We review, Hitman: Agent 47 “A pretty cool Bourne, Bond, type of flick. 4 Stars” – MR

Hitman: Agent 47

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hitman: Agent 47
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Aleksander Bach
Produced by	Adrian Askarieh Charles Gordon Skip Woods Alex Young
Screenplay by	Michael Finch Skip Woods
Story by	Skip Woods
Based on	Hitman by IO Interactive
Starring	Rupert Friend Hannah Ware Zachary Quinto Ciarán Hinds Thomas Kretschmann Angelababy
Music by	Marco Beltrami
Cinematography	Óttar Guðnason
Edited by	Nicolas de Toth
Production company	Daybreak Films Giant Pictures TSG Entertainment
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	August 21, 2015[1]
Running time	96 minutes[2]
Country	United States Germany
Language	English
Budget	$35 million[3]
Box office	$17.1 million[4]

Hitman: Agent 47 is a 2015 American-German action film directed by Aleksander Bach and written by Skip Woods (who also wrote the original Hitman film) and Michael Finch. It is based on the Hitman video game series, developed by IO Interactive, and its main character, a mysterious assassin known only as Agent 47.^[5] The film stars Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto, Ciarán Hinds, Thomas Kretschmann, andAngelababy. It was released on August 21, 2015.

Cast

• Rupert Friend as Agent 47, a secret agent who works for a top secret non-government organization called the International Contracts Agency (known in the video games as either the ICA or just the Agency) which carries out the assassinations of high profile targets worldwide.^[6]
• Hannah Ware^[7]as Katia van Dees, Agent 90
  • Helena Pieske as young Katia
• Zachary Quinto^[8]as John Smith, CIA
• Ciarán Hinds as Dr. Litvenko, the founder of the agent program and Katia’s father.
• Thomas Kretschmann as Le Clerq, the chairman of an organization called Syndicate International.^[9] It is described as an international terrorist organization who are responsible for creating an army of unstoppable assassins in fighting against the ICA.
• Angelababy as Diana
• Dan Bakkedahl^[10]as Sanders
• Emilio Rivera as Fabian, a member of the Syndicate.
• Rolf Kanies as Dr. Delriego/”The Hunter”
• Jerry Hoffmann as Franco

 

Plot

An assassin teams up with a woman to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry. Together, they aim to take down the leader of Syndicate International, a terrorist group based in Singapore.

Our Thoughts

This was a pretty good futuristic, super being against super being, movie. It was very Bond and Bourne-ish and yet unique in its own ways. Not quite refreshing enough for five stars, I’ll give it props for getting me excited about going to see a movie, and having a plot that didn’t come off as fake or silly. All in all it was a pretty cool Bourne, Bond, type of flick. 4 Stars. – MR

Find Hitman: Agent 47 and see the new trailer here.

We review: American Ultra “Everything a good movie needs, and then some!” – MR

American Ultra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

American Ultra
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nima Nourizadeh
Produced by	David Alpert Anthony Bregman Mark Fasano Kevin Scott Frakes Britton Rizzio Raj Brinder Singh
Written by	Max Landis
Starring	Jesse Eisenberg Kristen Stewart Topher Grace Connie Britton Walton Goggins John Leguizamo Bill Pullman Tony Hale
Music by	Marcelo Zarvos
Cinematography	Michael Bonvillain
Edited by	Bill Pankow Andrew Marcus
Production companies	The Bridge Finance Company Circle of Confusion Likely Story Merced Media Partners PalmStar Media Capital PalmStar Entertainment Tadmor Entertainment
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release dates	August 21, 2015
Running time	96 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$12 million[2]

American Ultra is a 2015 American actioncomedy film directed by Nima Nourizadeh and written by Max Landis.^[3][4] The film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, and Tony Hale. It was released on August 21, 2015, by Lionsgate.

Cast

• Jesse Eisenberg as Mike Howell
• Kristen Stewart as Phoebe Larson
• Topher Grace as Adrian Yates
• Connie Britton as Victoria Lasseter
• Walton Goggins as Laugher
• John Leguizamo as Rose
• Bill Pullman as Raymond Krueger
• Tony Hale as Agent Petey Douglas
• Monique Ganderton as Crane
• Stuart Greer as Sheriff Bernie Watts
• Lavell Crawford as Big Harold

Plot

Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) is a stoner who lives in Liman, West Virginia, where he works as a convenience store clerk, and is planning to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Phoebe Larson (Kristen Stewart). Meanwhile, in Langley, Virginia, CIA agent Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton) learns that her rival, Adrian Yates (Topher Grace), has seized control of the Ultra Program, a secret project she started to create sleeper agents, and ordered the death of all current assets, including Mike. Lasseter then locates Mike in Liman through her former assistant, Petey Douglas (Tony Hale), and activates him through a series of codes.

Mike finds Yates’ men planting a bomb in his car and is attacked, but his training allows him to overpower and kill them. Horrified, he calls Phoebe, who reunites with him just as they’re arrested for the apparent murders. Yates sends two Ultra operatives, Laugher (Walton Goggins) and Crane (Monique Ganderton), to kill Mike and Phoebe at the police station, but they evade Laugher and kill Crane before escaping to the apartment of Mike’s friend Rose (John Leguizamo), who agrees to hide them. Yates places the city under lockdown and attacks Rose’s apartment using knockout gas. Rose is killed by a stray bullet, while Phoebe steals a gas mask from one of Yates’ men and rescues Mike, who had been exposed to the gas. When pressed for answers on her knowledge of the CIA’s tactics, Phoebe begrudgingly reveals she’s an undercover agent assigned to be Mike’s handler, leaving him heartbroken.

Laugher ambushes the duo and captures Phoebe, while Mike is rescued by Lasseter and brought back to his house, where he learns that he volunteered for the Ultra Program in exchange and had his memories erased. Yates’ men locate him, but Mike and Lasseter fight them off, prompting Yates to order a drone strike on the area. Douglas refuses to follow his orders and secretly reports the situation to Yates’ superior, Raymond Kruger (Bill Pullman). Mike contacts Yates and arranges to exchange himself for Phoebe at the convenience store, but, with Lasseter’s help, sets off a series of fireworks and dispatches of all of Yates’ men before fighting and defeating Laugher, who is spared when Mike learns he is a mentally unbalanced man forcibly conscripted to the program.

Our Thoughts

American Ultra was fun and sort of refreshing. A unique twist on the “unsuspecting sleeper agent” type of thing that has been done before. Few surprises, but some great laughs, and well choreographed fighting sequences make for a great all around film. The violence is graphic so youngsters might get grossed out, otherwise, this film has everything a good movie needs, and then some! 4.5 stars – MR

Find American Ultra and see the new trailer here.

We Review: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation “Two words – Bad Ass! – MR”

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Christopher McQuarrie
Produced by	J. J. Abrams Bryan Burk Tom Cruise David Ellison Dana Goldberg Don Granger
Screenplay by	Christopher McQuarrie
Story by	Christopher McQuarrie Drew Pearce
Based on	Mission: Impossible by Bruce Geller
Starring	Tom Cruise Jeremy Renner Simon Pegg Rebecca Ferguson Ving Rhames Sean Harris Alec Baldwin
Music by	Joe Kraemer
Cinematography	Robert Elswit
Edited by	Eddie Hamilton
Production companies	Bad Robot Productions Skydance Productions TC Productions
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	July 31, 2015
Running time	131 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$150 million[2]
Box office	$120.5 million[3]

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is a 2015 American actionspy film written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. It is the fifth installment in the Mission: Impossible series and was preceded by Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011). It stars Tom Cruise, who reprises his role as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt. It is produced by Cruise, J. J. Abrams, and David Ellison of Skydance Productions. In the film, Hunt is on the run from the U.S. government as he tries to prove the existence of the Syndicate, an international criminal consortium.

Filming began on August 21, 2014, in Vienna, Austria, and concluded on March 12, 2015. The film was released in North America by Paramount Pictures on July 31, 2015 to critical and commercial success. In its opening weekend, it took in $55.5 million at the U.S. box office^[4] and over $120 million worldwide.^[3]

Cast

• Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
• Jeremy Renner as William Brandt
• Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
• Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust
• Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
• Sean Harris as Solomon Lane^[5]
• Alec Baldwin as Alan Hunley^[6]
• Simon McBurney as Attlee
• Jens Hultén as Janik “Bone Doctor” Vinter
• Tom Hollander as the Prime Minister

Plot

After intercepting nerve gas being sold to terrorists, Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is convinced he can prove the existence of the Syndicate, an international criminal consortium. Reporting to an IMF substation to receive his next orders, Hunt is captured by the Syndicate, but escapes a torture chamber led by Syndicate member Janik “Bone Doctor” Vinter (Jens Hultén) with the help of disavowed MI6 agent and Syndicate operative Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Meanwhile, CIA director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) and IMF agent William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) appear before a Senate oversight committee, and Hunley succeeds in having the IMF disbanded and absorbed into the CIA, guaranteeing that Hunt will be captured within the day. Cut off from the IMF, Hunt starts following his only lead: a blond man in glasses, later identified as Solomon Lane (Sean Harris).

Six months later, Hunt remains on the run. Unable to find the Syndicate without help, he enlists former colleague Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), arranging for him to attend the opera Turandot in Vienna to search for Lane, whom he suspects is the Syndicate’s leader. Despite stopping three shooters including Faust, the Austrian Chancellor is killed by a car bomb.

Brandt recruits former agent Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) to find Hunt and prevent Hunley’s team from killing him. Using a likeness of Faust left by Hunt, Brandt and Stickell are able to track Hunt, Dunn, and Faust to Morocco, where the three are infiltrating a secure underwater server beneath a power station. After having stolen what they believe to be a ledger containing the names of all Syndicate agents, Faust takes the drive and a chase ensues involving Ethan, his group, the Syndicate members, and Faust. Faust escapes, but Dunn reveals he had already made a copy of the data.

Faust returns to London, and attempts to pass the file to her handler, Attlee (Simon McBurney), who compels her to return to the Syndicate and finish her mission. She returns to Lane, only to find that Attlee has wiped the drive, which in fact contained an encrypted, British-government “red box” that requires the Prime Minister’s biometrics in order to be unlocked. The former IMF agents confront Faust, but when Lane’s men abduct Dunn, they are told they must deliver a decrypted copy of the drive to Lane. Despite the objections of the others, Hunt realizes Lane will always have a plan to acquire the files; believing the only certain way to stop him is to confront him, Hunt agrees to the ultimatum.

Brandt contacts Hunley and reveals their location. At a charity auction, the two try to prevent Hunt from attacking the Prime Minister, whom they and Attlee take to a secure room. Hunt, having posed as Attlee, reveals himself and has the Prime Minister confirm the existence of the Syndicate, a classified project to perform missions without oversight, though the Prime Minister insists that he cancelled the project before it could leave the planning stages as he considered it to be too extreme. When the real Attlee arrives, Hunt subdues him and he admits that he had been covering up the existence of the Syndicate since Lane hijacked the project and went rogue.

Stickell discovers the file actually contains access to billions in currency. Hunt destroys the file and tells Lane he memorized the data, in order to force Lane to release Dunn and Faust in exchange for what he knows. Dunn escapes to Stickell and Brandt while Ethan and Faust are chased by Vinter and his men across the streets of London where they are separated. Faust kills Vinter in a knife fight while Ethan draws Lane into the open…

Our Thoughts

Simply put, this is one of the best movies in the franchise… Maybe the best. The acting and effects were superb. This is top notch, high energy, excitement. It is as funny and intense, as it is thrilling. This film is well worth the price of a premium ticket. Two words – Bad Ass! – MR

Find MI- Rogue Nation and see a new trailer here.