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Film reviews

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Review

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Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a sequel that goes international. The first film, Den of Thieves, was all about a war between cops and bank robbers throughout California. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a sequel where the events from the first film leave a trail for unfinished business. With Gerard Butler as Nicholas ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson—they both return to team up. In the first film, Nicholas is the cop trying to capture the bad guys with the help of Donnie (since he is the driver of the bank robbers). Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has the characterizations for forces to join for a new award.

In the film, Nicholas is at odds with his position as a sheriff. He has lots of debts and unfinished business. Donnie has found his way to Europe. He does operations of robbing diamonds under the operation of Jovanna (played by Evin Ahmad). Donnie is putting what he has learned from the first film into his way of making ends meet—robbing items worth fortunes. This time, his work is in Nice, France. Nicholas finds his way to Donnie, and both team up for a heist at one of the most prestigious diamond exchanges. The exchange is under the supervision of the Panther Mafia. They are a brutal gang of wealthy criminals—that is nothing Nicholas or Donnie cannot handle.

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera lays out the plans of the heist with a deeper context—there are more stealthy missions of suspense over lethal gunfire (like the first film). There are more infrastructure-related considerations. It is how law enforcement and the layouts of the land and security of France operate. This sequel finds its strategy of going rogue frequently. It is exciting (in fragments) but dull in some as well. The dynamic between the performances of Butler and Jackson Jr. is the component of curiosity. Is Nicholas truly there to help Donnie? Does Donnie realistically know what he is doing?

The film continues in its tracks to keep the momentum of a heist from happening. It just keeps falling to the tracks of political and egotistical. The “egotistic” side comes a lot from Butler’s performance. Overall, it is a thriller that thrives on its motive. It is not excellent, but it excels in good faith. Creativity is up many notches for its audience to cross-examine suspense. However, this is still purely a sequel based on how well the first one did. Its selling tactic is more of the macho man galore with Butler’s performance and witty cop humor. It is a brand of material that is joyful. However, it drags the film’s seriousness.

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a sequel just below average. The film sells with its more low-key suspense. Overall, though, it is purely for the ones who anticipate the shoot-them-up-robbing flick. The only difference is that it is diamonds and being overseas with two-sided attitudes. Two out of four stars.

Film reviews

The Apprentice Review

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The story of one man’s rise to power moves swiftly in The Apprentice. Directed by Ali Abbasi, the early days of Donald Trump are looped in with political factors as well as greed on the road to success. The movie is filled with over-the-top humor and egotistical tones which drive home the idea of someone who wants to be more than what they are worth The Apprentice does not highlight the presidential days of Trump but highlights the era when he was creating businesses and buying buildings. The strategies he employed to navigate systems and rotate the cards is what The Apprentice is all about.

Sebastian Stan plays Donald Trump in the days when Trump was discovering the building blocks for his own success. With a family to support him and high aspirations, Stan does an excellent job portraying the egotistical attitude Trump displayed to boost his own worth above those around him. Trump has housing and real estate plans that he wants to move forward with, but many of them are complicated due to taxes, licensing, and other issues. Playing by the rules and obeying the letter of the law do not come easy to Trump. He hires Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong), and from that point on, the era of Trump’s ability to make money by pursuing many different avenues turns into his hallmark.

The film is funny while also maintaining a serious vibe. With Strong in the role as Cohn, he presents an attitude that is never willing to accept defeat. He also rides all the political tides and finds tactical ways to get around obstacles and the law. The box of tricks he teaches Trump creates the pinnacle of an ego that will always find a way to rise to the occasion. With many events in the film being based on true stories, some viewers may find The Apprentice appealing and some may despise it. The main political parts, however, are focused on Trump’s early days inbusiness and the development of his properties. The film also delves into his relationship with Cohn and their shared determination to win at any cost. Both Stan and Strong give believable performances of men striving to the point of no sacrifice.

Trump’s backstory is a bit rushed, especially when it involves moments which include scenes with Ivana Trump (played by Maria Bakalova). The scenes in The Apprentice showing Trump wanting to grow faster, richer, and even feel more powerful are done masterfully. He is clearly one-of-a-kind. Although, his ultimate rise to the presidency is not covered in the film, the foundation for what lies ahead is put in place. Stan shines as Trump and Strong shines as Cohn. Their egos cause them to battle, but The Apprentice also relays back to Trump battling himself and his merits when he is dealing with more than he can handle. The Apprentice gets ugly and may receive all kinds of mixed reactions due to the mind-boggling details of what happened in Trump’s early days. Three-and-a-half stars.

Film reviews

Small Things Like These Review

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From director Tim Mielants and based on the book written by Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These is an adaptation with heart about a situation involving layers of uncertainty. The story is woven in a way that is thought-provoking. It weighs the choices a man must make when faced with secrets. The film is set in areas around County Wexford and County Wicklow in Ireland. The season of the film gives off a chilly feeling and thecinematography feels cold as well. There is a sense given the subject matter that there are complicated moving parts when it comes to choices that have serious consequences.

The film’s main character is Bill Furlong (played by Cillian Murphy). He is a father to many daughters with his wife, Eileen Furlong (played by Eileen Walsh). He works hard daily to feed his family. With a job as a coal merchant, Bill prioritizes his family. Even though he is presented as a family man, the dark era of his early days being raised by a single mother come back to him.

When part of holiday celebration doesn’t go as planned, and other eerie moments occur, Bill still behaves with a heart. He meets Sarah Redmond (played by Zara Devlin), a teenager whois pregnant. He finds her in a shed in drastic and cold temperatures, suffering in a way that Bill cannot accept. The place where this takes place happens to be a convent, run by Sister Mary (played by Emily Watson). This presents a portrait of what seems very inappropriate in the operations of the convent where the nuns belittle Sarah.

Small Things Like These creates a representation of a small town with very few places to hide. The writing and pacing are focused primarily on the intentions of Bill as he struggles with the harsh secrets and realizations regarding the convent. Small Things Like These transitions to scenes in Bill’s past, and then jumps back to the present. It shows him living life with his family and delves into his thought process about what he should be doing to help Keep Sarah safe. The artistic aspects of Small Things Like These illustrate the risks of doing a good deed, i.e., aiding Sarah in finding safety. Murphy’s performance is impressive as a character who demonstrates loyalty and respect in his efforts to break down barriers.

This film is a poetic force of a drama that is both dark and often unnerving. The drastic way lighting is used to illuminate specific moments of confusion and frustration experienced by lead character, Bill, is what especially dazzles during Small Things Like These. The past may not be able to be undone given the difficult reminders of prior hardship. Going forward, however,Bill’s dedication to being a father motivates him to do what is right. Using the small-town setting to help deliver a deeply emotional vibe, the film’s power lies in creating a nervous mentality that swerves vigorously. Three out of four stars for Small Things Like These.