Thursday, October 18, 2012

"Catch .44" with Bruce Willis and Forest Whitaker (2011)

In this multi-layered thriller by writer/director Aaron Harvey, he heas taken the best parts of “Pulp Fiction”; with its plot twists and shifts in sequence; and blended it with a bit of Guy Ritches’ “Snatch”; and the result is a wild, enjoyable adventure.

Bruce Willis plays “Mel”, who is a crime boss; while Forest Whitaker plays a hit man in his employ, who is masquerading as a police officer named Ronny. The 3 women; Tes, played by  Malin Akerman, and her two cohorts Kara , played by Nikki Reed, and Dawn  played by Deborah Ann Woll, are also involved someway with Mel; just as Forest Whitaker is. The connection is vague; but clearly there. When Mel has the women go on an “assignment” 40 miles out of New Orleans to intercept a drug shipment and the money, something is clearly not adding up. Is it retribution for something they did wrong? Or, is it just an easy score to help them get back in the swing of things?
The film is dealt out in sequences, which all return to the fateful moment at the beginning of the film, keeping you guessing at what the real story is. Violence and “adult” language are dealt out appropriately; though gratuitously; in this film. This movie does not come near the level of violence of Quentin Tarentino’s “Kill Bill” series, which were way beyond belief to me. It also rises to the level of the Guy Ritchie film in that it challenges the viewer to think outside of the box in order to understand the plot. This is not an Agatha Christie “whodunit” by any means.

Bit by bit it becomes apparent that things have been pre-ordained. But for what purpose? And by whom? Can anyone trust the affable Ronny, or is he just another “shil” for the mysterious Mel? And why is Tes the only one spared from the initial carnage? Does Mel have special plans for her?
A fantastic musical score rounds out this colorful and exciting send up of today’s action films a la “Pulp Fiction”, while doing nothing to detract from that movie. Rather, this film may be the most coherent of the genre to date.

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