Personally, I can’t find anything to criticize this film for.   I thought everything was very well done.   A good script is complimented by a worthy cast and a thoughtfully artistic director.  I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the theater thinking I was going to see an adrenaline-filled two hours and got a character-heavy story with some bullets thrown in for flavor.  The villain is appropriately menacing and the protagonists are flawed without being off-putting.  I would say this one is worth seeing in the theater, but isn’t necessary.  If you are just kind of interested the red box can save you six bucks.