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American Star Review

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This film could be classified as mellow suspense because there is a deadly task waiting to be completed. To buy time in the film, the focus is on a man of solitude who is assigned to do the mission. American Star was a unique experience, but I didn’t truly love or hate it as a thriller. Director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego directs this project from the sole perspective of the hitman played by Ian McShane. McShane is known for his role of superiority as Al Swearengen in HBO’s Deadwood and is also known for playing the big boss in the John Wick franchise. McShane is a British actor who can play a range of roles and always displays a distinct bad attitude that sets him apart. His seriousness shines through as the discrete hitman in American Star.

McShane’s character, Wilson, is spending his time on an island called Fuerteventura. He is awaiting the time to assassinate someone. With the vast and scenic landscapes on the island, he tends to get distracted. Wilson keeps to himself, wears nothing but a black suit, smokes constantly, and observes his surroundings. His nephew Ryan (played by Adam Matthew Nagaitis) works with Wilson’s assignments as well. While Wilson is eager to go home and put an end to his deadly career, it’s not as easy as it looks. Wilson is told, “The less you know…the better!” This causes Wilson to let his guard down.

The film’s transitions to Wilson trying to connect more in social settings. He meets Gloria (played by Nora Arnezeder) and starts to build a friendship with her. The film’s writing about Wilson’s disconnect takes on a larger focus than the assassination-mission. American Star gives audiences the sense that Wilson’s leniency will have a bigger impact on him…once he completeshis mission. Hiding and aborting mission is not an option. While the story moves along slowly at times, the discreet ways that the tension unfolded had me sold.

Wilson’s frustrations are caused by having to hide the truth and wishing he could enjoy life. The barrier is huge between the possibility of living in a positive atmosphere and completing an assassination mission in American Star. The portrait of Wilson shows how good one’s life could be…if he did not have such a deadly job. In one scene, Gloria asks Wilson if he is an ex-cop, and Wilson asks her if he looks like one. Writing like this remains steady and flows with the pacing of Wilson while he covers his tracks.

Continuous hiding of the truth creates anxiety-provoking tension in American Star. The film is slow in fragments, but still intriguing. McShane’s performance is effective in portraying how complicated truths hide inner consequences. American Star is much more of a mental thriller than an action thriller. In fact, there is hardly any action, but the intensity is strong. Audiences will feel the tension rising during scenes where time is of the essence. Three out of four stars for American Star.

Film reviews

Resurrection Review

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From director Andrew Semans comes an invigorating and intense thriller that will have its audience sink in their seats with suspense. That film is Resurrection. Starring Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth, this suspenseful flick challenged me psychologically. The performance of Hall is where I kept being curious to how much darker her attitude can get. Resurrection is a film that challenges one’s behavior and attitude, and how the past can have dark and irreparable consequences.

Hall is Margaret. She is a successful with an outstanding career. She is also a single mom to her daughter Abbie (played by Grace Kaufman). She is always on top of her game with her career and making sure she is a good mom to Abbie. She has her daily routines to benefit her mental health and stability. All of that comes to halt when David (Roth) comes back into her life. This all makes a fuse go off in Margaret’s head and her mindset to be overprotective (of herself and Abbie) and mentally overwhelming. It becomes increasingly concerning. No one plays the part of overprotective mother better than Hall in this spellbinding work of art.

The stress of Hall’s character will grow awareness of the audience. That is because in every corner she is sensitive, and in every scenario with David she is intense. An element from the past that is unexplained is Why David returns. With Roth as David, and the individual trying to remain neutral. Both the performances of Hall and Roth drive personality clashes to have disturbing outcomes which are invigorating in Resurrection. With Semans also being the writer, he knows how to write a script where tension is on par with the correlation of frustration between Margaret and David throughout the film.

With Hall instilling the overwhelming paranoia throughout Resurrection, the film will grasp viewers attention as her paranoia begins to impact others in the film. It impacts Abbie, it impacts her colleagues, and it also impacts David’s attitude. With David already displaying stalkerish behavior, he still finds a way to maintain his attitude where it does not get him in trouble. He does this so Margaret’s resources from the police can be of little to no help. The paranoia of Hall’s performance only keeps worsening as her resources also choose not to help her.

Resurrection is one of those films that is a visually enticing. It is also original with many engrossing elements. Hall and Roth’s performance is superb. Their protagonist vs. antagonist relationship is Resurrection’s central point of creating Resurrection to be a knockout cinematic experience. There may be light for Margaret, but it may require much more than she anticipates finding the light. Three and a half stars.