Michael's Movie Grade: B-
A well-made but very familiar thriller.
This movie has a very familiar storyline about a man who comes from a family of criminals. He wants to break away from his family's criminal ways because he is going to get married and have kids. However, his fiancée is killed in a botched robbery that he believes his family is responsible for. He seeks revenge on those who he believes killed his fiancée. We have seen this type of story many times before and that can make it to where this film will blend in with similar ones in our minds. However, this does not mean it can't be well told.
There is quite a bit to like here actually. Our main character is quite a good one. He is a character that we at first really like and root for. However, as his darker side comes out, our feelings towards him become more complicated. His moral decline is presented in a completely believable and gradual way. With this the movie does a great job of showing us how a seemingly good guy can have a monster living inside. This is all helped by an excellent lead performance by Billy Magnussen. The movie is also full of some really effective action scenes and some surprisingly good twists and turns.
This may be overly familiar, but it is quite good for what it is.
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