REVIEW:
A movie that works just as much as a comedy as it does as a mystery or action flick, this one has a little bit of everything and manages to pull it off. For one, it plays in the perfect sandbox of sub genres, which is the everyday guy who comes across a murder mystery. Director Shane Black tackled the sub genre perfectly with both Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys, (which also featured Gosling,) and this time, it’s action movie director David Leitch’s turn.
The lead character here is a stuntman, so not exactly an everyman. But he’s also not a cop, detective, FBI agent, gangster, or anybody used to getting mixed up with this world of crime. In that regard the character is somewhat similar to the one Gosling played in Drive (also about a stunt driver,) who was also the strong, silent type. It’s a good character for Gosling, who seems to fit the role well.
But unlike Drive, which seemed to strive on seeing how dark it could get, this one is light-hearted fun. The comedy is all over this film, and for the most part that’s a good thing. More often than not ,it works. So does the experiences on the movie set, which feel like getting an insiders peek behind the curtain of what action movies are like (Tropic Thunder-style.)
The first half is better than the second, and that’s in large part because the movie goes on a little too long. There’s a final act that sort of feels tacked on after the movie should have ended. But it’s also a final act filled with action, and trying to prove who the villain really is to the world, and so it does have plenty going for it.
The movie is good, but it doesn’t quite reach the level of being great. That’s probably because it tries to be and do just a little too much. For example, if this one ditched the romantic angle and just focussed on the murder mystery story, it would have been a tighter film. Still, as it stands, it’s enjoyable fun with some pretty good action thrown in from time to time.