Director: Dito Montiel
Writer: Adam G Simon, Dito Montiel (Screenplay) Adam G Simon (Story)
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Jai Courtney, Gary Oldman, Kate Mara, Tory Kittles, Clifton Collins Jr
Plot: In a post-apocalyptic America, former U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer searches desperately for the whereabouts of his son, accompanied by his best friend and a survivor.
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Confusing at Times
Story: Man Down starts in a post-apocalyptic America as we follow Gabriel Drummer (LaBeouf) and his best friend Devin Roberts (Courtney) searching for Gabriel’s son, we flash back to his marine training through his conversations with Counsellor Peyton (Oldman).
Through the film we learn how Gabriel handled himself in war when he lives his wife Natalie (Mara) and child Johnathan back in America, how he is prepared for this post-apocalyptic world that America is now and how far he would go to get his son back.
Thoughts on Man Down
Characters – Gabriel is a marine that believed he was fighting for the right thing but when the war came to America when he was away, he must search the destruction in hope of finding his son. Devin is the best friend and marine to Gabriel, he supports him through his missions and search for his son. Counsellor Peyton is the man learning about the mission that went wrong, as we learn that his mindset might not be as clean as we are led to believe.
Performances – Shia LaBeouf is good in this leading role showing a range we have questioned before. Jai Courtney is good in the supporting role showing us there is talent with the right material. Gary Oldman is great and that is how we like him calm and collective.
Story – The story is told in four parts, as we follow Gabriel in his home life, war time, meetings with a counselor and in the post-apocalyptic time, these timelines only confuse the story telling process as by the end of it we will find ourselves wondering just what actually happened to these men, what is real and what is not. By the end you will understand what happened but it does make certain parts feeling random, but the true message is important.
Thriller – The thrilling side of the film does feel slow in places, it shows us certain moments only to make a complete switch in the final act.
Settings – The settings do help keep us in the different location for each moment of the story, we can identify with each part of the story we are watching too.
Scene of the Movie – The final act, and how it is shot is beautiful.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – A lot of what we see is not as important.
Final Thoughts –This is a standard movie for the most part, it starts being confusing for the first hour but when it unfolds you will be taken back where this movie goes.
Overall: Slow and confusing nearly saved by a wonderful final act.
Rating
