Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Kevin Costner | ... | ||
Gary Oldman | ... |
Quaker Wells
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Tommy Lee Jones | ... |
Dr. Franks
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Ryan Reynolds | ... |
Bill Pope
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Jordi Mollà | ... |
Xavier Heimdahl
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Gal Gadot | ... |
Jill Pope
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Michael Pitt | ... |
Jan Stroop
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Amaury Nolasco | ... |
Esteban Ruiza
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Alice Eve | ... |
Marta Lynch
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Antje Traue | ... |
Elsa Mueller
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Scott Adkins | ... |
Pete Greensleeves
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Lara Decaro | ... |
Emma Pope
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Freddy Bosche | ... |
CIA Agent Pfeffer
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Emmanuel Imani | ... |
CIA Agent #2
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Harry Hepple | ... |
CIA Tech
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Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) is a CIA agent on a mission in Germany tracking down a shadowy hacker nicknamed "The Dutchman." When he gets mysteriously ambushed and killed, an experimental procedure is used to transfer his memories into dangerous ex-convict Jericho Stewart (Kevin Costner). When he wakes up with the CIA agent's memories, his mission is to find The Dutchman and eliminate him before the hacker launches ICBM's and starts World War III. But complications soon arise and the mission turns personal.
Even with the efforts of its top notch cast, Criminal never really leaps off the screen to give us anything of substance. It may please some genre fans with its cool premise, but they'll likely be left with a film of no real substance or personality.
Kevin Costner stars as Jericho Stewart, a death-row inmate who is forced to undergo a surgery to recover the memories of Bill Pope, played by Ryan Reynolds, a CIA agent with important and dangerous information regarding a mission. Even though Reynolds is barely in the film at all, I can't help but feel like this idea is utterly similar to his 2015 film, Self/less. But Reynolds isn't the problem here. In fact, the opening 10 minutes in which is largely focused on him, were quite compelling. The opening of the film feels like an entry in the Bourne franchise with its espionage, chases, and thrill sequences. Sadly, the rest of the film never reaches the heights of its opening.
Being a criminal, as the title clearly states, it becomes hard for the audience to root for Jericho. Glimpses of his humanity underneath are only shown here or there. As Jericho becomes more and more like Pope, he draws his attention to Pope's family, and there lies several awkward scenes. Gal Gadot provides a solid performance as Pope's wife, but I felt no chemistry at all between her and Costner. Awkward is really the best way to describe it.
Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones have some screen time and they are great as always, but again, I was never invested at what was going on to these characters. The script/directing never pulled me in to care about the consequences and what's at stake. The villain, known as the 'Spanish Anarchist' is over-the-top, and there's plenty of gratuitous violence that doesn't fit in with the story they were trying to tell. Overall, the best way I can describe the feeling I had watching this film was awkward.
+Good effort from the cast
-Wasn't invested in the characters
-Gratuitous violence
5.7/10