Writer: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas (Screenplay)
Starring: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen, Tamer Hassan, Stephen Moyer, Chris Marquette, Odette Yustman
Plot: Starting off with the mysterious murder of a senator bearing the marks of a Soviet assassin, who was long thought of be dead. To hunt down the killer a retired CIA operative Paul (Gere), who spent his career going toe-to-toe with his Soviet nemesis, is teamed with a young FBI agent Ben (Grace).
Verdict: Simple Tidy Thriller
Story: I saw a lot of people moan about the trailer ruins everything with the Cassius being Paul, well let’s look at that. This happens within the first twenty minutes of the film and it makes the film a damn sight more interesting. We get to see how he has to keep the truth a secret but he doesn’t want to hurt the people trying to uncover it. We see how a young FBI agent tries to prove himself in his very first field case. Add in a mysterious known terrorist who secretly entered the country for a mission we don’t know anything about. All together it sounds like a weak episode of 24 but this comes off nicely showing a human side to a ruthless assassin. (6/10)
Actor Reviews
Richard Gere: Paul or Cassius a former assassin for the Russian who got his way up the ranks in the CIA, before retiring, but when someone kills the same way as he did, he sets out to uncover the truth. Good performance playing for once a villainous role but with a good side too. (7/10)
Topher Grace: Ben the young FBI agent who has been hunting down Cassius and will finally get his chance to prove himself by working with his idol and be the one to stop Cassius. Good performance but you still feel he can be out his depth with action films. (6/10)
Martin Sheen: Tom the Director of the CIA who gets Paul to help with the case without knowing his true identity. Good supporting role but nothing too hard to handle. (5/10)
Tamer Hassan: Bozlovski an assassin who has come into the country and taken Cassius’ attention, he is ruthless and has a trail of bodies left behind him. Good performance but we never learn enough about this job he is on. (5/10)
Stephen Moyer: Brutus one of Cassius’ flocks of assassin who never saw him, one that Cassius went after and thought was dead, but could his presence cause problems. Only a small part but gets to play crazy well. (5/10)
Director Review: Michael Brandt – Simple direction but puts one too many twists into the story. (6/10)
Action: Standard action with a few fights. (6/10)
Mystery: You will have to wait to see the real reason behind Cassius and try and figure it out yourself before we are shown. (7/10)
Thriller: You know who Cassius is, but his motives will keep you guessing. (6/10)
Settings: The settings fail to add anything major to the story. (4/10)
Suggestion: I would say try this, it got a lot of bad reviews but it actually isn’t that bad. (Try)
Best Part: The first twist
Worst Part: The second twist
Action Scene Of The Film: Final showdown
Believability: The idea of moles yes, but the rest seems too much. (2/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $3,696,232
Budget: N/A
Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
Tagline: Keep your enemies close.
Overall: Simple Revenge Thriller
Rating