Film Reviews

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"I don’t see how any gifted actor could have done less than Brando does here. His resident power, his sheer innate force, has rarely seemed weaker." (Stanley Kauffman)

"What easily could have been a schlocky mess is instead an elegant tale of a father and his sons and the bond that can only be broken over time -- it’s practically a Shakespearean tragedy, which may be what Branagh was going for in the first place." (Alaina O'Connor)

"There’s no breather in the picture, no lyricism; the only attempt at beauty is in the double sunset." (Pauline Kael)

"It's gloriously absurd. This movie has holes in it big enough to drive the whole movie through. The laws of physics seem to be suspended here the same way as in a Road Runner cartoon. Angelina Jolie runs full speed out into thin air and doesn't look down until she's in the helicopter at the end." (Roger Ebert)

"There follows one of the most disgusting murders in all screen history. It takes place in a bathroom and involves a great deal of swabbing of the tiles and flushings of the lavatory. It might be described with fairness as plug ugly. [title] is not a long film but it feels long." (C.A. Lejeune)

"The actual presence of Wahlberg, an honest-to-goodness movie star (and the presence of Dinobots) should help the film ward off franchise fatigue in the states, while the fact that it’s a Chinese co-production with a climax set in China and Hong Kong is expected to bring massive rewards in the second-biggest market." (Scott Mendelson)

"The long-awaited film for which UFA has been beating the gong for the last year. [...] The weakness is the scenario by Thea von Harbou. It gives effective chances for scenes, but it actually gets nowhere. The scene is laid 100 years in the future, in the mighty city of [title], a magnified New York. [...] Too bad that so much really artistic work was wasted on this manufactured story." (Variety staff)

"Director James Wan – an interesting choice considering his primary background in horror films like “Saw”– knows how to keep the action ratcheted up, realizing that fans aren’t here for the subtleties of plot or prose. Of course, Michael Bay’s backers (does he have any?) could say the same thing about his films. Not to split hairs or anything but there really is a difference between dumb fun, and just dumb. [title] sets new benchmarks for dumb fun, and that’s a compliment." (Bruce Bennett)