Movie review: Dead Man Down

A comprehensively strange and intermittently compelling crime thriller, Dead Man Down both fascinates and frustrates in equal measure.

Dead Man Down

MOVIE REVIEW: A comprehensively strange and intermittently compelling crime thriller, Dead Man Down both fascinates and frustrates in equal measure.

There are approximately 10 shock twists too many. And double the number of sudden mood swings. Seriously, this film changes speed, direction and efficiency more often than a shopping trolley on a frozen lake.

And yet, under the crafty direction of Danish filmmaker Niels Arden Oplov - responsible for the original screen adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Dead Man Down exudes an irrational intelligence that keeps you completely intrigued throughout.

A shifty-eyed, stony-faced Colin Farrell plays Victor, one of those hitmen-with-a-past types about to dance the one-last-job tango.

You can tell Victor doesn't think much of his boss, Alphonse (Terrence Howard). As we become familiar with his movements, it also looks as if Victor is planning some elaborate form of payback against Alphonse for a prior misdemeanor.

As with much of Dead Man Down, the viewer must piece together any missing bits of the informational jigsaw laid out here in their own time.

Before Victor can complete what might be one of the most unnecessarily complicated acts of revenge in recent movie memory, an additional and unwanted assignment lands in his lap.

A pretty neighbor, Beatrice (Noomi Rapace), has been permanently disfigured in a car accident. She wants the drunk driver responsible killed. She has a video in her possession of Victor killing someone else.

That is more than enough to blackmail Victor into agreeing to Beatrice's request. Which is a shame, as these two loners might have just made the perfect couple. (Any hints at real romance between the pair just account for more diversions from what the film is really up to.)

To be frank, Dead Man Down is a deeply flawed, yet deeply felt affair that probably bites off more than it should be feasibly chewing.

The unusual performance stylings of Farrell and Rapace fit the bill perfectly, however. In a film rife with distrust and unease, their layered readings of their respective characters give life to Dead Man Down when it needs it most.

> Dead Man Down [MA15+]
Director: Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Starring: Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard, Dominic Cooper.
Rating: 3/5

"Revenge a wish best served bold"